MERGERS/DEALS (UPDATE 3)

** ESCO Technologies Inc (ESE.N) acquired Xtensible Solutions. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. [ID:nASA00PM3]

** Boeing (BA.N) is "actively" looking at potential acquisition opportunities in response to a changing security environment and will not rule out a merger with another large defense contractor, Boeing's head of defense said on Tuesday.[ID:nN07235221]

** Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) expects more defense assets to come up for sale in the face of budget pressures and a changing security environment, Chief Executive Officer Robert Stevens said on Tuesday.[ID:nN07227950]

** Japanese electronics maker Sony Corp (6758.T) said it would sell a factory in Spain making liquid crystal display TVs as part of its push to outsource more production and turn its struggling TV operations into a profit driver.[ID:nTOE68607U]

** Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) may sell its partnership with Eni (ENI.MI) to a joint venture of Russia's Gazprom Neft (SIBN.MM) and Novatek NOTK.MM, a Gazprom Neft spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday.[ID:nLDE6861SF]

** NYSE Euronext (NYX.PA) and exchange operator APX Inc will create a new joint venture, NYSE Blue, to target global environmental markets, the companies said. The value of the new venture was not disclosed. NYSE Euronext said it will contribute its 60 percent shareholding in French emissions exchange BlueNext and be the majority owner. [ID:nLDE68618E]

** Shares of Marathon PGM MAR.TO nearly doubled on Tuesday after Stillwater Mining Co (SWC.N) said it would buy the Canadian exploration company in a cash-and-stock deal worth $118 million (C$123 million).[ID:nN07218937]

** Witwatersrand Cons Gold Resources (WGRJ.J) said on Tuesday it would acquire Harmony Gold's (HARJ.J) Merriespruit South area for 61 million rand ($8.5 million) and would start drilling for high-grade gold. [ID:nLDE68612W]

** Icelandic drugmaker Actavis said on Tuesday it aimed to join the race to develop generic copies of pricey biotech medicines by buying a majority stake in Polish group Bioton's BOTN.WA BioPartners unit. [ID:nLDE6860NO]

** Public Power Corp (PPC) (DEHr.AT), Greece's largest electricity utility, said it will pay up to 43.4 million euros ($55.5 million) to buy six wind farms from BCI Group. [ID:nLDE6860AZ]

** Indebted German property investor Speymill Deutsche Immobilien SDIC.L said it was mulling approaches from third parties keen to shore up its troubled balance sheet in moves that may lead to a takeover. [ID:nLDE68607Q] (Compiled by Tina Kwan in Singapore, Soham Chatterjee and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in Bangalore)