(Adds Roche, Vodafone , Rosneft and Minor)
Feb 2 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions
and disposals were reported by 2100 GMT on Tuesday:
** China's state-owned ChemChina is nearing a deal to buy
Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta AG SYNN.VX for
around 43 billion Swiss francs ($42.2 billion), two people
familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Roche Holding AG ROG.VX has in recent weeks approached
Pacific Biosciences of California Inc PACB.O to discuss
acquiring the U.S. company, spurred by interest in its advanced
gene-sequencing technology, people familiar with the matter
said. Mobile phone networks operator Vodafone VOD.L said on
Tuesday it was in talks with John Malone's cable company Liberty
Global LBTYA.O about forming a joint venture in the
Netherlands. J Sainsbury (OTC:JSAIY) Plc's SBRY.L , Britain's second biggest
supermarket, has agreed to buy Argos-owner Home Retail Group Plc
HOME.L for 1.3 billion pounds ($1.9 billion) to boost its
online business and expand sales of items such as electrical
goods. Swedish private equity group EQT unveiled an agreed
all-cash offer for Swiss travel group Kuoni Reisen Holding AG
KUNN.S valuing the company at 370 Swiss francs per share, or
around 1.35 billion Swiss francs ($1.32 billion). Switzerland-based communication equipment maker TE
Connectivity Ltd TEL.N said it would buy medical device maker
Creganna Medical Group for $895 million, expanding in the
fast-growing business of supplying equipment for minimally
invasive procedures. Russia's top oil producer Rosneft ROSN.MM said on
Tuesday its board will consider changes to a deal worth 217.5
billion roubles ($2.8 billion) to supply gas to Enel's ENEI.MI
Russian power plants Enel Rossiya, following media reports of
shortages. Thai hotel group Minor International MINT.BK has made
its biggest ever acquisition with a 294 million euro ($320
million) deal to buy 14 Tivoli chain hotels that belonged to the
collapsed Espirito Santo Group. B Communications Ltd BCOM.TA , the controlling
shareholder in Bezeq Israel Telecom Corp Ltd BEZQ.TA , has sold
a 4.18 percent stake in the country's largest telecoms group for
982 million shekels ($248 million). Brookfield Asset Management Inc BAMa.TO has withdrawn
an offer to buy the 24.4 percent stake in infrastructure company
Invepar held by Brazil's Grupo OAS SA because Brookfield would
not have full management control of the company, two sources
with direct knowledge of the situation said on Monday.
Index Ventures, an early investor in technology hits like
Skype and Dropbox, is spinning off its biotech portfolio into a
new $1 billion business, with backing from drug giants
GlaxoSmithKline Plc GSK.L and Johnson & Johnson (N:JNJ) JNJ.N .
Petromanas Energy Inc PMI.V , a small Canadian company
that helped to draw Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSa.L to Albania,
sold all its assets in the Balkan country to Shell's local
branch for $45 million, Petromanas said in a statement.
Mobile phone networks operator Vodafone Group Plc VOD.L
said on Tuesday it was in talks with John Malone's cable company
Liberty Global Plc LBTYA.O about a swap of assets in the
Netherlands. Data storage services provider Barracuda Networks Inc
CUDA.N is working with Morgan Stanley (N:MS) MS.N to look for
potential buyers, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar
with the matter. Democrats from Pennsylvania's congressional delegation
sent a letter to a federal rail regulator on Monday raising
concerns over the possible negative impacts of a merger between
Canadian Pacific CP.TO and Norfolk Southern Corp (N:NSC) NSC.N .
($1 = 0.70 pounds)
($1 = 3.95 shekels)
($1 = 1.02 Swiss francs)
($1 = 79.1320 roubles)