Deals of the day- Mergers and acquisitions

© Reuters. Deals of the day- Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Hershey, Lions Gate, Newmont Nusa Tenggar, Superior Plus,
News Corp, Dick's Sporting, Carmike, Safran , Novo Banco,
InterOil and Mylan)
June 30 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers,
acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on
Thursday:

** Hershey Co HSY.N said on Thursday it had rejected a $23
billion preliminary offer by Mondelez International Inc MDLZ.O
that would seek to expand the latter's limited U.S. footprint
and create the world's largest confectioner. Lions Gate Entertainment Corp LGF.N , the film studio
behind the Hunger Games movies, said Thursday it would buy
premium television network Starz STRZA.O for $4.4 billion in
cash and stock, in a deal that would unite two media companies
with ties to cable mogul John Malone. Airbus Group AIR.PA and Safran SAF.PA pledged on
Thursday to make Europe competitive in the face of U.S. low-cost
rival SpaceX as they completed a deal to merge their space
launcher activities. South Africa's Competition Tribunal granted conditional
approval for the proposed merger of about $100 billion by brewer
Anheuser-Busch Inbev ABI.BR and SABMiller SAB.L , the
antitrust authority said on Thursday. An Indonesian investor group consisting of oil and gas
tycoon Arifin Panigoro and banker Agus Projosasmito will spend
$2.6 billion to buy 82.2 percent of Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT),
which operates Indonesia's second-biggest copper and gold mine.
Canadian chemical maker Superior Plus Corp SPB.TO said
it scrapped the acquisition of rival Canexus Corp CUS.TO as
they could not agree on terms, two days after the C$324 million
($251 million) deal was approved by Canada's antitrust
regulator. Japan's anti-monopoly regulator has approved Canon Inc's
7751.T acquisition of Toshiba Corp's 6502.T medical
equipment unit, but issued a warning over the way they carried
out the deal, which antitrust experts have called questionable.
Dick's Sporting Goods Inc DKS.N , the largest U.S.
sporting goods retailer, is set to win the auction for the
intellectual property of bankrupt competitor Sports Authority
with a bid of $15 million, according to people familiar with the
matter. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp NWSA.O has agreed to buy the
owner of Britain's talkSPORT in a $292 million deal that unites
The Sun newspaper's sports coverage with the commercial radio
network that broadcasts Premier League and FA Cup soccer.
Hungarian drugmaker Richter GDRB.BU said it had
acquired Swiss biotech company Finox Holding for 190 million
Swiss francs ($194 million), expanding its presence in major
European markets. Theater chain Carmike Cinemas Inc CKEC.O dropped
Thursday's shareholder vote on its proposed sale to AMC
Entertainment Holdings Inc AMC.N , saying it was adjourning
until next month and throwing the $1.1 billion deal into doubt.
French aerospace group Safran SAF.PA , which is selling
its Morpho biometrics and security business, has narrowed the
field to a shortlist of five bidders including digital security
rivals Gemalto (AS:GTO) and Oberthur, a person familiar with the matter
said. Motoring group AA Plc AAAA.L said it had agreed to sell
its Irish business to a Carlyle Group CG.O fund and financial
services buyout team for 156.6 million euros ($173.7 million).
Portugal's central bank received four offers for Novo
Banco, the "good bank" successor to Banco Espirito Santo after a
state rescue in 2014, by the Thursday afternoon deadline, it
said in a statement, without naming the institutions.
British private equity firm 3i III.L has no plans to
dispose of its investment in Dutch discount retailer Action
despite a number of approaches, the company said on Thursday.
U.S. generic drugmaker Mylan NV MYL.O has offered
concessions in a bid to allay concerns by EU competition
regulators over its proposed $7.2-billion acquisition of Swedish
rival Meda MEDAa.ST , the European Commission said on Thursday.
InterOil Corp IOC.N , which agreed last month to be
acquired by Australia's Oil Search Ltd OSH.AX , said it
received an unsolicited offer from an unnamed bidder, with whom
it would engage in further talks. Unions representing workers at Brazil's state-led
Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA ELET6.SA intend to fight
government plans to sell some of the cash-strapped
electricity-utility holding company's businesses.