World News from the BBC
Continuing heavy rain is
slowing down
rescue work in southeastern Brazil where flooding and landslides have killed more than 500 people. In one of the worst-hit towns, helicopters were grounded, making it difficult to reach hillside
neighbourhood
s. The governor of Rio de Janeiro state said there was a threat of more rain over the next two days.
The international oil company BP is to
link up with
Rosneft, the Russian state-run energy giant. The agreement will allow BP to drill for oil and gas in areas under the Arctic Sea that until now have not been explored. BP's chief executive was in Moscow on Friday for talks with the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Daniel Sandford reports from Moscow.
At the meeting in his country residence outside Moscow, Vladimir Putin said he welcomed what could be a very
lucrative
deal for Russia and for the two oil companies BP and Rosneft. It's an agreement to exploit undersea reserves in the Arctic shelf off the north coast of Siberia, and in particular, in the South Kara Sea. Geologists say there could be some five billion tonnes of oil and 10 trillion cubic metres of natural gas there.
Fourteen people have been killed in Mexico in a shootout between the security forces and suspected gang members.
Officials say around 100 soldiers, marines and police had surrounded a house in Xalapa in the eastern state of Veracruz which, it was thought, was being used as a safe house by a gang.