News: BHP Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Italgas, Kraft Heinz, Hess, Anglo American, Axa, Walgreens Boots Alliance; updates BHP Group, ESR Group)

May 13 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 19:55 GMT on Monday:

		** Italgas  IG.MI , Europe's biggest gas distributor, 
said on Monday that it started exclusive talks to acquire 

smaller rival 2i Rete Gas.

		** Proxy advisory firm ISS recommended that Hess  HES.N  
shareholders abstain from voting for Chevron's  CVX.N  proposed 

$53 billion acquisition of Hess.

		** Kraft Heinz  KHC.O  is exploring a sale of its Oscar 
Mayer meats business that could fetch anything between $3 

billion to $5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

		** Anglo American  AAL.L  rejected a raised takeover 
offer of 34 billion pounds ($42.67 billion) from BHP Group 

(BHP) , saying the world's largest listed miner "continues to significantly undervalue" the company.

		** French insurer Axa  AXAF.PA  and Dutch bank ABN Amro 
have picked BNP Paribas  BNPP.PA  as the buyer of their life 

insurance joint venture Neuflize Vie, French daily Les Echos reported.

		** Hong Kong-listed real estate fund manager ESR Group 
 1821.HK , currently valued at $5.4 billion, halted trading in 

its shares, saying that a group of investors has proposed to take it private.

		** Walgreens Boots Alliance  WBA.O  is in the process of 
contacting potential buyers to sell its UK-based Boots drugstore 

chain in a second attempt at separating the unit, Bloomberg News reported, sending its shares up nearly 5%.

		** Intel  INTC.O  is in advanced talks for a deal with 
Apollo Global Management  APO.N  in which the equity firm would 

provide more than $11 billion to build a facility in Ireland, the Wall Street Journal reported.

** Private equity firm Cinven is preparing to explore a sale of Jaggaer that it hopes will value the maker of supply chain software at about $3 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

** Tylenol maker Kenvue KVUE.N said that Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N will sell its remaining 9.5% stake in the company, about a year after the healthcare conglomerate spun off and listed its consumer health business.

** Private equity firm Permira will take Squarespace SQSP.N private in an all-cash deal valued at about $6.9 billion, the website-design platform said , as small and medium businesses move online to sustain growth.

** Private equity firm EQT EQTAB.ST said it had made a recommended cash offer to buy Swedish renewable energy group OX2 OX2SE.ST for 16.4 billion crowns ($1.51 billion).

** French food retailer Casino CASP.PA said it has sold 10.15% of its remaining stake in renewable energy unit GreenYellow for 46 million euros to investment fund Ardian and French state-backed investment bank Bpifrance.

** U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday urged the Federal Trade Commission to "pump the breaks" on Chevron Corp's CVX.N proposed acquisition of Hess Corp HES.N .