The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1000 GMT on Monday:

** IBM Corp said on Sunday it had agreed to acquire U.S. software company Red Hat Inc for $34 billion, including debt, as it seeks to diversify its technology hardware and consulting business into higher-margin products and services.

** Australian adult education provider Navitas Ltd rebuffed a A$1.97 billion ($1.4 billion) approach from its founder and a private equity firm, leaving some investors concerned the tactic may not generate a better deal. ** Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd has proposed to European regulators it could sell a Shire treatment in development due to concerns of overlap in inflammatory bowel disease treatments and its own drug Entyvio as it seeks clearance for the two companies’ merger.

** Private equity firm EQT made a recommended 5.97 billion Swedish crown ($654 million) cash bid to buy Swedish specialty pharma group Karo Pharma.

** Hitachi has reached an agreement to buy the stake held by U.S. fund Elliott in Ansaldo STS and will launch a tender offer for all the shares of the Italian rail-signalling company, the Japanese group said.

** Italian lender BPER is one of the possible partners for a tie-up with Unipol Banca, the CEO of Unipol group Carlo Cimbri told la Repubblica.

** Italian infrastructure group Atlantia and Spanish builder ACS have completed the joint acquisition of Spain’s Abertis in a 16.5-billion-euro ($19 billion) deal that creates the world’s biggest toll-road group.

** Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 Media said it had bought U.S. online dating site eharmony, in the first significant deal since it carved out a new e-commerce joint venture with General Atlantic.

** A joint venture signed between defence company Leonardo and shipbuilder Fincantieri will favour Italy’s talks with France over a military shipbuilding deal, Leonardo CEO told Corriere della Sera.

** Greece’s privatisation agency said on Monday it signed a deal to sell railway maintenance company ROSCO (EESSTY) to TrainOSE, a subsidiary of Italian railway operator Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane, for 22 million euros ($25.05 million). (Compiled by Arundhati Sarkar in Bengaluru)