Deals of the day- Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Shire, Carrefour, Clessidra, CMVM, Snam, Eni, Lala, Lucchini and KGHM) Dec 17 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2100 GMT on Wednesday: ** Dublin-based Shire Plc, whose proposed sale to AbbVie Inc fell apart in October, is considering an offer for U.S-based drug developer NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc , Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. ** Brazilian billionaire Abilio Diniz has agreed to buy a 10 percent stake in Carrefour SA's Brazilian unit, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said. ** Private equity firm Clessidra said it was in exclusive talks with Roberto Cavalli to take a majority stake in the Italian fashion house if they can reach an accord by March 2015. ** Portugal's securities market regulator, CMVM, said on Wednesday Angolan billionaire businesswoman Isabel dos Santos has to increase the 1.35 euro a share price in her takeover bid for Portugal Telecom SGPS (PT SGPS). ** Movie maker Lions Gate Entertainment Corp executives last summer tried to meet with Sony Corp CEO Kazuo Hirai to discuss a possible merger or acquisition, according to emails found in documents stolen by hackers. ** The European Commission said it had approved the sale of Lufthansa's IT infrastructure unit to IBM. ** Italian gas grid operator Snam SpA said its board had approved the conditions of a reserved capital increase of 502 million euros to buy the Trans Austria Gasleitung GmbH (TAG) pipeline carrying Russian gas into Italy. ** Italian oil major Eni SpA said it was supplying gas to troubled steelmaker Ilva under a special default supply agreement that would end in December, raising concern the plant could face a possible shut down. ** Catlin Group Ltd said it received a takeover approach from XL Group Plc that valued the Bermuda-based insurer at 2.53 billion pounds ($3.98 billion). ** Mexican dairy producer Grupo Lala SA de CV said it had agreed to buy the assets of Nicaragua's Eskimo and various of its affiliates in Central America, as the company tries to grow in the region. ** Turkey's Celikler Holding placed a top bid of $521 million in a state tender for the sale of two power plants, the acting head of the Privatisation Administration Ahmet Aksu said. ** Italy's second-largest steelmaker Lucchini will ask the Italian government for permission to sell its Lecco plant to privately owned European steel producers Duferco and Feralpi, the company said on Wednesday. ** Brazilian tycoon Abilio Diniz is in talks with Carrefour SA about buying a stake in the French retailer's Brazilian unit, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said. ** Anglo American Platinum, the world's top platinum miner, has received a 4.5 billion rand ($385 million) offer for its 49 percent stake in the Bokoni mine in northeast South Africa, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. ** Polish freight operator PKP Cargo confirmed on Wednesday it had not reached an agreement to buy rival CTL Logistics. ** Europe's second-largest copper producer KGHM Polska Miedz SA has held talks with Canadian-owned rival Miedzi Copper about two disputed Polish concessions which are the subject of a legal battle, KGHM said. ** Italy's Cariverona foundation could consider investing in Banca Marche, which was put under special administration last year, but is not looking at Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena , its chairman said. ** Abraaj Investment Management raised its offer for Bisco Misr to 84.66 Egyptian pounds ($12) per share, trumping Kellogg Co again in an intensifying battle for the Egyptian snack maker. ** Bailed-out Spanish savings bank Catalunya Banc secured European Union regulatory approval for its revised overhaul plan and sale to BBVA. ** Cathay Financial Holding Co Ltd said it was open to raising its stake in Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) to as much as 30 percent, soon after it acquired 20 percent of the mid-sized Philippine lender. ** Foodpanda, an online food delivery service backed by e-commerce investor Rocket Internet AG, said it is acquiring three companies in southeast Europe, the latest in a string of deals as it seeks to expand worldwide. ** Chinese internet firm Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd said it would invest $409 million in a joint venture with Shenzhen-based smartphone maker Coolpad Group Ltd . ** Philips has agreed to acquire U.S.-based medical device maker Volcano Corp for $1.2 billion including debt, its largest healthcare acquisition in seven years and a bid to cash in on an ageing population's need for more complex treatments. ** Convenience-store chain Pantry Inc is nearing a deal to sell itself through an auction, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. ** Banco BPI, Portugal's second-largest listed bank, is set to enter the first phase of buying Novo Banco, the bank carved out of Banco Espirito Santo, which the government hopes to sell in the coming months. ** Private equity group Advent International and its partner the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development plan to submit a new offer for the Balkans network of nationalized Austrian lender Hypo Alpe Adria on Wednesday, but said they were prepared to walk away if no deal happened by next week. ** Italy hopes to sell around 40 percent of state railways company Ferrovie dello Stato next year as part of a privatization drive to cut public debt, Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan told Il Messaggero in an interview published on Wednesday. ** Australia-listed construction giant Leighton Holdings Ltd said it had formed a joint venture with New York-listed Apollo Global Management LLC to run its services businesses, valuing the firms at A$1.08 billion ($880 million). ** The merger of Britain's TUI Travel and Germany's TUI AG was completed on Wednesday, bringing to a conclusion a deal to create the world's largest leisure and tourism company which would be known as TUI Group. ** Cathay Financial Holding Co Ltd is open to buying more shares in Rizal Commercial Banking Corp, its president said on Wednesday. ** Man Group plans to buy U.S. fund manager Silvermine Capital for up to $70 million, picking up $3.8 billion of assets under management to further strengthen its presence in the United States. ** A senior Hitachi Ltd executive confirmed the company had bid for Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica's train-making and rail signal assets. ** Sanofi SA said on Wednesday that Merial, its animal health unit, had reached an agreement with Bayer HealthCare to buy two Bayer equine health products for an undisclosed amount. ** Chinese Internet giant Baidu Inc confirmed on Wednesday it was buying a stake in fast-growing international car-hailing service Uber as the pair chase growth in one of the world's largest transportation markets. ** The growth arm of private equity firm TPG has made an investment in non-toxic beauty company Beautycounter, according to a person familiar with the matter, who said an announcement is expected on Wednesday. ** Australia's largest telecom services provider Telstra Corp Ltd said on Tuesday it was in talks with the owners of Pacnet Ltd to buy the undersea cable operator. ** Itau Unibanco Holding SA, Latin America's largest bank by market value, wants to enter the Mexican retail banking market and is eyeing Grupo Financiero Banamex SA as a potential way in, Chief Executive Roberto Egydio Setubal said on Tuesday. ($1 = 0.8057 euros) (Compiled by Lehar Maan in Bengaluru)