Royal Dutch Shell Plc won shareholder approval to buy BG Group Plc, sealing its biggest acquisition amid the worst oil-industry slump since the global financial crisis. More than 83 percent of Shell shareholders voted in favor of the transaction, the company said in a statement. Most votes were cast by proxy while other investors met... Continue Reading →

Brazil's Federal Police on Wednesday launched the latest stage of a sweeping investigation into corruption at state-controlled firms, with six arrest and 15 search warrants issued in the states of São Paulo and Santa Catarina. The warrants in the so-called "Operation Carwash" probe involve the suspected use of offshore companies and real estate transactions to... Continue Reading →

Reuters Jan 26 - Foreign direct investment into Brazil came in December at more than twice the amount estimated by analysts, as a weakening currency and declining asset prices triggered a jump in merger and acquisition activity at the end of last year. FDI, as the indicator is known, rose to $15.211 billion last month,... Continue Reading →

New research from DNV GL has revealed that cost management has become an even higher priority for senior oil and gas professionals in the year ahead, as 73% prepare their company for a sustained period of low oil prices. The top three measures prioritized to impose stricter cost control are: Tougher decisions on capex Headcount... Continue Reading →

Temasek Holdings Pte is discussing options for portfolio companies Keppel Corp. and Sembcorp Industries Ltd., ranging from divesting their non-core assets to selling shares, as the two Singaporean rig builders grapple with the oil-price slump, people with knowledge of the matter said. Temasek is weighing the possibility of Keppel selling its 19.1 percent stake in... Continue Reading →

The chief executive of SBM Offshore and one of its board members settled "personal favouritism" charges with Brazilian prosecutors for around $60,000 each, with no admission of guilt, the company said on Monday. The company said in a statement it believed the charges against CEO Bruno Chabas and board member Sietze Hepkema were "without merit"... Continue Reading →

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has approved a resolution to maintain the current system for establishing the minimum price of oil on which royalty payments are paid by state-run company Petroleo Brasileiro SA to local governments. The resolution, announced in the official government gazette on Friday, is a victory for Brazil's oil industry, which has been... Continue Reading →