The FINANCIAL -- Japanese automakers Mitsubishi and Mazda on October 29 reported half-year net losses.

Mazda Motor Corp. said China was a bright spot, with sales rising 35 percent there, but that otherwise sales around the region dropped during the fiscal first half. Japan's Toyota Motor Corp., the world's No. 1 automaker, reports earnings on Nov. 5, AP informs.

The FINANCIAL -- Angolan national oil company Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola (Sonangol) and ENI on October 29 announced an oil discovery in the Cabaça Norte-1 well in Block 15/06 offshore Angola.

The FINANCIAL -- According to RIA Novosti, Russia's largest independent oil producer LUKOIL said on October 29 its net profit calculated under Russian Accounting Standards fell 92%, quarter-on-quarter, in July-September 2009 to 1.76 billion rubles ($59 million).

The FINANCIAL -- Work on a development solution for the Luva find, which lies in 1,300 metres of water in the Norwegian Sea and 300 kilometres from land, is to be continued by operator StatoilHydro .

The FINANCIAL -- Oil and Gas Company Hess Corp. on October 28 said its third-quarter profit tumbled 56 percent, driven by lower oil and gas prices and narrower margins, but the company managed to boost production by 16%.

The FINANCIAL -- Oil company Royal Dutch Shell PLC reported a 73% slide in profits between July and September. The company said a “quick recovery” in energy demand and prices is unlikely.

The FINANCIAL -- Editors at Popular Mechanics on October 28 announced the winners of the magazine’s 2010 Automotive Excellence Awards, and Ford Motor Company set a precedent, winning more categories in a single year than any other automaker in the history of the awards.

The FINANCIAL -- Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] announced on October 28 that a consortium led by Zhejiang Geely Group Holding Co. Ltd. is its preferred bidder in the ongoing discussions concerning the possible sale of Volvo Car Corporation.

The FINANCIAL -- While the Concept Kizashi series debuted globally over the past two years, (in Frankfurt, Tokyo and New York), U.S. anticipation for the production Kizashi was met by a number of custom builders – and members of Suzuki management – asking the proverbial “what if?”