Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

Oct 23 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 0900 GMT on Thursday.

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

** New Zealand's Port of Tauranga (POT.NZ: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is expecting rival Ports of Auckland to bid for its container business, it said, as a declining shipping business has port operators looking at consolidation. To read more, please double click on [ID:nWEL348220]

** The Australian government has approved a takeover of St George Bank (SGB.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the country's fifth-biggest lender, by larger rival Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Treasurer Wayne Swan said. [ID:nSYU005359]

** Ticketmaster Inc (TKTM.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) agreed to acquire a majority interest in Front Line Management Inc and install its head Irving Azoff as chief executive of the combined company, the Wall Street Journal said. [ID:nBNG362905]

** Norway's oil group Det norske oljeselskap ASA (DETNOR.OL: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it was selling its 10 percent stake in Yme field licences to Polish peer Lotos LTOS.WA. [ID:nOSN001641]

** Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Chairman Ferdinand Piech expects the takeover by Porsche (PSHG_p.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) to move ahead smoothly and played down in a newspaper interview any differences in his extended family that owns Porsche. [ID:nLN56908]

** The European Commission will approve an Italian investor group's takeover plan for struggling airline Alitalia (AZPIa.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) but not a 300 million euro ($386 million) state loan, la Repubblica newspaper said. [ID:nLN6027]

** Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot (AFLT.MM: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has asked the transport ministry to support its takeover of airline S7, which may bid for Austrian Airlines (AUAV.VI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Interfax reported, citing Aeroflot. [ID:nLM383784]

** Interactive entertainment company Bright Things Plc (BGT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it signed a relationship agreement for its social network site SocialGo with widget maker WidgetLaboratory LLC, sending shares up nearly 67 percent [ID:nBNG125396]

** Greek lenders Piraeus Bank (BOPr.AT: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Proton Bank (PRBr.AT: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said their boards had agreed to cancel a share swap agreement, after Proton said it would seek to take part in a government bank rescue plan. [ID:nATH001521]

** U.S.-Swedish bourse operator Nasdaq OMX (NDAQ.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has won final approval to buy Nordic power exchange Nord Pool's international business, Nord Pool said. [ID:nLM240609] (Compiled by Tina Kwan in Singapore and Shrutika Verma in Bangalore)