The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 0900 GMT on Friday.

(For Reuters columns on deals, click on [DEALTALK/])

The fate of Opel hangs in the balance as General Motors [GM.UL] is poised to pick a buyer for the European carmaker after months of negotiations.

To read more, please double click on [ID:nLK733675]

Caterpillar (CAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Navistar International Corp (NAV.N: Quote, Profile, Research) are in talks with China's Jianghuai Automobile (600418.SS: Quote, Profile, Research) to set up a truck venture, a source said, as the firms become the latest foreign players to tap the market dominated by Chinese state auto groups. [ID:nSHA248193]

India's Bharti Airtel (BRTI.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) is not looking to sweeten its offer to buy a stake in South Africa's MTN (MTNJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research), the Indian firm's head said in a media interview, even as MTN shareholders have said they want a better price. [ID:nDEL449666]

Software giant Oracle Corp (ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) has won U.S. antitrust approval to buy computer maker Sun Microsystems, clearing a key hurdle in the companies' plan to close the $7.4 billion deal before the end of this month. [nN20534869]

Japan Airlines Corp (9205.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said it would start talks to merge its ailing cargo business with a unit of shipping firm Nippon Yusen (9101.T: Quote, Profile, Research) as the airline looks to return to profit with the help of state-backed funds. [nBNG525129]

Swiss drugs industry supplier Lonza (LONN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) bid $3.55 per share for Canadian rival Patheon (PTI.TO: Quote, Profile, Research), offering a potential windfall to majority shareholder JLL, which bid just $2.00 per share for the firm last December. [ID:nLL251312]

Australia's Macquarie Group Ltd (MQG.AX: Quote, Profile, Research) is in talks to acquire Fox-Pitt Kelton Cochran Caronia Waller, a small investment bank owned by its management and private equity firm J.C. Flowers & Co LLC, a person familiar with the matter said. [nN20533665]

Guanabara Holdings has extended its 91 million pound ($150.3 million) offer to acquire carbon offset company EcoSecurities Group (ECO.L: Quote, Profile, Research) to September 2. [ID:nLL281978]

Singapore-listed Thai Beverage (TBEV.SI: Quote, Profile, Research), Thailand's largest brewer, is looking at acquiring stakes in beverage firms in Thailand, Philippines and Singapore, an executive said. [ID:nSP535347]

Gemany's anti-trust watchdog has unconditionally approved Software AG's (SOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) plan to acquire IDS Scheer (IDRG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), a spokesman for the Federal Cartel Office said. [ID:nLL352541]

The Finnish government said it would seek permission from parliament later this autumn to sell controlling stakes in three companies, including infrastructure and construction services firm Destia. [ID:nLL287611]