
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says there is a huge amount still to do in preparations for the World Cup. In his end-of-year statement on FIFA.com, the Frenchman urges Brazil 2014 organizers to work flat out in the months before the June 12 kick-off in Sao Paulo to deliver on their promises.

Gazprom has started producing oil from the Prirazlomnoye field, which is the first Russian project for developing the Arctic shelf and the commencement of their large-scale activities aimed at creating a large hydrocarbon production center in the region, according to the company.

Rockhopper Exploration has issued details of its next planned exploration wells offshore the Falkland Islands. The details were published on the Offshore site 23 December. Rockhopper was the first of several companies operating in Falklands waters to confirm the existence of oil and gas.

The Brazilian state of Sao Paulo will receive a loan for 480 million dollars from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to improve freight and passenger transport in the state highway system in order to enhance competitiveness and regional and international integration by reducing transport costs and travel time.

Argentina on Thursday threatened to nationalize utility companies Edenor and Edesur after power outages left large areas of the capital Buenos Aires and surrounding suburbs in the dark, just ahead of the austral summer. If they are not willing to give people the service they deserve, we will be willing to take over that service, said cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich.

Sweden's Saab AB prevailed over U.S. giant Boeing and French manufacturer Dassault Aviation in a competition to supply the Brazilian air force with 36 aircraft to replace its aging Mirage 2000s, Brazil said Wednesday.

The Falkland Islands Executive Council, (EXCO), considers essential more public scrutiny to budget affairs discussions so that individuals can better understand what monies are available for ongoing funding and which are windfall incomes from oil related matters.

An agreement has been reached between the Falkland Islands government and Rockhopper Exploration regarding tax arising from the Sea Lion farm-out to Premier Oil, an operation involving a billion US dollars, and which according to the settlement generated a credit of 146m dollars for the Islands Treasury.

The Uruguayan economy contracted 0.7% in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter, although it jumped 3.3% over the same period a year ago, according to the latest release from the Central bank in Montevideo. During the second quarter, the expansion had reached 2.4%, and 1.5% previous to that.

Three experts in the use of renewable energy who were visiting the Falkland Islands this week as the guests of the Falkland Islands Government declared themselves surprised by extent of the efforts made in the Islands to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.