Tokyo, May 17 (EFE).- The Spanish Business Council for Competitiveness, or CEC, brought its "Spain: A Land of Opportunities" report to the Japanese capital on Friday, presenting the Iberian nation as an attractive investment destination and a gateway to the Latin American market. It is easier to do business in Latin America, where Japanese companies are making a big push in areas such as energy, mining and infrastructure, "with the support of large Spanish companies" already well entrenched in that region, CEC executive director Fernando Casado said.

Spanish oil and gas group Repsol reported Thursday a boost in net profits in the first quarter of 2013, saying the gain would have been much greater but for last year's expropriation of its Argentine offshoot YPF. Repsol said net profit edged up 1.6 percent from a year earlier to 631 million euros in the quarter, assuming a constant cost of supplies (CCS) as is widely accepted for the reporting of financial results in the oil industry.

MADRID - Spanish oil and gas company Repsol says its first quarter net profit rose 1.6 per cent thanks to increased production and better refining margins. The company said Thursday net profit for the first the three months was 631 million euros ($828 million), from 621 million euros a year earlier. Last year's figure included earnings from YPF, its former Argentine unit that was expropriated and nationalized. Excluding that unit, profit rose to 634 million euros from 458 million euros.

MADRID (Reuters) - Telefonica has signed a new contract with Spanish cable operator ONO allowing it to use its network for another 2-1/2 years to sell on phone services, a source familiar with the deal said on Monday. ONO and rival Jazztel, known as virtual operators because they do not own networks, are making headway in an increasingly competitive environment since the market shifted to convergent offers that bundle phone with television and internet services.