The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 1000 GMT on Friday:

** The US corporate bond market has shown Facebook how it's done today, by pricing a bond offering of almost $10 billion from United Technologies Corp (UTX), making it the biggest investment-grade deal of the year.

** Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical Co have agreed to go ahead with a $7 billion expansion of the Rabigh II petrochemical project in the kingdom, the Japanese firm said on Friday, quelling doubts about the future of the delayed project.

** Yuanta Financial has pulled out of talks on a deal worth up to $1.25 billion to buy Carlyle Group-backed Taiwanese bank Ta Chong, dealing a blow to the private equity fund's hope to exit its Taiwan investment for a profit.

** Canada's Intact Insurance and German insurer HDI-Gerling International Holdings have emerged as top contenders to buy 26 percent stake in the non-life insurance business of India's Reliance Capital, the Mint reported on Friday. The deal could be valued around 15 billion rupees ($268 million), the newspaper said, quoting two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

** Takeda Pharmaceutical, Japan's top drugmaker, is to buy Brazil's Multilab for up to 540 million Brazilian reals ($265 million) in a deal highlighting global drugmakers' appetite for emerging market sales.

** NBCUniversal is in talks with U.S. technology group Microsoft to buy back MSNBC.com, Adweek reported, quoting sources.

** Privately-held packaging company Pact Group has hired Deutsche Bank to examine options including the sale of a stake in a deal likely to attract private equity and rival international firms, two sources familiar with the situation said.

** Royal Dutch Shell may join a Gazprom -led initiative to extract gas from the Arctic seabed off Russia's coast, several sources said, in an attempt to inject new impetus into the huge project delayed by years of talks over financing.

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