Mergers and acquisitions

The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1330 GMT on Wednesday:

** Logistics infrastructure developer FTAI Infrastructure FIP said it had agreed to buy The Wheeling Corporation for $1.05 billion to expand its freight rail platform.

** Apollo APO agreed to buy a majority interest in Stream Data Centers (SDC), the alternative asset manager said, in a bet on rising demand for digital infrastructure fueled by artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

** Blackstone BX said it would launch a $3.5 billion offer to take TechnoPro Holdings 6028 private, the latest in a series of deals that have helped push M&A dealmaking to record levels in Japan this year.

** Buyout company Hg has begun lining up advisers to explore a possible sale of its financial data firm FE fundinfo, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, following on from a series of deals in the highly valued sector.

** Britain's competition regulator said on Wednesday it would not refer the merger between Omnicom OMC and Interpublic IPG to an in-depth phase 2 probe, clearing the way for the creation of the world's largest advertising and marketing agency.

** German media company ProSiebenSat.1 PSM recommended its shareholders accept the latest public takeover offer from MFE-MediaForEurope MFEA, abandoning its resistance to the Italian group controlled by the Berlusconi family.

** Sabadell SAB shareholders on Wednesday unanimously approved the sale of its TSB business in Britain to Santander SAN.MC, which analysts see as a defensive move against BBVA's BBVA.MC hostile takeover bid.

** Italy's top insurer Generali G said on Wednesday it would continue to assess Mediobanca's MB bid to buy Banca Generali BGN, as well as a revised distribution agreement with the private bank which is a key part of the offer.

** British e-commerce firm THG THG said it would sell food and beverage flavouring manufacturer Claremont Ingredients for 103 million pounds ($137 million) to European flavour and colouring maker Nactarome Group.

** Australia's Infomedia IFM said it had agreed to be acquired by the Asia-focused private equity arm of asset manager TPG TPG for an equity value of A$651 million ($421.33 million).

** Shareholders in Marfrig MRFG3 and BRF BRFS3 approved on Tuesday the proposed merger between the two Brazilian food processors, the firms said in a joint securities filing.