Deals of the day- Mergers and acquisitions

** French utilities Electricite de France SA and GDF Suez SA have agreed to invest 600 million euros ($819.21 million) in the Tihange 1 nuclear reactor near Liege in Belgium as part of an upgrade to extend the reactor's lifespan, French newspaper Les Echos said.

** Singapore's Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd has agreed to raise its stake in Bank of Ningbo Co Ltd to 20 percent from 15.34 percent for about S$383 million ($303 million), the latest step in a drive to extend its footprint in China.

** Drugmakers Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc , Actavis Plc and Mylan Inc have all expressed interest in buying Pfizer Inc's branded generics business, but no active discussions are going on at this time, according to three people close to the matter.

** Exchange operator Nasdaq OMX Group and index provider S&P Dow Jones Indices said they are interested in acquisitions to grow their index businesses, in a sign the sector could see a wave of deals as investors pour tens of billions of dollars into portfolios that track benchmarks.

** Shares in German drugs distributor Celesio AG dropped 5 percent after suitor McKesson Corp failed to garner enough shares for its takeover bid to succeed.

** Indian state-run producer Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd is seeking a strategic partnership with Kuwait Petroleum Corp in two upcoming petrochemicals projects, its chairman said.

** Indian energy major Reliance Industries is looking to pick up an 11 percent stake in Venezuela's Petrocarabobo project that was recently surrendered by Malaysia's Petronas, and is eyeing exploration assets in Mexico, a company official said.

** The Indian government has invited bids from nine investment bankers to sell around three-fifths, or 12 percent, of the 20.72 percent stake it owns in Axis Bank, India's third-largest private bank by market value, two people with direct knowledge of the development said, The Economic Times reports.

** Activist investor Jana Partners LLC increased its stake in oil producer QEP Resources Inc and said it plans to nominate candidates to the company's board. It increased its stake to 9.5 percent from 7.6 percent.

** China's Bright Food (Group) Co Ltd said it had agreed to buy Australian dairy company Mundella Foods through its Australian subsidiary, expanding the state-owned conglomerate's overseas reach and boosting its exposure to the growing dairy market.

** Charter Communications Inc on Monday formally offered to acquire larger rival Time Warner Cable for $37.3 billion, sparking what is likely to be a contentious battle for control of the No. 2 U.S. cable operator.

Time Warner Cable's board rejected the offer. Charter now plans to take the Deal Now directly to Time Warner Cable shareholders, Charter's Chief Executive Tom Rutledge said in an interview.

** Brazilian energy company Cosan SA Industria e Comercio said on Monday its Rumo Logistica unit is in preliminary talks to purchase the country's largest railroad operator, America Latina Logistica SA, or ALL.

($1 = 0.73 euros)

($1 = 1.27 Singapore dollars)

(Compiled by Shivani Mody in Bangalore)