Maybe it’s time to add a new weapon to the old M&A arsenal of poison pills, dawn raids, and white knights — the corporate blog. You could call it the WordPress Hug.

Late on Monday, Cisco’s Ned Hooper used the company’s blog to insist it had offered “a very good price” for Tandberg, after some shareholders of the Norwegian videoconferencing company said the price was too low. (See his full post here.)

The “Driving Conversations” blog of General Motors Europe has also been a source of news on the long-running (and now abandoned) talks to sell Opel, hosting posts from GM’s chief negotiator, John Smith. (See some of his posts on the topic here.)

So could blogging become a major channel of communication on M&A transactions? Big corporations have enthusiastically adopted it for other uses- for example, “Randy’s Journal”, a Boeing blog, has a following in the industry and among aeroplane enthusiasts.

But it is hard to believe this trend would be welcomed by some financial regulators — like the UK’s Takeover Panel, which banned advertising during takeover battles more than 20 years ago.

Mergers and acquisitions activity may be predicted to increase over the next year but in the short-term it may provide another reason for deals to be postponed. Just ask General Motors.

Other deals news in the media on Thursday:

* An investment company controlled by the Shanghai city government will own a majority stake in a planned Disney theme park that won key government approval this week, the People’s Daily reported on Thursday.

* Scripps Networks (SNI.N) is close to an agreement to acquire a majority stake in the Travel Channel from Cox Communications, the nation’s third-largest cable company, the DealBook blog reported on Wednesday.

* British real estate developer Quintain Estates and Development (QED.L) is set to launch a 180 million pound ($296.5 million) rights issue on Thursday, the Daily Telegraph reported.

* In the latest twist in a takeover battle running since January, Canadian fertilizer maker Agrium Inc (AGU.TO) is planning to make a final offer for CF Industries Holdings Inc (CF.N) on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Despite a looming wave of defaults, sell-offs of European offices at knock-down prices are unlikely, because commercial property prices are likely to tread water for years, rating agency Moody’s says.

in a report on the region’s commercial mortgage-backed bond market, Moody’s said it expects more loan defaults, but doesn’t think commercial property values will “materially recover” for the next five years. (Reuters report here.)

This means that special servicers — the administrators responsible for deciding the future of bust securitisations — “will not pursue immediate sale of the properties … but rather continue to collect the rental cash flows where possible and dispose of the properties under more favourable conditions, which may reduce ultimate losses,” the agency said.

Some foreign buyers have not been put off, with South Korea’s National Pension Service spending 268 million pounds on a pair of prime London office buildings.

In these times of banking bailouts and gloomy results, it’s refreshing to read about a firm that is bucking the trend. Nomura Holdings Inc unveiled its biggest profit in nine quarters on Wednesday, suggesting that its push into overseas bond and equity markets is paying off.

But as Sadeq Sayeed, chief executive for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told reporters on a conference call, it doesn’t take much to get clients to transact with an investment bank. “They will trade with you if you provide them with systems, prices, liquidity and clear and careful settlements,” he said.

Nomura’s mergers and acquisitions business is expected to take longer to mature. “The fact that we are even in the top 12 (for European M&A) is quite remarkable given that we were essentially a start up in the investment banking world as of January this year,” Sayeed added. 

And his ambitions for the M&A team this time next year? He wants the bank to be the very best when it comes to business related to Asia and cross-border M&A in its chosen sectors.

For a glimpse into Nomura’s thinking about the US, have a look at the story I wrote earlier.

Japan’s Monex Group will buy the securities unit of Orix Corp for about $246 million in stock, in a deal that will create the country’s second-largest online broker.

By forming a broker with more than $23 billion in client assets they will be able to cut systems and other costs and beef up product and service line-ups, they said.

In other M&A news reported by Reuters and other media:

Speculation about a possible takeover of UK retailer Debenhams was raised after private equity firm TPG sells its 9 percent stake, the FT says.

Matalan, another UK retailer, is being circled by KKR, Blackstone, Cinven and TPG, the FT adds.

GSI Commerce agrees to buy e-commerce company Retail Convergence for $180 million in cash and stock, to strengthen its online sales platform.

Liechtenstein-based LGT Bank would be interested in BHF Bank, a unit of Sal. Oppenheim, were it to be put up for sale, an executive at LGT tells German daily Handelsblatt.

Deutsche Boerse is the frontrunner to the Warsaw Bourse, the WSJ says.

Japanese banks Sumitomo Trust and Chuo Mitsui Trust Holdings are in merger talks, two sources familiar with the matter tell Reuters, bringing together two struggling trust banks to better compete in Japan’s lucrative asset management industry.

Sumitomo Trust, Japan’s fifth-largest bank, this month completed a deal to acquire to acquire Citigroup’s Japanese asset manager Nikko Asset Management for $1.2 billion.

In other M&A news reported by Reuters and other media:

Bank of New York Mellon sees more acquisition opportunities in Europe than in Asia, the head of the world’s largest custodian of financial assets tells Reuters. European financial firms have been harder hit by the global economic crisis than their counterparts in Asia and are refocusing as a result.

Diversified U.S. manufacturer United Technologies Corp is the favourite in the bidding for General Electric’s security business, Bloomberg reports.

South Korea plans to sell a minority stake in third-ranked banking group Woori Finance Holdings in a block trade next month, Yonhap reports, in a deal that could bring in about $800 million and trigger more consolidation across the sector.

China’s Sinopec has offered to make a joint bid with Ghana’s national oil company for Kosmos Energy’s stake in the huge Jubilee oilfield off the coast of the country, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Dutch bancassurer ING says it will split itself in two as part of a restructuring deal with the European Commission, transforming itself over the next four years into a smaller Europe-focused bank.

It is also launching a 7.5 billion euro rights issue to pay back 50 percent of its aid from the Dutch state early.

Also in the Netherlands, brewer Heineken has held discussions to buy the brewing operations of Mexican conglomerate Femsa, the Financial Times reports.

In other M&A news:

UK budget retailer Matalan has had offers from private equity firms that could value it at around 1.5 billion pounds, according to several reports.

Indian state-run telecoms firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) regards a $13.7 billion price for a 46 percent stake in Kuwait’s Zain Telecom is expensive, the Business Standard reported, citing the firm’s chairman. For the Reuters story click here.

Lloyds Banking Group’s private equity unit LDC is in talks to acquire legal outsourcing company CPA Global for 400 million pounds ($666 million), the Financial Times reports.

Talk continues to swirl around Kraft’s potential bid for Cadbury. On Thursday Reuters reported a top shareholder in the British confectioner would accept 820 pence a share — well above Kraft’s first cash and shares offer but only a little higher than where the stock has been trading in recent days.

Activist investor Nelson Peltz, who has stakes in both Cadbury and Kraft, may now become a factor, a report says. A contractual obligation not to criticise Kraft’s management comes to an end on Friday. Will fireworks ensue when the gag is removed?

Other deal-related news in Friday’s papers include:

* BP Plc (BP.L) has had talks with Ghana’s national oil company about a possible joint bid for Kosmos Energy’s stake in the huge Jubilee oilfield off the coast of the country, Bloomberg said, citing two people familiar with the matter.

* China Resources Enterprise Holdings (0291.HK) is expected to sell its non-core assets to fund its acquisition of a hypermarket in China from its parent for up to HK$7 billion.

* More details are emerging of an IPO for fund manager Gartmore, which may be seeking to raise 500 million pounds from investors.

Insurance companies are the focus of many deals pages on Thursday, with Prudential eyeing a listing in Asia, AXA moving to sell a stake in China’s Taikang and Aviva detailing its restructuring now the Delta Lloyd IPO is moving.

Other deal news today includes:

* South Korea’s Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC) has agreed to buy Canada’s Harvest Energy Trust for C$1.8 billion, the Canadian company said.

* Brazilian telecoms company GVT hired the local investment banking units of Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs to help it respond to takeover attempts by two global rivals.

* Zambia has eight suitors remaining in the hunt to buy Zamtel, Zambia’s fixed-line telephone operator, a source told Reuters.

With just over two months to the end of the year, there is a sense that time is running out for getting deals done in 2009. Many of the long-running deal sagas are coming to a close, or are getting done. Overnight, news emerged that BAA has finally agreed a 1.5 billion pound sale of British airport Gatwick.

Other deal news in the papers on Wednesday include:

* U.S. Bancorp is eyeing FBOP Corp, an owner of eight banks that may be put up for sale by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the situation.

* National Express’s largest shareholder, Spain’s Jorge Cosmen, supports a merger proposal by British bus and rail operator Stagecoach, the Financial Times reported.