UPDATE 3-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

** Megha Mittal will buy insolvent German luxury fashion house Escada (ESCG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) for an undisclosed price, the company said on Thursday. [ID:nL5537225]

** Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson (ERICb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research) expects to close its acquisition of key assets of bankrupt Nortel Networks Corp (NRTLQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research) very soon, a senior company executive said. [ID:nL5576811]

** With China's President Hu Jintao visiting Malaysia next week, speculation is swirling that the Malaysian government may finally seal a deal to sell 10 percent of planter Sime Darby (SIME.KL: Quote, Profile, Research) to a Chinese group. [ID:nKLR164838]

** Critical Information Group (CIG.L: Quote, Profile, Research) has been given a Dec. 7 "put up or shut up" deadline to make a bid for British business publisher Centaur Media Plc (CAU.L: Quote, Profile, Research), the UK's Takeover Panel said. [ID:nBNG272075]

** VEM, the owner of German generic drugmaker Ratiopharm, said it was satisfied with the first-round offers received for the forced sale of the unit, indicating that bidding could turn competitive. [ID:nL5415477]

** Deutsche Telekom AG's (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) T-Mobile UK and France Telecom SA's (FTE.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) Orange signed an agreement to combine their British units in a joint venture on Thursday, two months after both companies announced the plan. [ID:nL5241342]

** Liechtenstein's LGT bank and a group led by a former UniCredit Bank Austria (CRDI.MI: Quote, Profile, Research) manager are both in talks to buy Constantia Privatbank, five sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. [ID:nL5437281]

** Turkey's Privatisation Administration will hold its final tender for three electricity distribution grids on Friday with companies that submitted bids last month, the board said. [ID:nL5423710]