Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

Nov 18 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 1430 GMT on Friday:

** SABMiller will raise its cash takeover offer for Australia's Foster's Group to A$5.40 a share to make up for the loss of a 30 cents capital return after a tax ruling from Australian authorities.

** Deutsche Boerse AG and NYSE Euronext confirmed on Friday plans to sell equity-option businesses across Europe and to give rivals access to a major derivatives clearinghouse, in an effort to win support for their $9 billion merger from antitrust regulators.

** India's Reliance Industries and global energy major BP plc on Friday said they have formed an equal joint venture to source, market and transport natural gas in Asia's third-largest economy.

** Italian oil company ENI remains committed to eventually selling its stake in Portuguese oil firm Galp , Galp's chief executive said on Friday. The Italian company holds a 33.3 percent stake in Galp, worth around 3 billion euros ($4 billion) at current market prices.

** South Korea's Hana Financial Group will begin negotiations to lower its 4.4 trillion won ($3.9 billion) offer to buy a controlling stake in Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) from U.S. fund Lone Star, a source close to the matter said.

** Russian Railways has asked the government to postpone the sale of its shares in TransContainer until next year, citing poor market conditions, according to a letter to the First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov obtained by Reuters.

** China Investment Corp has raised its stake in China Construction Bank Corp's Hong Kong-listed shares to 60.46 percent from 59.31 percent, according to a disclosure of ownership filing to the Hong Kong bourse on Friday.

** Germany's richest woman, Susanne Klatten, tightened her hold on SGL Carbon, putting herself well ahead of Volkswagen in the race for carbon fibre technology. Carmaker BMW, in which Klatten and her family are a major investor, said on Friday it has secured a 15.2 percent in SGL, adding to the 29 percent stake already held by the German heiress.

** Nestle has purchased the stocks and sauces brand Oscar from Finland's Paulig Group for an undisclosed sum, the world's biggest food group said on Friday.

** Volkswagen said it was extremely disappointed that Suzuki Motor Corp demanded mediation after rejecting VW's offers to rescue a floundering alliance, arguing Suzuki did not have a legal leg on which to stand.

** The Bank of Spain is considering paying off billions of euros of debt owed by Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo in an attempt to secure a sale of the failed Spanish savings bank.

** British chipmaker CSR Plc will look for further acquisitions to bolster its strategy only after it has digested its $484 million acquisition of U.S. peer Zoran Corp, its chief executive said on Friday.

** The supervisory board of world No.4 retailer Metro will discuss the planned sale of its Kaufhof department stores when it meets on Friday, as well as options for a new chief executive, sources told Reuters.

** Swedish TV4, owned by media group Bonnier, is close to inking a deal to buy a 50 percent stake in Norwegian commercial broadcaster TV 2, Swedish business daily Dagens Industri said on Friday, citing sources.

** Kumho Industrial will be selling 1 trillion Korean won ($884.5 billion) worth of assets to roughly 10 private equity funds, including 12.3 percent to Daewoo Engineering & Construction, a domestic paper said Friday.

** Carlyle Group, whose global market strategies unit manages $22 billion of credit and equity instruments, said on Friday it would buy Churchill Financial, LLC, a manager of a $1.25 billion collateralized loan obligation, from private equity peer Olympus Partners for an undisclosed amount.

** Catlin has formed an alliance with China Reinsurance Corporation that will inject Chinese funds into the Lloyd's of London market and line the British insurer up to access opportunities in Asia.

** British plastic and fibre products supplier Filtrona Plc said it acquired privately owned Richco Inc for $110 million in cash to gain access to consumer electronics, industrial and telecom markets.

** Second round bids for a majority stake in British grocer Iceland Foods are not expected until early next year, one of the selling shareholders said on Friday.

** Polish builder PBG called on shareholders at boiler maker Rafako to sell 3.6 percent of their shares at 13.22 zlotys each, the bookrunner DM BZ WBK brokerage said on Friday.

** Electric vehicle maker BYD Co Ltd said on Friday its Hong Kong subsidiary will transfer a 33.4 percent stake in Foshan Jin hui Hi-tech Photoelectric Material Co to 100 Industrial Co for 496 million yuan ($78.1 million).

** Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp acquired the bankrupt drugmaker Graceway Pharmaceutical LLC for $455 million in a court-supervised auction, Medicis said on Friday.

** German travel group TUI said it is increasingly likely it will exercise an option to sell its stake in shipper Hapag-Lloyd to the consortium that owns it in January, rather than float it or sell it to a third-party investor.

** EDF will renegotiate a deal to take control of Italian utility Edison if it is forced to buy out minorities at a premium price, the French power group's finance chief said on Friday.

** Nippon Steel Corp has not made a final decision about exercising its right to buy out the stake of fellow partners in Brazilian steelmaker Usiminas, according to a filing on Friday. Grupo Votorantim and Camargo Correa, two key Usiminas shareholders, are currently in talks to sell a stake to Luxembourg's Ternium.

** BlackRock UK Property Fund and LaSalle Investment Management have entered an exclusive agreement with Kirsh Group for the proposed sale of London's Tower 42 office skyscraper for more than 280 million pounds.

** The Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Securities Exchange Co Ltd have made a final decision to merge their operations and create the world's third-largest securities bourse, a source with knowledge of the talks said.

** Turkish cement company Cimsa Cimento said it has decided to make a bid for Ciments Francais's 51 percent stake in Afyon Cement.

** Ventrus Biosciences Inc said it bought title to Hemorrhoids product for $12.5 million.

** Stone Energy Corp said it entered into a definitive merger agreement with BP to buy Pompano field working interest.