
Toyota, the world's biggest automaker said Monday it will temporarily halt work at factories in Brazil and Argentina due to the lack of parts from Japan after the massive March quake and tsunami.

Spanish oil and gas group Repsol YPF announced last week that its joint venture with China's Sinopec Group had made a new discovery of good quality oil in Brazilian ultra-deep water.

Uruguay confirmed a second round of offshore lease bidding for hydrocarbons exploration next September. The country’s state run oil refining company ANCAP plans to offer 15 areas with sizes ranging from 2,300 sq km to 12,000 sq km, said sources from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining.

Canada’s Scotiabank announced it has closed the transaction to purchase Nuevo Banco Comercial S.A. (NBC), Uruguay's fourth largest private bank in terms of loans and deposits. The acquisition was announced on December 6, 2010. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Rockhopper Exploration, the North Falkland Basin oil and gas exploration company, is pleased to announce results for the twelve months ended 31 March 2011.

Qatar’s leading corporation Qatargas has signed an agreement with Argentina’s government owned oil and gas company, ENARSA for the long-term supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Reserve estimates in the Santos Basin off the coast of Brazil have an upside potential of 8 billion barrels of oil equivalent, an energy company in London said.

Australian lawmakers are demanding a review of foreign investment rules to stop foreign mining companies, including those from China, buying up prime farmland.

High speed trains linking Beijing and Shanghai made their commercial debut on Thursday on a 33 billion US dollars track China hopes will open a new page to the country’s rail history and help ease its overloaded transport system.

Two French food giants are locked in a battle to take over Brazil's number one retailer, Grupo Pao de Acucar. Proposals to merge Pao de Acucar with the local operations of Carrefour are opposed by rival Casino, which already has a stake in the Brazilian group.