UPDATE 3-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

(Adds NYSE Euronext, Intelsat)

Oct 30 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 2000 GMT on Friday. (For Reuters columns on deals, click on [DEALTALK/] )

** A group headed by the son of mall tycoon Henry Sy, one of the Philippines' richest men, made a surprise offer on Friday for a 13.4 percent stake in Manila Electric Co (MER.PS) held by the Lopez business clan and valued at around $940 million.

To read more, double click on [ID:nMAN347240]

** NYSE Euronext (NYX.N) (NYX.PA) said it sold a big stake in its U.S. derivatives trading platform to five powerful market players, following the pattern of exchange operators partnering with dealers in the face of possibly sweeping regulatory changes.[ID:nLU559590]

** Fixed satellite services provider Intelsat Ltd said it was selected as the successful bidder at a bankruptcy auction for the ProtoStar 1 satellite with an all cash offer of $210 million. [ID:nBNG255326]

** Australia has given foreign-investment approval for Chinese steel-maker Baosteel(600019.SS) to take a 15 percent stake in iron ore explorer Aquila Resources (AQA.AX), Aquila said. [ID:nSYU008973]

** Nippon Oil Corp 5001.T, Japan's top refiner, and smaller peer Nippon Mining Holdings Inc 5016.T said their merged JX Group would move forward by a year a plan to cut oil refining capacity by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd). [ID:nT41262]

** American International Group Inc (AIG.N) said it was no longer looking to sell two of its Japanese units, the latest sign that its new chief executive may be taking a slower approach to restructuring. [ID:nT91089]

** U.S. consulting firm Resources Connection Inc (RECN.O) said it is buying and combining the high profile public relations firm Sitrick and Co and restructuring firm Brincko Associates to create a subsidiary that will be headed by famed crisis manager Michael Sitrick. [ID:nN29383663]

** Australian grain marketing and rural services group AWB Ltd AWB.AX has started talks with a preferred party for the sale of its HiFert unit, the company said in a statement. [ID:nSYU008969]

** Europe's largest telecom Telefonica (TEF.MC) has made progress on talks for two small but key acquisitions, Spanish pay-TV firm Digital+ and German broadband operator HanseNet, executives said. [ID:nLU298698]

** U.S. antitrust regulators approved drugmaker Merck & Co's (MRK.N) $41.1 billion takeover of rival Schering-Plough Corp SGP.N on condition that each company sell some assets, the Federal Trade Commission said. [ID:nN29378571]

** Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) said it had entered exclusive talks with India's Essar Oil Ltd (ESRO.BO) on the sale of three European refineries, as the oil major refocuses its downstream operations on the United States and Asia. [ID:nLU627560]

** Dutch chemicals group DSM NV (DSMN.AS) said it would look for new partners in China after contracts with North China Pharmaceutical Group Corp. Ltd. (NCPC) were suspended. [ID:nLU209520]

** Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding RATC.BK, Thailand's largest private power producer, said it was in talks to buy more than 20 percent of an unidentified Australian power plant early next year as part of a regional hunt for growth opportunities. [ID:nBKK443042] (Compiled by Amit Kumar and Vidya Lakshmi in Bangalore and Tina Kwan in Singapore)