July 23 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Monday:
** The British infrastructure arm of Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund said it had agreed to buy oil and gas pipeline firm North Sea Midstream Partners from private equity firm ArcLight Capital.
JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) JPM.N and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) MS.N have been picked to advise on Saudi Aramco's plan to buy a controlling stake in petrochemical maker SABIC 2010.SE, several sources familiar with the matter said.
French water group Saur has started exclusive takeover talks with the Swedish EQT Infrastructure fund, the two companies said in separate statements. The European Commission said it had started an in-depth investigation into German copper producer KME's purchase of German peer Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing, noting it was concerned such a deal would reduce competition.
The European Commission said it had opened an in-depth investigation into the 4.8-billion-euro ($5.62 billion) purchase of digital security company Gemalto GTO.AS by French aeronautics and space group Thales TCFP.PA.
China's SDIC will buy Canadian fertiliser supplier Nutrien's NTR.TO 28 percent stake in Arab Potash Co APOT.AM for $502 million, the Chinese state-owned company said, continuing its overseas expansion.
Apollo Global Management APO.N will buy LifePoint Health LPNT.O in a $5.6 billion deal that will expand its rural U.S. hospitals business, the latest in a series of bets by private equity firms on healthcare.
U.S. private equity firm Blackstone (NYSE:BX) Group BX.N has secured EU antitrust approval to acquire a majority stake in Thomson Reuters' TRI.TO Financial and Risk unit, the European Commission said.
AccorHotels ACCP.PA is joining forces with Qatar's Katara Hospitality to create a $1 billion fund to invest in sub-Sahara Africa, Europe's biggest hotels operator said.
Online payment company PayU, a subsidiary of Naspers NPNJn.J, said it agreed to acquire Israeli payment technology provider Zooz to support its expansion in high-growth markets.
Saudi Aramco aims to buy a controlling stake in petrochemical maker SABIC 2010.SE, possibly taking the entire 70 percent stake owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The British infrastructure arm of Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund has agreed to buy oil and gas pipeline firm North Sea Midstream Partners (NSMP) for around 1.3 billion pounds ($1.7 billion) from ArcLight Capital, Reuters reported citing two sources.
Papa John's International Inc PZZA.O on Sunday adopted a shareholder rights plan, or a "poison pill", with a 15 percent trigger to deter existing stockholders from amassing a controlling stake in the company.
Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers Ltd WES.AX said on Sunday it will take a smaller-than-expected stake in supermarket chain Coles when it demerges in November, but will hang on to half of a loyalty card programme to keep its hands on shoppers' data.
A consortium led by KKR & Co KKR.N agreed to acquire Taipei-listed LCY Chemical Corp 1704.TW in a $1.56 billion stock deal, the companies said on Sunday, marking it the U.S. private equity firm's first deal in the island in more than a decade.
Australian No. 1 toll road operator Transurban Group TCL.AX said on Sunday it has bid for a 51 percent stake in the country's biggest transport infrastructure project, a $16.8-billion ($12.4 billion) tollway through the middle of Sydney.
French IT services company Atos ATOS.PA is boosting its North American operations with a $3.4 billion cash deal to buy Michigan-based IT services provider Syntel Inc SYNT.O.
The chief executive of Airbus AIR.PA said he was open to a merger of his firm's jet fighter business with that of BAE Systems BAES.L, the Sunday Times reported on Saturday.
Chinese conglomerates Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) BABA.N and Tencent 0700.HK are involved in talks to buy a minority stake in advertising giant WPP's WPP.L Chinese unit, Sky News reported on Saturday, citing unidentified sources.
Aerospace parts maker Esterline Technologies Corp ESL.N is exploring a potential sale, two people familiar with the matter said.