An agreement by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) with South Africa's biggest platinum mining companies, has brought to an end the nation's longest-running strike.

While the deal with the US corporation is dependent of approval from the regulators and representatives of Alstom's workforce, France's government has backed it, securing a 20 percent stake in Alstom, and taking other measures to protect French interests. A rival offer from Siemens-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was rejected. If it is approved, the deal, said to be the largest industrial acquisition that GE has ever made, is expected to be completed in 2015.

It puts the current gold market into perspective when one looks back just a couple of years. In 2012 when we last looked at Alacer Gold's Çöpler gold mine gold prices stood at just over $1,000 an ounce. Since then they have risen of course to as high as $1,800 in mid-2011 before setting out on a steady decline.

When we last featured Basil Read within this magazine in October 2012, much of our focus was on the group’s ongoing work on the St Helena airport project. Said article went into great depth regarding the efforts of the group to deliver the British Overseas Territory with its own international airport, and it soon became clear, to this writer at least, that this project would not only go on to be hugely significant for St Helena but for a group that was already able to boast an impressive track record.

The first meeting to discuss modernisation of the mechanism that sets the price of gold will be held in London on July the 7th. The Financial Conduct Authority will be attending as an observer and representatives of the bullion banks, refiners, ETF and other gold investment product sponsors, exchanges, industry bodies, central banks and mining companies will be individually invited to participate.

With the FIFA World Cup kicking off in Brazil, the momentum South Africa built up since it hosted the event in 2010, and back to independence, seems to have stagnated,. The leading infrastructure player PPC Ltd believes that an Infrastructure Codesa could help relieve pressures on the industry and stimulate infrastructure development levels last seen in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.

The 12th Latin American Infrastructure Leadership Form is taking place in Cartagena, Colombia from June 10-12. Ahead of the Forum organiser CG/LA Infrastructure issued its Strategic Top 100 CG-LA List with the aim of doubling Latin America’s infrastructure investment by 2020. The projects on this list will increase the number of high quality, long-term jobs created throughout the region.

A survey conducted by financial software company Sage, shows that closing the ‘mentoring gap’ could help the UK’s 4.9 million small businesses double their chances of increasing turnover, generating millions of pounds for the UK economy. Sage also launches its Business Navigators campaign to encourage small businesses to make use of business mentors.

“As first world economies seek new territories for innovation, trade expansion, conference tourism and investment, Kenya, as one of the leading vibrant stable economies in Africa, has provided a hugely viable and attractive option,” states Dominic Ngigi, Corporate Affairs Manager of Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).