(Adds Blackstone (NYSE:BX) Group, Alrosa, Nestle, Formula E)
May 4 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Friday:
** U.S. private equity firm Blackstone Group's US$20bn acquisition of a majority stake in Thomson Reuters' TRI.TO Financial and Risk (F&R) unit is expected to close in late summer as regulatory requirements make a targeted July 1 completion look increasingly unlikely, sources familiar with the matter said. Russian diamond miner Alrosa ALRS.MM may buy diamond polisher Kristall to support the country's gem-cutting industry and help create a stronger competitor to global group De Beers. Nestle NESN.S , the world's largest packaged food company, is close to a deal with Starbucks Corp 's SBUX.O on its grocery business, according to media reports. Formula E founder and chief executive Alejandro Agag has made a 600 million euro ($716.34 million) bid to take full ownership of the company, the all-electric series said. Newell Brands Inc NWL.N expanded a divestiture plan, which will eliminate a third of its sales, and the consumer products maker said it is selling its Waddington Group packaging unit for $2.3 billion in a bid to be a nimbler company. British Airways-owner IAG ICAG.L is considering its options after Norwegian Air Shuttle NWC.OL rebuffed two takeover advances, IAG said, warning some airlines will struggle to survive as fuel prices rise. Germany's No.2 lender DZ Bank plans to sell certain assets of its troubled ship and aircraft financing division DVB after receiving muted interest for the whole business, four sources familiar with the matter said. Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart's board is yet to finalize a deal to sell a stake to Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Inc WMT.N , two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, adding that a deal could just be days away. Chinese private equity firm CDH Investments lobbed a last-minute $1.4 billion offer for Australian liver-cancer treatment firm Sirtex Medical SRX.AX , trumping Varian Medical Systems VAR.N days before the U.S. firm was set to seal a takeover deal. The Dhaka Stock Exchange has received approval from Bangladesh's market regulator to sell a 25 percent stake to a Chinese consortium that includes the Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges, the DSE's top executive said. Cleveland Square (NYSE:SQ), an investment vehicle run by private equity investor Gary Klesch, has raised its stake in British roadside recovery group and insurer AA AAAA.L , a regulatory filing showed. Pharmaceutical group Bayer BAYGn.DE has sold a further stake in plastics company Covestro 1COV.DE for 2.2 billion euros ($2.64 billion), placing a holding of 14.2 percent via an accelerated bookbuilding process. Brazil's CPFL Energia SA CPFE3.SA is eyeing distribution assets being sold off by state-run utility Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras SA ELET6.SA , three sources with knowledge of the matter said.