(Adds Madinet Nasr for Housing and Development, Orsted, Masmovil, Siemens, Marex Spectron, Leder & Schuh Group; Updates J&J)
Jan 23 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1330 GMT on Wednesday:
** Apollo Global Management is to buy packaging products maker RPC Group RPC.L for 3.3 billion pounds ($4.28 billion) in cash after months of negotiations, marking the latest M&A deal for an industry in the midst of a consolidation phase.
** Telefonica's TEF.MC O2 and Vodafone VOD.L have stepped up their challenge to British market leader BT by extending their network sharing deal to cover 5G, enabling them to accelerate the deployment of the faster mobile service at a lower cost.
** Japan's ANA Holdings Inc 9202.T said it is in talks with Philippine Airlines Inc's PHL.UL parent company PAL Holdings PAL.PS about making an investment but it had not yet made a "concrete decision".
** Egypt's Madinet Nasr for Housing and Development (MNHD) MNHD.CA has called off a planned merger with the Sixth of October Development and Investment Company (SODIC) OCDI.CA , according to a document seen by Reuters on Tuesday.
** Viacom Inc VIAB.O said on Tuesday it will buy Pluto TV, a free video streaming TV service, for $340 million in cash to expand its advanced advertising business.
** U.S. cannabis retailer Green Growth Brands Inc GGB.CD said on Tuesday it would make a second all-stock takeover bid for Aphria Inc APHA.TO , valuing the Canadian pot producer at about C$2.35 billion ($1.76 billion).
** Shares in Japan Display 6740.T jumped 11 percent after a report said the smartphone screen maker was in talks for funding from Taiwan's TPK Holding Co 3673.TW and China's Silk Road Fund in exchange for a stake of around 30 percent.
** Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (API) (API) said it was expected to start due diligence on its A$727 million ($518.6 million) offer for pharmacy operator Sigma Healthcare Ltd (SIG) soon.
** Singapore's Golden Investments said that it will seek a board position at Australia's Stanmore Coal Ltd (SMR) as its biggest shareholder, despite the failure of a A$240 million ($171 million) takeover bid.
** Philippine Airlines Inc PHL.UL is closing in on selling a minority stake to a foreign strategic investor, with a deal likely to be sealed in the first half of this year, its president said.
** Troubled Italian lender Popolare di Bari is studying a possible tie-up with other southern mutual banks, two sources familiar with the matter said.
** Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N is pursuing an acquisition of surgical robotics firm Auris Health Inc, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
** French state-controlled power utility EDF EDF.PA has bought a 49 percent stake for an undisclosed amount in African company Conergies Group.
** Polish clothing retailer CCC CCCP.WA has held "intensive" talks with shoemaker Leder & Schuh Group about buying the Austrian company but the two sides failed to agree on a purchase price, Austrian newspaper Der Standard reports.
** Heidelberger Druckmaschinen HDDG.DE said that it had signed an investment agreement with Chinese company Masterwork 300195.SZ , which would acquire a 8.5 stake after a cash capital increase.
** The Egyptian Exchange cancelled all transactions made the previous day in local firms Sixth of October Development and Investment Company (SODIC) OCDI.CA and Madinet Nasr for Housing and Development (MNHD) MNHD.CA .
** A setback for Danish energy group Orsted's ORSTED.CO plans to sell its domestic power network and private customer businesses will not derail its global expansion drive, the company's head of offshore wind said.
** Spanish telecommunications company Masmovil MASM.MC is not interested in buying domestic competitor Euskaltel EKTL.MC , CEO Meinrad Spenger said, adding the company prefers to focus on organic growth.
** The rail divisions of Siemens SIEGn.DE and Alstom ALSO.PA are world champions and are both able to compete in the market, the European Union's Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told Die Zeit newspaper, signalling scepticism over a planned merger of their rail businesses.
** Commodities broker Marex Spectron said it has agreed to acquire Dublin-based Energy Broking Ireland Ltd (EBI), in a deal expected to be completed in February.
** Family-owned Austrian shoemaker Leder & Schuh Group denied a media report that it had held talks with Polish clothing retailer CCC CCCP.WA about a possible takeover by its bigger rival.
