Houston-based energy firm ConocoPhillips has signed a deal to explore for natural gas in PolandÔÇÖs shale acreage, according to a report by Reuters. The agreement with Lane Energy Poland allows for joint assessment of LaneÔÇÖs six licenses in the northern Baltic basin region of Poland, near the Port of Gdansk. Under the terms of the deal, ConocoPhillips has the option to acquire an interest of 70 percent in the concessions and to operate up to one million acres, though Lane will act as operator on the initial phase. Acreage in northern Poland is flat, easily accessible a

US energy firm ConocoPhillips has signed a deal to explore for natural gas in PolandÔÇÖs shale acreage, according to a report by Reuters.

Energy giant Chevron has signed deals worth $60 billion to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Japan and South Korea, it has been announced. The firmÔÇÖs Australian unit is to supply three million tons of LNG from its Gorgon gas field to both countries each year. Osaka Gas will receive 1.375 million tons and Tokyo Gas 1.1 million tons, every year over a period of 25 years.

JapanÔÇÖs third-largest brewer, Suntory, is in talks to buy European beverage firm Orangina from Blackstone Group and Lion Capital Holdings.

Tempe, Arizona-based renewable energy company First Solar has clinched a deal to build the worldÔÇÖs largest solar power plant in the Chinese desert.  The two-gigawatt plant will be located in Inner MongoliaÔÇÖs Ordos City province and is to be built in four phases over a decade on a 65 square kilometer plot of land. It is hoped that on completion the plant will supply power to three million Chinese homes.

French media and telecoms giant Vivendi has announced it is launching a bid to buy Brazilian telecoms operator GVT.

Shares in UK confectionery firm Cadbury soared by nearly 40 percent yesterday on the news that it had rejected Northfield, Illinois-based KraftÔÇÖs $16.7 billion bid for the firm.  It is now thought that rivals Nestl├® and Hershey could form a consortium and submit their own bid, which would avoid regulatory complications arising from a straight Nestl├®/Cadbury, or Hershey/Cadbury, takeover.  Combined, Nestl├® and Cadbury would control more than half the chocolate market in the UK.

T-Mobile UK and OrangeÔÇöthe┬áUK mobile phone operations of Deutsche Telecom and┬áFrance TelecomÔÇöare to merge, creating the UKÔÇÖs biggest mobile phone firm.

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New car sales in the UK rose in August for the second successive month, helped by the scrappage scheme.