(Adds Bashneft, Zoomlion, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Ferro
Corp, Orexigen Therapeutics , Novatek, Terra Firma; Updates
Campari )
March 15 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers,
acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Tuesday:
** The Russian government has set the wheels in motion for
the sale of state stakes in mid-sized oil producer Bashneft
BANE.MM , diamond producer Alrosa ALRS.MM and state bank VTB
VTBR.MM , four financial sources told Reuters. China's Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co
Ltd 000157.SZ has raised its bid for U.S. crane maker Terex
Corp TEX.N , according to people familiar with the matter, as
it challenges Terex's merger with Finland's Konecranes
KCR1V.HE . Specialty chemical maker Ferro Corp FOE.N received an
offer from investment firm Apollo Global Management LLC APO.N ,
Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Orexigen Therapeutics Inc OREX.O bought the U.S. rights
to its flagship obesity drug from co-developer Takeda
Pharmaceutical Co Ltd 4502.T and said it would enlist Valeant
Pharmaceutical International Inc VRX.TO to sell the pill in
Europe. Italy's Campari CPRI.MI , the world's sixth largest
spirits company, is to launch a friendly takeover bid for Grand
Marnier GDMR.PA valuing the French liqueur maker at 684
million euros ($760 million) as it bets on growth in North
America. Russia's No.2 natural gas producer Novatek NVTK.MM said
on Tuesday it has completed a deal to sell a 9.9 percent stake
in the Yamal LNG project to China's Silk Road Fund for 1.09
billion euros ($1.2 billion). Private equity firm Terra Firma has rejected two bids
from a Chinese company for leasing group AWAS worth up to $2.2
billion in the latest evidence of attempted dealmaking in the
aircraft financing business, two people familiar with the matter
said. The Italian treasury's stake in Monte dei Paschi di Siena
BMPS.MI could rise to around 7 percent because of an
outstanding debt, which would make the state the troubled
Italian bank's biggest shareholder, two sources close to the
matter told Reuters. Australia's Asciano Ltd AIO.AX agreed to a A$9.1
billion ($6.8 billion) buyout by two global consortia after a
seven-month bidding war for the port and rail giant, although
doubts persist over anti-trust and foreign ownership issues.
Polyus Gold PLZL.MM , Russia's largest gold producer,
has paid $3.4 billion to buy back 31.6 percent of its shares
from its main shareholder Polyus Gold International Limited, it
said in a statement. FleetCor Technologies Inc agreed to buy Brazil's largest
electronic toll payments firm for 4.086 billion reais ($1.1
billion), underscoring the growing allure of Latin America's
biggest fleet management market in spite of a steep recession.
Sony Corp 6758.T said it signed an agreement with
Michael Jackson's estate to buy for $750 million the deceased
pop star's stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the world's
largest music publisher which controls songs such as The
Beatles' "All You Need Is Love." Polish billionaire Leszek Czarnecki is close to a deal to
sell his debt-collecting company GetBack for over 800 million
zlotys ($208 million), raising cash for his Idea Bank SA
IDE.WA , Puls Biznesu daily on Tuesday quoted its sources as
saying. Private equity firm KKR & Co LP KKR.N said it is
investing $45 million into California-based medical device maker
Spirox Inc with a group of other investors, the latest in a
string of similar deals in the sector. A unit of telecoms multinational Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ)
Inc VZ.N signed a direct interconnection agreement with the
Cuban state monopoly Etecsa, expanding on existing roaming
services in the Caribbean country, Etecsa said on Monday.
Ocado Group Plc OCDO.L said it expected to renew a deal
with Morrisons Supermarkets Plc MRW.L this year even though
its key customer has reached a supply agreement which will allow
Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O to expand into online food retail.
Energa SA ENGP.WA is considering buying mostly
coal-fired heating plants from French utility EDF EDF.PA and
investing in local troubled coal mining firm Kompania Weglowa,
Poland's No.4 utility said on Tuesday. A takeover consortium spurned by Australia's largest
wheat exporter, Cooperative Bulk Handling Ltd (CBH), will seek
to force an emergency meeting of the grain handler to revive its
bid, two sources said on Tuesday. Pakistan's MCB Bank Ltd (MCB) MCB.KA is interested in
buying the operations of NIB Bank Ltd (NIB) NDIF.KA in
Pakistan, according to a filing with the Pakistan stock exchange
on Tuesday.