(Adds Yatra, Qatar Petroleum, Oslo Bors; Updates Nvidia, Barrick Gold, Deutsche Bank )
March 11 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Monday:
** Barrick Gold Corp ABX.TO pulled its $18 billion offer for Newmont Mining Corp (NYSE:NEM) NEM.N and agreed to form a joint venture in Nevada with its rival, ending a hostile takeover bid that sought to unite the world's two largest gold producers. Private equity firm TPG Capital said it will acquire a majority stake in Goodnight Midstream, a U.S. pipeline company that transports water to and from oil and gas drilling sites, for $930 million. German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz confirmed that the country's two largest publicly listed banks - Deutsche Bank DBKGn.DE and Commerzbank CBKG.DE - were exploring a possible merger. U.S. chip supplier Nvidia Corp NVDA.O has agreed to buy Israeli chip designer Mellanox Technologies Ltd MLNX.O for $6.8 billion, beating rival Intel Corp INTC.O in a deal that would help the firm boost its data centre and artificial intelligence business. Australian gold miner Newcrest Mining Ltd NCM.AX has the firepower for more acquisitions, its chief executive said, after the company announced a deal to buy a copper and gold mine in Canada for $806.5 million. U.S. construction and building materials supplier GCP Applied Technologies Inc GCP.N is nearing a deal over the composition of its board with activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP, people familiar with the matter said. Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) Group Holding Ltd BABA.N will take a 14 percent stake in STO Express Co Ltd 002468.SZ through a $693 million deal, the e-commerce giant's fourth significant investment in a Chinese courier company. Canadian IT consultancy CGI Inc. GIBa.TO said it had made a 4.32 billion Swedish crown ($459 million) cash offer for Swedish peer Acando ACANb.ST . U.S. private equity fund Advent has decided for the moment not to go ahead with its takeover bid for Italian credit data provider Cerved CERV.MI after news of its offer was leaked to the market, Cerved said in a statement. Online mortgage bank Charter Court Financial Services CCFS.L and OneSavings Bank OSBO.L are in advanced talks to create one of Britain's biggest specialist lenders, marking a major step toward consolidation in the challenger banking market. French carmaker Renault RENA.PA said that it was in talks with its Japanese partners Nissan 7201.T and Mitsubishi Motor 7211.T over a new alliance body for the three companies. Qatar Petroleum said it had struck a deal with Italy's ENI ENI.MI to acquire a 25.5 percent participating interest in block A5A in the Angoche basin, offshore Mozambique. U.S. software firm Ebix Inc EBIX.O said it has offered to buy Indian travel services company Yatra Online Inc YTRA.O for $336 million in a cash-and-stock deal to add to its portfolio of Indian travel companies with a focus on a niche segment. European exchange group Euronext ENX.PA extended its offer for Oslo Bors OSLO.NFF , while keeping the terms unchanged, as its battle with Nasdaq NDAQ.O for control of Norway's stock market operator escalates.