June 7 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1330 GMT on Wednesday:
** Private equity giant KKR & Co LP KKR.N made a $1.66 billion takeover approach for Australia's embattled No. 4 internet company Vocus Group Ltd VOC.AX , the target said, sparking a bounce in its shares which have been hit by earnings downgrades. European authorities stepped in to avert a collapse of Spain's Banco Popular POP.MC following a run on the bank, orchestrating a last-minute rescue by Santander SAN.MC , the country's biggest lender. The world's largest meat processor, JBS SA JBSS3.SA , has agreed to sell its Argentine operations to a smaller rival, retreating from a top beef-producing nation that was once a springboard for an aggressive international expansion. New World Department Store China Ltd 0825.HK said its parent firm plans to take it private for HK$934.5 million ($120 million), so that it can better tackle a challenging operating environment and take risks in implementing strategy. Bayer BAYGn.DE has cut its stake in plastics and chemicals subsidiary Covestro 1COV.DE to 44.8 percent after selling an 8.5 percent stake to institutional investors as part of a plan to sever ownership ties completely in the medium term. Global oil traders Vitol and Gunvor GGL.UL are interested in buying Mozambique's struggling state-owned fuel distributor Petromac, local media reported. Anders Holch Povlsen, owner of Danish fashion retailer Bestseller, is buying a stake in payments firm Klarna, one of Europe's most highly valued tech startups, the firm said. Swedish private equity firm EQT made a cash offer to shareholders of DGC One DGCO.ST valuing the telecoms company at 2.3 billion Swedish crowns ($265 million) after announcing it had bought an 85 percent stake in the company. Toshiba Corp 6502.T asked Western Digital Corp WDC.O once again to stop challenging the Japanese conglomerate's plans to sell its chip business. Volcan, Peru's largest producer of silver and zinc, seeks new opportunities in copper projects to diversify its operations and is also evaluating acquisitions, an executive said on Tuesday. Any suggestions that Russia could "eventually" buy back the stake in its flagship oil producer Rosneft ROSN.MM which it had sold to Qatar are "not possible and incorrect", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Delphi Automotive PLC DLPH.N will partner with Paris-based Transdev Group, a public transport service controlled by the French government, to develop an automated on-demand shuttle service in Europe, the companies said. Algeria's Sonatrach and Spain's Repsol REP.MC have signed an agreement to consolidate their partnership in energy exploration and amicably end their differences, APS state news agency said. Piraeus Bank BOPr.AT , Greece's largest bank by assets, aims to sell its Balkan businesses and certain other holdings and shrink its bad loans portfolio, its new chief executive told reporters, outlining the group's plans up to 2020.