Sept 8 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1500 GMT on Friday:
** Thyssenkrupp TKAG.DE shareholders are urging the group to clinch a deal with Tata Steel TISC.N to merge their European steel businesses this year, warning failure to do so would be a blow to its credibility. Geely-owned Volvo Car Group said it would buy some assets of Luxe, a U.S. based premium valet and concierge service, to boost the development of its digital services. Monsanto (NYSE:MON) Co MON.N will sell its small branded cotton seed business to local firm Tierra Agrotech Private Ltd, but remains fully committed to India's agriculture sector, a Monsanto India spokesman said. A group including Western Digital WDC.O is seeking around 50 billion yen ($464 million) from Apple Inc AAPL.O to help finance a bid for Toshiba Corp's 6502.T memory chip unit, Kyodo news agency reported. Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay HBC.TO signalled it had no intention of selling German department store chain Kaufhof, after people familiar with the matter said Austrian real estate company Signa Holding was considering a bid. Chinese conglomerate CEFC will buy a 14.16 percent stake in Russian oil producer Rosneft ROSN.MM from a consortium of Glencore GLEN.L and the Qatar Investment Authority in a move that further strengthens the energy partnership between Moscow and Beijing. BP 's BP.L stake in Azerbaijan's vast oilfields is expected to shrink under a new production-sharing agreement with state energy company SOCAR, two industry sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. Romanian investment fund Fondul Proprietatea FP.BX is considering selling its 20 percent stake in state-owned hydro power producer Hidroelectrica, a move it said was triggered by lack of government progress in listing it. Chilean forestry company Arauco has reached an agreement to buy two wood panel plants in Brazil from competitor Masisa MSS.SN , in a deal worth $102.8 million, the company said. Turkey's Celebi Aviation Holding has shown interest in buying state-owned Air India's ground handling operations, India's aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said. Australian packaging company Amcor Ltd AMC.AX is considering a takeover of rival Bemis Co BMS.N , Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. A private equity firm backed by French luxury goods giant LVMH LVMH.PA has invested in South Korean startup sunglass maker Gentle Monster on Thursday, banking on the Korean pop culture boom to fuel sales of the country's luxury brands. Trinity Mirror TNI.L , the publisher of the Daily Mirror, said it was in talks to buy Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell (LON:RDSa) titles, including the Daily Express and the Star tabloid.