By: Melanie Burton, Scott Murdoch
MELBOURNE/LONDON (Reuters) -BHP Group said on Thursday it had made a $38.8 billion bid for Anglo American, proposing a deal that would create the world's biggest copper miner and sending its smaller rival's shares sharply higher. BHP said it will offer Anglo's shareholders 25.08 pounds per share, a premium of 31%, and carve out the London-listed group's iron ore and platinum assets in South Africa, where the world's largest listed miner has no assets. Anglo, which owns mines in countries including Chile, South Africa, Brazil and Australia, said it was reviewing the unsolicited, non-binding and highly conditional proposal.