Deals of the day- Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Comcast, BioMerieux, Horizon Pharma, Barclays, HeidelbergCement, Brenntag, Sagar Cements)

March 19 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1330 GMT on Wednesday:

** U.S. investment bank JPMorgan JPM.N has agreed to sell its physical commodities business to Mercuria, sources close to the deal said on Wednesday, catapulting the Swiss trade house into the top tier of commodities traders. News Search ID:nL6N0MG282

** Florida and other U.S. states will join the Justice Department in seeking to determine if Comcast Corp's CMCSA.O plan to merge with Time Warner Cable TWC.N is legal under U.S. antitrust law, Florida said in a statement to Reuters.

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** French diagnostics specialist BioMerieux BIOX.PA will look at the microbiology unit Siemens SIEGn.DE is considering selling, BioMerieux's chief executive told Reuters.

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** Horizon Pharma Inc HZNP.O said it would buy Dublin-based Vidara Therapeutics International Ltd in a reverse merger valued at about $660 million, putting the U.S. company in position to benefit from Ireland's low corporate tax rates.

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** Two Abu Dhabi lenders have emerged as frontrunners to buy most of Barclays' BARC.L retail banking operations in the United Arab Emirates, with a final decision expected next month after a competitive bidding process, banking sources said on Wednesday. News Search ID:nL6N0MG2EH

** HeidelbergCement HEIG.DE expects to sell its U.S. and British building materials business in the middle of the year, Chief Executive Bernd Scheifele told reporters on Wednesday, adding that a stock market floatation was still an option.

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** The chief executive of Brenntag AG BNRGn.DE , Steven Holland, told a press conference on Wednesday that the German chemicals distributor would soon announce a takeover deal.

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** India's Sagar Cements Ltd SGRC.NS on Wednesday denied a newspaper report that it was in talks to sell its 47 percent stake in a joint venture with Vicat SA VCTP.PA to the French cement maker. News Search ID:nL3N0MG3G1

** Snam SpA SRG.MI , one of Europe's biggest gas transport groups, has agreed to buy a stake in the TAG gas pipeline carrying Russian gas into Italy as part of its drive to integrate Europe's patchwork of gas grids. News Search ID:nL6N0MG18R

** Israel Corporation Ltd ILCO.TA , one of Israel's largest conglomerates, said on Tuesday that it was examining the sale of up to 7 percent of its stake in Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL)

ICL.TA . News Search ID:nL3N0MG1WV

** Russian retailer X5 Retail Group PJPq.L has agreed to sell its stores in Ukraine to local rival Varus for an estimated $5-10 million, Ukrainian newspaper Capital reported.

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** Philippines conglomerate San Miguel Corp SMC.PS is not selling its controlling stake in liquor-maker Ginebra San Miguel Inc GSMI.PS , the group's president stated, after shares in both firms surged amid market talk about a Ginebra sale.

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** Australia's Stockland Corporation Ltd SGP.AX said on Wednesday that it bought a 19.9 percent stake in smaller rival Australand Property Group ALZ.AX , laying the foundation for the creation of a possible A$11 billion ($10.05 billion) property giant. News Search ID:nL3N0MF4TF

** Singapore's CapitaLand Ltd CATL.SI said on Wednesday that it had sold its remaining 39.1 percent stake in Australia's Australand Property Group ALZ.AX for around $849 million.

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** Citadel Capital SAE CCAP.CA is in talks to sell its 66.1 percent ownership in the Sudanese Egyptian Bank as part of a program to shed non-core assets, it said in a statement on Wednesday. News Search ID:nL6N0MG1TS

** Austrian oil and gas group OMV AG OMVV.VI said on Wednesday that it had struck an agreement with U.S. peer Hess Corp HES.N to buy four oil and gas licenses in the West of Shetland offshore area for $50 million. News Search ID:nWEB00KFR

** Blackstone Group LP BX.N is working on a higher takeover bid for industrial conglomerate Gates Global Inc after its previous offer of roughly $5.5 billion was turned down by Gates' owners last week, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. News Search ID:nL2N0MB1I6

** Japan's Fast Retailing Co Ltd 9983.T , parent of apparel chain Uniqlo, is no longer in talks to buy U.S. clothing retailer J.Crew Group Inc from its private equity owners, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. News Search ID:nL2N0MF1VT

** French investment group Eurazeo EURA.PA agreed to invest 285 million euros ($396.52 million) in Spanish fashion label Desigual to take a 10 percent stake in the company through a capital increase and help it fund its expansion.

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** China's MMG Ltd 1208.HK confirmed on Wednesday that it was in talks with Glencore Xstrata GLEN.L to buy the Las Bambas copper mine in Peru, an acquisition expected to cost more than $5 billion, but said there was no guarantee a deal would be agreed.

($1 = 1.0950 Australian Dollars)

($1 = 0.7188 Euros)

(Compiled by Avik Das in Bangalore)

((avik.das@thomsonreuters.com)(within U.S. +1 646 223 8780)(outside U.S. +91 80 6749 1130)(Reuters Messaging: avik.das.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: DEALS DAY/