(Adds Gawker Media, Anglo American , Takata Corp and others)
May 26 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions
and disposals were reported by 1700 GMT on Thursday:
** Gawker Media, the New York-based owner of online news and
gossip website Gawker.com, is exploring a sale following a court
ruling that it pay $140 million to wrestler Hulk Hogan over the
publication of a sex tape, according to two sources familiar
with the matter. DONG Energy's IPO-DONG.CO has set a potential $16
billion price tag on its stock market debut, giving investors a
chance to buy into the growth in offshore wind power, but also
into a business heavily reliant on government subsidies.
Final bids for Anglo American's AAL.L metallurgical
coal mines in Australia, valued at up to $1.5 billion, must be
submitted by June 6, three sources close to the matter said.
Prosper Marketplace has hired investment banks Financial
Technology Partners LP and JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) JPM.N to
explore strategic alternatives, including selling equity in the
company, according to people familiar with the matter.
Bosnia's autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation will offer
for sale its 45.5 percent stake in insurer Sarajevo Osiguranje
SOSO.SJ on June 23, hoping to raise at least 27.4 million
Bosnian marka ($15.6 million) to help cover its budget deficit.
Russia should not sell a planned 19.5 percent stake in
top national oil producer Rosneft ROSN.MM on the open market,
but should rather look to attract two strategic investors, TASS
news agency quoted a Kremlin adviser as saying.
Separately, Rosneft and Indonesian state energy company
Pertamina PERTM.UL signed a framework agreement to cooperate
in the oil and gas sector, including plans to develop a refinery
together. Britain's government said it had started discussions on
overhauling the deficit-laden British Steel Pension Scheme, a
major stumbling block for potential buyers of Tata Steel Ltd's
TISC.NS UK assets. Takata Corp 7312.T is in bailout talks with a number of
potential investors including private equity firm KKR & Co
KKR.N , people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Japan's Jera Co said on Thursday it had signed a contract
to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to EDF Trading EDF.PA in
Europe, marking the first deal where it can adjust sales volumes
to match its own needs. Israeli conglomerate IDB Group said it received a
non-binding offer from an unnamed buyer to acquire control of
Clal Insurance CLIS.TA . General Electric (NYSE:GE) Co GE.N has been chosen as the
preferred bidder to supply engines for South Korea's KF-X
homegrown fighter jets, the country's arms procurement agency
said, beating Eurojet in what could be an estimated $3.5 billion
deal. Australia's antitrust watchdog raised fresh concerns on
Thursday about a planned A$9.1 billion ($6.5 billion) takeover
of rail and port giant Asciano Ltd AIO.AX , potentially forcing
the Canadian-led buyout consortium to restructure the deal.
A tieup of Aetna Inc (NYSE:AET) AET.N and Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) HUM.N
would be anti-competitive in Missouri for several types of
insurance, including individual Medicare Advantage plans where
the combined company would have more than a 50 percent market
share, the Missouri Department of Insurance said. New York REIT Inc NYRT.N said it would combine with
privately held JBG Companies to create an $8.4 billion real
estate investment trust focused on New York and Washington D.C.
Shareholder advisory firm Glass Lewis & Co said in a
report that Tribune Publishing Co TPUB.N shareholders should
not heed Gannett Co (NYSE:TGNA) Inc's GCI.N call to withhold votes for
Tribune's board nominees at its upcoming annual meeting on June
2.