(Adds GVC, Liberty Global, Boeing (NYSE:BA), NMC Healthcare, Niki, Wind Farm, Royal Dutch Shell, Telecom Italia, Nestle, Russian Central Bank, Enacom, Trustpower, Thyssenkrupp )
Dec 21 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2100 GMT on Thursday:
** Argentina's communications regulator, Enacom, has approved the merger of Telecom Argentina SA TEC2.BA and cable TV provider Cablevision (NYSE:CVC) SA CVH.BA , a source at Enacom with knowledge of the decision told Reuters. Workers struck a deal with German industrial company Thyssenkrupp TKAG.DE to secure steel plants and jobs, a big step towards a planned merger of the group's European steel business with that of India's Tata Steel TISC.NS . Trustpower Ltd TPW.NZ said it would sell its Australian hydro-power generation assets operator GSP Energy to Meridian Energy MEL.NZ , for A$168 million ($129.46 million), as the company focuses on its core New Zealand business. State-owned Belarussian lender Paritetbank said it has asked Ukraine's central bank to approve its bid to purchase the Ukrainian subsidiary of the Russia's Sberbank SBER.MM . Online gambling firm GVC GVC.L is nearing a deal to acquire British bookmaker Ladbrokes Coral LCL.L for as much as 3.9 billion pounds ($5.2 billion) and could announce it as soon as Friday, two sources familiar with the matter said. International cable company Liberty Global LBTYA.O is in advanced talks to sell its Austrian unit UPC Austria to Deutsche Telekom DTEGn.DE in a deal worth about $2 billion, the Financial Times said.
** Planemakers Boeing Co BA.N and Embraer SA EMBR3.SA are discussing a "potential combination of their businesses," the companies said, in a move that could consolidate a global passenger jet duopoly. Brazilian President Michel Temer opposes the sale of a controlling stake in planemaker Embraer SA EMBR3.SA to Boeing Co BA.N , newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reported London-listed NMC Healthcare NMC.L is in talks with the Riyadh government to take over the running of a struggling Saudi hospital, according to four sources familiar with the matter. Former motor racing world champion Niki Lauda has offered to buy Austrian holiday airline Niki, a company he founded, but Ireland's Ryanair RYA.I has pulled out of the bidding. Several companies have bid to build a subsidy-free wind farm in the Dutch part of the North Sea, the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs said without providing further details. Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L has agreed to buy British household energy and broadband provider First Utility, stepping up competition to the "Big Six" suppliers whose dominance of the market is already under pressure. Italy's market watchdog is set to open proceedings to decide whether Telecom Italia (TIM) TLIT.MI should be sanctioned over its approval of a joint-venture with Vivendi 's VIV.PA pay-TV unit Canal Plus, a source told Reuters. Nestle NESN.S expects to sell its U.S. confectionery business in the first quarter of 2018, following a review launched earlier this year as part of efforts to improve performance at the world's largest packaged food company. The Russian central bank plans in the future to sell banks to market investors that it bailed out, President Vladimir Putin said. The European Commission cleared a deal by Lufthansa LHAG.DE to buy insolvent Air Berlin's AB1.DE subsidiary LGW, after it agreed to give up some runway slots at Duesseldorf, the EU's executive said. German carmaker Daimler DAIGn.DE has agreed to buy a majority stake in Chauffeur Prive, a French rival to the larger Uber car-ride app, in the latest example of traditional companies looking to deal with challenges from technology-driven start-ups. India's Reliance Infrastructure RLIN.NS , part of Reliance Group, said it has agreed to sell its Mumbai power generation, transmission and distribution business to a unit of Adani Enterprises ADEL.NS for around 188 billion rupees ($2.93 billion). Japanese trading house Sojitz Corp 2768.T says it has acquired full ownership of First State Regasificadora S.L.U., which owns a 15 percent stake in a company that has an LNG terminal in Mugardos in the northwest of Spain. The European Commission cleared the merger of French aerospace suppliers Safran SAF.PA and Zodiac ZODC.PA without imposing conditions, the EU executive said. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp (NYSE:COG) COG.N said it would sell its Eagle Ford Shale assets to a unit of Venado Oil & Gas LLC for $765 million as the oil and gas producer tries to cut down costs. Belgian tanker operator Euronav EUAV.BR said it had agreed to buy U.S. peer Gener8 Maritime GNRT.N in an all-stock deal worth about $490 million. Australian gas producer AWE Ltd AWE.AX accepted a sweetened takeover offer from Mineral Resources Ltd MIN.AX worth about A$526 million ($403 million) and that trumped an all-cash bid from a Chinese state-owned firm. New Zealand has blocked HNA Group's $460 million purchase of a vehicle finance firm owned by Australia and New Zealand Banking Group ANZ.AX in the latest in a series of setbacks around the world for the acquisitive Chinese conglomerate. Italian fashion house Valentino plans to list on the Milan stock market sometime from late 2018, with its Qatari owner planning to sell around a quarter of the company in an initial public offering of shares, a source close to the matter said. The Swiss National Bank SNBN.S said it was buying a majority stake in a maker of materials for banknotes and passports, to safeguard production and prevent its new bank notes running out. Three Israeli banks have asked a court to liquidate Eurocom Communications, the controlling shareholder of Bezeq Israel Telecom BEZQ.TA , a move that could lead to the sale of Israel's largest telecoms group. Samsung (KS:005930) Group affiliate Samsung SDI 006400.KS will be forced to sell Samsung C&T 028260.KS shares worth about 522 billion won ($483 million) after South Korea's antitrust agency said it would tighten rules on cross-shareholdings. Penske Media Corp said it is buying a majority stake in the Rolling Stone magazine from its New York-based publisher, Wenner Media.