Continental Coal Ltd has rapidly shifted from being a junior player in the coal exploration market to achieving profitability as a mid-tier producer. CEO Don Turvey talks to Jayne Alverca.

Megaprojects don’t get much more ambitious than South Africa’s Coega project, which aims to do nothing less than create a mass production and services environment from scratch. It is a vision that is being achieved in small steps—and one or two large ones.

Warren Angus, regional sales and marketing director for the Middle East operations of leading supply chain specialist CEVA Logistics, talks about the vibrant market environment and CEVA’s response to this region of opportunity.

It is a safe bet that online gambling will grow as technology extends its possibilities. Betsson, based in Sweden and Malta, is already leading the migration from casino to internet and beyond.

As BAT South Africa’s demand chain general manager Bernd Meyer prepares to hand over the reins to his successor, he talks to Gay Sutton about the transformation that has taken place over the past few years, both culturally and structurally, to improve customer and supply chain performance.

With a new beneficiation plant coming online, Assmang Manganese is preparing to double its production and become one of the biggest manganese mines in Africa, as Jane McCallion reports.

Formed in 1935 and listed on the Johannesburg Stock exchange the following year, Assmang Manganese Limited specialises in the mining of manganese, iron ores and chrome. The company, which is owned jointly by African Rainbow Minerals Limited and Assore Limited, operates mines in the Kalahari manganese field in the Northern Cape province.

Australia’s national or ‘flag’ carrier has just celebrated its 90th birthday: it started as a local outfit in Queensland and is again concentrating on extending its profitable regional business while showing the rest of the world how long-haul services ought to be run.

Canada’s Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has agreed to acquire Australia-based iNova, a private pharmaceutical group.

iNova owns, develops and markets a portfolio of prescription and OTC pharmaceutical products in the Asia-Pacific region and South Africa, including therapeutic weight management brands such as Duromine and OTC brands in the cold and cough market such as Difflam and Duro Tuss.

Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, and Norway’s Statoil have signed a strategic agreement for the supply of 50 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to the UK.

The 10-year, NBP-linked gas supply contract begins in 2015 and secures sufficient gas to meet around five per cent of the UK’s total annual demand—enough for 3.5 million homes.

The UK currently imports around 50 per cent of its gas requirements.

Boeing has secured its biggest ever commercial aircraft deal with a 230-plane, $21.7 billion order from Indonesia’s Lion Air.

The airline is ordering 201 737 MAXs and 29 Next-Generation 737-900 ERs (extended range), with the deal also inclusive of purchase rights for an additional 150 airplanes, valued at more than $14 billion if exercised at list prices.