HONG KONG (Reuters) -Asian shares advanced on Tuesday, led by a jump in technology majors, as hopes grow for an easing of China's unprecedented regulatory crackdown on its once-freewheeling tech sector.

Equinor SA and Exxon Mobil Corp have taken the first steps to expand an $8 billion oil development off Brazil's coast, the Norwegian oil producer told Reuters.

Brazilian sugar cane mills are cancelling some sugar export contracts and diverting production to ethanol to cash in on high energy prices, according to people with direct knowledge of the deals, raising concerns of a sugar shortage.

The Bank of Japan must maintain current monetary stimulus to create sustainable increases in prices, corporate profits, jobs and wages, its deputy governor said on Tuesday, dismissing speculation about an early exit from accommodative settings.

Nomura Holdings Inc said it is targeting an up to 90% jump in core pretax income in three years as Japan's biggest brokerage and investment bank plans to beef up advisory services in pursuit of revenue less vulnerable to market swings.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc has stopped taking orders for its upcoming Cybertruck pickup truck outside of North America, according to its official website.