Nov 14 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1045 GMT on Monday:
** Drugmaker Novartis NOVN.S is considering selling its struggling Alcon eye care division, its chairman said in an interview with Swiss weekly SonntagsZeitung. Australian oil and gas minnow Central Petroleum rebuffed a takeover offer from its main lender, Macquarie Group MQG.AX , that valued the company at A$76 million ($57 million) but left the door open to a higher offer. Volkswagen's VOWG_p.DE Audi premium brand is in talks with China's largest automaker, SAIC Motor 600104.SS , on a potential long-term collaboration, Audi said. South Korea's Korea Line Corp (NYSE:LN) 005880.KS was picked as the preferred bidder to buy troubled shipper Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd's 117930.KS Asia-U.S. operations, beating Hyundai Merchant Marine 011200.KS , a spokesman for a Seoul court overseeing Hanjin Shipping's receivership told Reuters. Samsung Electronics 005930.KS announced an $8 billion deal to buy Harman International Industries (NYSE:HAR) HAR.N , marking a major push into the auto electronics market and the biggest overseas acquisition ever by a South Korean firm. Britain's biggest sandwich maker Greencore Group GNC.L said it would buy U.S. convenience food manufacturer Peacock Foods for $747.5 million in a bid to transform its U.S. business. Siemens SIEGn.DE agreed to buy U.S.-based Mentor Graphics MENT.O in a $4.5 billion cash deal that will further enhance the German engineering group's industrial software capabilities. Japanese oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan 5019.T will again delay its planned purchase of Showa Shell Sekiyu 5002.T shares from Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L because a review by the Japan Fair Trade Commission is still under way. AXA AXAF.PA , France's biggest insurer, has entered into an agreement to sell its insurance broking arm Bluefin to U.S. insurer Marsh for 295 million pounds ($368.81 million). Swedish debt firm Intrum Justitia IJ.ST said it agreed to buy privately held Norwegian competitor Lindorff for newly printed Intrum shares in a deal it expected to generate large cost cuts and stronger growth prospects. British insurer Standard Life SL.L said India's insurance watchdog had "expressed reservations" in accepting the current deal terms for the purchase by its Indian joint venture of Max Life Insurance. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri SpA FCT.MI offered to buy the rest of Singapore-listed Vard Holdings Ltd VARD.SI that it does not already own for up to S$125.6 million ($88.7 million), according to a statement on Sunday. Canada's Kirkland Lake Gold Inc KLG.TO said on Friday it rejected a previously unreported takeover offer from South Africa's Gold Fields Ltd GFIJ.J and Silver Standard Resources SSO.TO valuing the business at C$1.44 billion ($1 billion).