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

(Adds Yahoo, British Energy and others)

July 24 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 2000 GMT on Thursday.

(For Reuters columns on deals, click on [DEALTALK\]

** Chief Executive Steve Ballmer defended Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) need to make heavy investments in its Internet businesses but said the company was "done," for now, with pursuing Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research).

To read more, please double click on [ID:nN24509889]

** General Electric Co (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said it would acquire medical-device maker Vital Signs Inc VITL.O for $860 million, a move to expand its $17 billion health care operation into the single-use products market. [ID:nN24501499]

** Nuclear operator British Energy BGY.L said its long running takeover talks had reached an advanced stage, sending its shares more than 6 percent higher. The company is in talks to be bought by Electricite de France (EDF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), industry sources have said, in a deal that could value the company at more than 11 billion pounds ($21.97 billion). [ID:nL24295966]

** Kinross Gold Corp (K.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) will buy Aurelian Resources Inc ARU.TO for just over C$1 billion ($990 million) in a friendly deal that will give the Canadian mid-tier gold miner ownership of the big Fruta del Norte gold discovery in Ecuador, the companies said. [ID:nN24491962]

** The head of state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) said it would resume the delayed sale of Daewoo Shipbuilding (042660.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) in August, possibly wrapping up the $4 billion deal by end-2008. [ID:nSEO20556]