Deals of the day- Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Mylan, Curro Holdings, Datatec, KazMunaiGas, Telekom Austria and Abertis) July 29 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1330 GMT on Wednesday: ** Belgian chemical group Solvay has agreed to buy U.S. peer Cytec for $5.5 billion, giving it a bigger presence in the lightweight materials business where demand from the aerospace industry is booming. ** U.S. private equity firm Lone Star has agreed to buy British property firm Quintain Estates and Development for 700 million pounds ($1.1 billion) to gain one of London's few remaining large-scale development opportunities. ** German engineering group Siemens and Canada's Bombardier are in early talks to merge their rail businesses, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The paper said Bombardier was also in talks with other possible partners. ** German potash and salt miner K+S has turned to Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel for help in resisting an unwanted takeover approach by Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc , and has discussed the option of German state bank KfW taking a stake in K+S, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. K+S rebuffed earlier this month Potash Corp's 7.9 billion euros ($8.7 billion) proposed bid of 41 euros per share as too low and suggested the suitor was planning to shrink the company. ** Blackboard Inc, a U.S. software company that provides learning tools for high school and university classrooms, is exploring a sale that it hopes could value it at as much as $3 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter. ** The European Commission said on Wednesday it had cleared generic drug maker Mylan's planned takeover of Ireland-based Perrigo Co. ** Singapore-listed Global Logistic Properties Ltd (GLP) said on Tuesday it had agreed to buy a $4.55 billion logistics portfolio in the United States from Industrial Income Trust, expanding its presence in the market by 50 percent. ** French oil major Total has agreed to sell a 20 percent stake in its North Sea Laggan-Tormore project to Britain's SSE for 565 million pounds ($881 million), less than the $1.5 billion it had anticipated. ** German drugs distributor Celesio has agreed to buy Sainsbury's pharmacy business for 125 million pounds ($195 million) via its British chain LloydsPharmacy. ** South Africa's largest private education group Curro Holdings said on Wednesday it had withdrawn its bid for smaller rival Advtech after the target's board rejected the offer and declined to refer it to shareholders. Advtech's board rejected the 6 billion rand ($478 million)offer last week, saying that it was not in the best interest of the company. ** Datatec Ltd's Logicalis Inc unit has agreed to buy U.S.-based Advanced Technology Integration Group (ATIG) for $42 million, giving the South African IT firm a bigger presence in the Midwest. ** Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund will sell 10 percent of shares in state oil firm KazMunaiGas to the central bank, the government said on Wednesday, in a move aimed at easing the debt burden of a company hit by low oil prices. ** Telekom Austria, part of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim's American Movil, has agreed to buy Bulgarian cable network operator blizoo from Swedish investor EQT, the Austrian group said on Wednesday. ** Spanish toll road operator Abertis said on Wednesday it was convinced some merger and acquisition opportunities would soon arise and it would be in a position to study them. ** German lighting group Osram is attracting a lot of interest from potential partners or buyers for its lamps business, its chief executive said on Wednesday. ** Dubai-based courier Aramex is looking to make acquisitions in the second half of the year, it said on Wednesday, after growth in online shopping boosted its second-quarter net profit. ** Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd said on Wednesday it had purchased a landmark building in the center of Milan, as increasingly bold Chinese firms flex their financial muscles overseas. ($1 = 0.64 pounds) (Compiled by Manya Venkatesh in Bengaluru)