Deals of the day- Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Shell, Asklepios, Warner Music, Saga, Johnson Controls, Vall Banc)

April 21 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Thursday:

** Royal Dutch Shell is working on selling out of its onshore assets in Gabon, according to two sources familiar with the matter, as the oil giant seeks to refocus its African presence.

** German clinics operator Asklepios is interested in taking over peer Rhoen Klinikum in the medium term, two industry sources told Reuters.

** Warner Music Group and independent labels have urged EU regulators to fight Sony Corp's bid to buy out Michael Jackson's stake in its music publishing joint venture, saying the move gives Sony too much power.

** British travel and insurance company Saga Plc's largest shareholder, Acromas Bid Co Ltd, is selling its entire stake in the company, bookrunner Numis Securities Ltd said.

** Auto parts maker Johnson Controls Inc said on Thursday its merger with Ireland-based Tyco International Plc is to close on Oct. 1 in a move that would lower its tax rate.

** The government of the tiny principality of Andorra, situated between Spain and France, said on Thursday it had accepted an offer of up to 29 million euros ($33 million) from U.S. investment firm J.C. Flowers to buy lender Vall Banc.

** German container shipping group Hapag-Lloyd is in talks to merge with United Arab Shipping Co (UASC) in what would be the latest tie-up in an industry hammered by overcapacity and a faltering global economy.

** Britain said it could take an equity stake of up to 25 percent in Tata Steel Ltd's UK steel assets as part of a package of hundreds of millions of pounds of financing to help support a potential buyer.

** South African retail conglomerate Steinhoff raised its bid for Darty to $1.2 billion, trumping a sweetened offer from French rival Fnac in the battle for Europe's third-largest electrical goods firm.

** Malaysia-based IHH Healthcare Bhd is to buy Bulgaria's Tokuda Hospital in a deal that will help to make it the biggest private healthcare provider in the Balkan country, the company said on Thursday.

** French shipping group CMA CGM's $2.4 billion takeover of Neptune Orient Lines is set to be cleared by the European Union's competition regulators, on condition that NOL pulls out from a rival shipping alliance, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

** Consolidated Edison Inc said its unit would purchase a 50 percent stake in a new entity that will hold Crestwood Equity Partners LP's natural gas pipeline and storage business for $975 million.

** Ctrip.com International Ltd, China's biggest online travel agency, has agreed to invest 3 billion yuan ($463 million) in China Eastern Airlines through a private share placement.

** Orange has completed the $160 million acquisition of Democratic of Congo mobile operator subsidiary Tigo DRC from Millicom, the French company said on Thursday, one of four African purchases it has made this year.

** Norwegian online browser and advertising firm Opera Software ASA has embedded a tool aimed at circumventing censorship into its latest desktop app, potentially complicating a bid for the company by a consortium from China, which censors the Internet.

The consortium, which includes web search and security firm Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd and Beijing Kunlun Tech Co , has offered $1.28 billion for Opera.

** The parent of Britain's Daily Mail said on Wednesday it had not submitted its own bid to buy Yahoo Inc's core Internet business, but was still in talks to partner with other suitors of the U.S. company.

** Traders speculated that PT Bank Negara Indonesia Tbk (BNI) may buy shares of Indonesia's PT Bank Permata Tbk.

** British utility group Centrica said it had agreed to buy Denmark-based energy management firm Neas Energy for 170 million pounds ($243.9 million) to build on its marketing and trading activities in mainland Europe.

** French aerospace and defense group Safran said it agreed to sell its U.S.-based Morpho Detection business and other detection-related activities to British engineering conglomerate Smiths Group for an enterprise value of $710 million. (Compiled by Vishaka George and Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru)