Finland has granted permits to two of three applicants seeking to build new nuclear reactors in the Nordic country as it tries to wean itself off dependence on Russian power imports.

Apple has announced a 90 percent jump in profits for the three months to March this year, more than surpassing the expectations of Wall Street analysts.  Total profit for the quarter surged to $3.07 billionÔÇönearly double its profit of $1.62 billion for the same quarter a year ago.

EADS, the parent of aircraft manufacturer Airbus, will make a solo bid for a contract to replace the US Air ForceÔÇÖs ageing fleet of refuelling tankers that could be worth up to $50 billion.

Calgary-based Suncor Energy has announced that production of natural gas from its Ebla project in Syria has begun.  Suncor, which is CanadaÔÇÖs largest energy company, took over management of the project when it acquired Petro-Canada last year. It is now selling gas into the Syrian market with the approval of the Syrian government after successfully commissioning and testing the project's wells, pipelines and other equipment.

MozambiqueÔÇÖs government is calling for the countryÔÇÖs businesses to participate in tenders that will shortly be launched for major public works financed by the United States Millennium Challenge Account (MCA).

Baltimore-based utility owner Constellation Energy Group has agreed to buy two power plants in Texas from Navasota Energy Partners for $365 million.  Constellation is buying the Colorado Bend Energy Center near Wharton, 97 kilometers south-west of Houston, and the Quail Run Energy Center near Odessa in West Texas.

GermanyÔÇÖs state-owned Deutsche Bahn is poised to offer around ┬ú1.6 billion for UK transport company Arriva.

The Houston-based independent energy company Apache has announced it will buy its rival Mariner Energy for $2.7 billionÔÇöits second acquisition in the space of a week.  The deal is in line with ApacheÔÇÖs strategy of trying to extend into deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico. Houston, Texas-based Mariner's deepwater portfolio includes nearly 100 blocks, seven discoveries in developmentÔÇöincluding interests in Lucius and HeidelbergÔÇöand more than 50 prospects.

Dana Petroleum has announced it has made a ÔÇ£significantÔÇØ gas discovery at a well in the UK North Sea.

UK oil major BP will signal at its AGM today that it will proceed with plans to invest in CanadaÔÇÖs oil sands, according to a report in UK newspaper the Financial Times.