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

** British buyout group Melrose Plc is in talks to buy Germany's utility meter maker Elster Group SE for $2.3 billion, the two companies said on Monday.

** Mobile phone group Vodafone's 1.04 billion-pound ($1.63 billion) offer for Cable & Wireless Worldwide looked certain to succeed on Monday after the British fixed line operator's biggest shareholder dropped its opposition.

** Synthetic rubber producer Synthos launched a 1.96 billion zlotys ($578 million) offer for fertiliser maker Pulawy on Monday, the second bid for a state-controlled chemical group within the last month.

** Rhoen-Klinikum AG's two biggest shareholders are selling their holdings to Fresenius SE, putting the German healthcare group well on its way to taking over the hospital operator.

** Hon Hai Precision Industry, the main supplier of Apple Inc, is in talks with Sharp Corp about increasing its stake as it bets on the Japanese firm's leading edge technology to give it a boost in the cut-throat display panel business.

** British supermarket giant Tesco Plc said on Monday it will sell half of its Japanese business to the country's No.2 general retailer Aeon Corp for a nominal sum, ending an eight-year attempt to crack Japan's tough retail market.

** Canada's Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd said on Monday its RiverStone runoff unit would buy all the outstanding shares of Brit Insurance Limited of London from Brit Group for about $300 million, subject to certain conditions.

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