France’s Lafarge and UK mining company Anglo American have announced they are to combine their tarmac and cement businesses in the UK.

The 50-50 joint venture will see the two companies merge their cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt and contracting businesses in the UK—currently operating as Tarmac UK and Lafarge Cement UK.

The combined sales of the two businesses in 2010 was £1.8 billion.

Agnico-Eagle Mines has reported net income of $88.0 million ($0.53 per share) for the fourth quarter of 2010, compared with $47.9 million ($0.31 per share) in the same quarter last year.

Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, International Petroleum Investment Co., is to take control of Cia. Espanola de Petroleos SA, Spain’s second-largest oil company, by buying out shareholder Total.

The deal, worth €3.97 billion, will see IPIC buy Total’s 48.8 per cent stake and purchase the remaining Cepsa stock at €28 a share. IPIC already holds 47 per cent in the Spanish company.

French pharmaceutical group Sanofi-Aventis has agreed to buy US biotech company Genzyme for €14.8 billion, following months of wrangling over price.

The deal will give Paris-based Sanofi valuable access to the market for drugs that treat rare diseases.

Patents on some of Sanofi’s bestselling drugs have recently expired, leading to a downturn in sales. Its blood thinning drug Plavix, for example, is expected to face generic competition next year. Last year, Plavix accounted for about nine per cent of Sanofi's total sales.

Has the recession released its death grip? Dr. Ivan Misner thinks it has, and offers some survey evidence to support his view, along with a few personal accounts of innovative survival strategies.

The end is near! No, not the end of the world, I’m talking about the end of the recession.According to a survey of over 5,000 business people released in January at BNIBusinessIndex.com, business is starting to look up. The survey involved businesses all around the world and included people from every populated continent.

The best companies achieve success through consistency, which is why they build business value through systemized internal operations, says Bob O’Hara.

2011 will see Taggart South Africa emerging as a one-stop-shop for bulk materials handling projects for all southern Africa’s mining projects, plus the ability to offer full EPC and EPCM services to its clients.

After the acquisition of Mexico’s San Dimas mining properties from Goldcorp, the company is well on the way to achieving its ambition to become a leading intermediate gold producer.

Primero Mining Corp. is a Canadian-based precious metals producer with every intention of becoming a leading intermediate gold producer, as attested by its acquisition from Goldcorp of the San Dimas gold/silver mine in Mexico last year, for a total consideration of $500 million.

From humble beginnings in Germany as the “plaster master”, to a major facilitator of the Hoover Dam Bypass Project, Putzmeister America has had an eventful fifty years.

Specializing in concrete and material placing equipment for the construction industry, Putzmeister America is the North American division of one of the world's most recognized and respected heavy equipment manufacturers, Putzmeister Concrete Pumps GmbH.

The consolidation of the Canadian Forces Station at St. John’s, Newfoundland will see the demolition of 16 aging buildings, and their replacement by two modern facilities.

Bird Construction, established in Canada in 1920, has experience in most construction market sectors, but having built a reputation in military construction projects during World War II, it retains a special foothold and expertise in projects for the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND).