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

** Spice Plc SPI.L said it was in advanced talks with Cinven and ended discussions with other possible suitors after the buy-out firm further sweetened its cash bid for Britain's biggest installer of water meters. [ID:nSGE6810S9]

** Ping An Insurance (Group) Co Ltd (2318.HK), the world's second-biggest insurer, aims to complete the integration of its own bank with Shenzhen Development Bank 000001.SZ (SDB) within a year. [ID:nTOE68107O]

** Bond holders of Highstreet, a landlord of Karstadt, have agreed to a deal that will see billionaire Nicolas Berggruen buying the stricken German department store chain, Highstreet said on Thursday. [ID:nWEA6604]

** U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co (MRK.N) has postponed the closure of some of its Dutch operations while it negotiates with executives and workers on potential alternatives, including a sale of the R&D site. [ID:nLDE6810AB]

** Convenience store operator Pantry Inc (PTRY.O) said it is buying 47 stores from privately held Presto Convenience Stores LLC to expand its geographic footprint. [ID:nSGE68118L]

** The head of Vimpelcom (VIP.N) confirmed on Thursday that Russia's third-biggest mobile phone operator is talking to Egyptian tycoon Naguib Sawiris about a possible purchase of his Italian and Egyptian telecoms assets. [ID:nLDE66I071]

** French oil company Total (TOTF.PA) has received offers for its UK Lindsey refinery and hopes to sell it by the end of the year, Chief Executive Officer Christophe de Margerie said on Wednesday. [ID:nLDE68021F]

** Norway's biggest lender DnB NOR DNBNOR.OL said it would take over the Polish operations of its DnB Nord venture after German partner Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (NordLB) [NDLG.UL] did not exercise an option to acquire them. [ID:nLDE68106G]

** Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems (ESLT.O) (ESLT.TA) said it would buy $87 million worth of shares held by Mikal Ltd, an aerospace and defense holding company, in a bid to expand its offerings and be more competitive. [ID:nLDE68108S]

** India's Essar Group and other Indian, Southeast Asian and Australian firms have expressed interest in Australian miner Kangaroo Resources' (KRL.AX) GPK coal project in Indonesia, a Kangaroo executive said on Thursday. [ID:nSGE68114F]

** South African private equity group Brait S.A. (BATJ.J) said its black empowerment shareholder plans to sell its 7.1 percent stake in the company. [ID:nWEA6687]

** Canada's Boralex Inc (BLX.TO) said it will seek approval of unit holders of the trust it is looking to acquire, to lower the threshold of units required for the deal to go through. [ID:nSGE68116S] (Compiled by Tina Kwan in Singapore, Soham Chatterjee and Fareha Khan in Bangalore)