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

Fri Jun 6, 2008 3:51pm EDT

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(Recasts; Adds EDF, Applied Materials and others)

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June 6 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 1948 GMT on Friday.

(For Reuters columns on deals, click on [DEALTALK])

** Three of Germany's biggest lenders are mulling a merger that would create a new national banking champion but opposition to losing tens of thousands of jobs as a result could quickly render the plan unfeasible.

Commerzbank (CBKG.DE) and Allianz (ALVG.DE) are making a joint approach to buy the country's biggest retail lender, Deutsche Postbank (DPBGn.DE), sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.[nL06298830]

** French utility EDF (EDF.PA) is raising an 11.5 billion pound ($22.51 billion) loan to back its proposed takeover bid for UK nuclear power generator British Energy BGY.L, banking sources said on Friday.[nL0676954]

** Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O) offered to buy two businesses of Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASM International NV (ASMI.AS) (ASMI.O) for $400 million to $500 million, but ASMI's CEO said this would not fit its turnaround plans.[nL06310481]

** Russian investment bank Troika Dialog has invited Volvo (VOLVb.ST), Iveco and Daimler (DAIGn.DE) to bid for its minority stake in truck maker Kamaz (KMAZ.MM), the bank's chairman told Reuters. [nL0614020]

** Norwegian billionaire John Fredriksen has raised his stake in TUI (TUIGn.DE) (TT.L) since the German shipping and tourism group's May annual meeting but not by a level that requires disclosure, a spokesman for Fredriksen said. [ID:nL06703281]

** French information technology services company Sopra (SOPR.PA) said its Axway subsidiary would acquire U.S. e-mail security software company Tumbleweed Communications TMWD.O at $2.70 a share. To read more, please double click on [ID:nL068588]

** Banpu (BANP.BK), Thailand's biggest coal miner, said it planned to spend $420 million to acquire the remaining 78.40 percent stake in a coal miner in China. [ID:nBKK170661]

** The board of Australian mining and utilities contractor Ausdrill Ltd (ASL.AX) on Friday advised shareholders to reject a A$436 million ($419 million) all-share takeover offer from Macmahon Holdings Ltd (MAH.AX). [ID:nSYU004517]

** New Zealand casino operator Sky City Entertainment Ltd (SKC.NZ) said that it would keep its cinema business after a possible sale fell through. [ID:nWLF000906]

** Franshion Properties (China) Ltd (0817.HK) said it would buy a Chinese high-end real estate development and management firm, China Jin Mao (Group) Co Ltd for 11 billion yuan ($1.58 billion), a deal to be settled in cash and by issue of new shares. [ID:nHKG245798]

** NTT DoCoMo Inc (9437.T), Japan's top mobile phone operator, has sealed a deal to buy a 30 percent stake in Aktel, Bangladesh's No. 3 cellphone carrier, for about $425 million, sources familiar with the matter said. [ID:nTFD002938]

** Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI) will likely sell about 60 percent of its Ansaldo Energia unit in a public offering to help fund its purchase of U.S. defence firm DRS Technologies Inc., Chairman Pier Francesco Guarguaglini said.[nRAT003864]

** Essar Steel said it would consider making an increased bid for Esmark Inc ESMK.O after it had obtained additional information from Esmark.[nWNAS7486]

** Norwegian industrial holding group Aker ASA (AKER.OL) has cut its stake in Aker American Shipping AKASA.OL to 19.9 percent from 53.2 percent, it said on Friday.[nOSL001317]

** British telecoms group Cable & Wireless (CW.L) has imposed a deadline of June 30 for it to either make a bid for smaller rival Thus THUS.L or walk away.[nL06772229]

** Spanish infrastructure company Abertis (ABE.MC) has presented a non-binding bid for 18,000 telecoms transmission towers being sold by Wind and 3 Italia, a spokesman said on Friday.[nMDT005252]

** SkyWest Inc (SKYW.O) said on Friday it will not pursue the acquisition of ExpressJet Holdings (XJT.N) because of a new agreement between ExpressJet and Continental Airlines Inc (CAL.N).[nWNAS7503]

** Globe Trade Centre, a Warsaw-listed property developer, has bought two Russian developers, OOO Okkerville and ZAO Krasny Mayak, for a total of 43 million euros ($67.11 million), the company said on Friday.[nL06436486]

** Computer Sciences Corp (CSC.N) is not looking to sell itself following Hewlett-Packard Co's (HPQ.N) deal to buy rival Electronic Data Systems Corp EDS.N, a senior Computer Sciences executive said on Friday.[nN06448427] (Compiled by Tina Kwan in Singapore, Adheesha Sarkar in Bangalore)



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