Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

Sept 6 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Thursday:

** American International Group Inc launched a widely expected sale of a stake in its former Asian unit AIA , providing the insurer with funding to help repurchase up to $5 billion of its stock from the U.S. government.

** ShawCor Ltd, which has a dominant position providing niche pipeline services to the oil and gas industry, said it was exploring the possibility of putting itself up for sale in a deal that could fetch C$3 billion ($3.06 billion) or more.

** Realty Income Corp plans to acquire American Realty Capital Trust Inc for about $1.93 billion as it looks to diversify from a predominantly retail portfolio and sign up more creditworthy tenants.

** Peabody Energy Corp has deferred the $500 million sale of an Australian mine after a near year-long process, sources said, joining deals worth almost $15 billion that have been pulled or delayed as weaker Chinese demand drives prices lower.

** Italy's biggest insurer Generali agreed to cut the sale price of its controlling stake in Israeli unit Migdal to 705 million euros ($888.5 million) after an 835 million euros deal, agreed earlier this year, failed to complete.

** U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital LLC has matched a $700 million takeover offer for Australia's Billabong International Ltd from TPG Capital, sources familiar with the matter said, improving the odds the struggling surfwear brand will agree to a sale.

** Enstar Group Ltd, which buys insurers that are no longer writing new business, said it would buy the U.S. and Canadian closed-life insurance operations of HSBC Finance, a unit of HSBC Holdings Plc, for a base price of $181 million.

** Canada's Inmet Mining Corp said it intends to make an offer to acquire peer Petaquilla Minerals Ltd for an equity purchase price of about C$112 million ($112.95 million) as it looks to expand its footprint in Panama.

Petaquilla Minerals said it has not received a formal takeover offer from Inmet Mining and urged its shareholders not to take any action.

** Speciality pharmaceutical company Jazz Pharmaceuticals has agreed to sell its women's health business to Swedish speciality drug maker Meda AB for $95 million in cash to focus on its core product portfolio.

** British billionaire Joe Lewis has launched a 50 million pound ($80 million) takeover bid for Timeweave, a company with a stake in a television channel which broadcasts horse racing to betting shops and which is listed on London's junior market.

** Italy's Prysmian, the world's largest cable maker, said it had agreed to buy 100 percent of Britain's Global Marine Systems Energy for about 53 million euros ($66.97 million).

** Cosmetics company Physicians Formula Holdings Inc , which in August agreed to go private with Swander Pace Capital, said it received a rival buyout offer of about $67.2 million from an unnamed party.

** Russia's Rosneft has taken time out in talks to buy a stake in TNK-BP to avoid falling foul of a shareholder's agreement between its current owners, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said on Thursday.

** Journal Register Co, publisher of Connecticut's New Haven Register and more than 140 other publications in 10 U.S. states, on Wednesday filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than four years, and is pursuing a quick sale.

** South African insurer Sanlam is in talks for an acquisition in Malaysia, where it could use some of its 4 billion rand in surplus capital, its chief executive said on Thursday.

** British oil and gas company Valiant Petroleum Plc said it is considering selling itself, in a surprise announcement that pushed its stock up 10 percent.

** Spirent Communications PLC said it would buy Metrico Wireless Inc for $52.0 million in cash.

** North American Breweries, which sells Genesee and Labatt beer in the United States, has been put up for sale by its owner, private equity firm KPS Capital Partners, according to sources familiar with the matter.