French electrical group Schneider Electric has acquired 74 per cent of Indian manufacturer Luminous, it has been announced.

Japanese auto manufacturer Honda has said that North American production should return to normal in August—ahead of the original recovery plan—for all models except the new Honda Civic.

North American production was cut by half last month because of parts shortages from Japanese manufacturers whose production had been interrupted by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Tullow Oil has announced its second acquisition in the space of seven days—this time purchasing the interests of EO Group, which include those offshore Ghana.

The deal, worth $305 million, will increase Tullow's interest in the West Cape Three Points licence offshore Ghana by 3.5 per cent to 26.4 per cent. It will also increase its interest in the Jubilee Oil field, which it already operates, by 1.75 per cent to 36.5 per cent.

The agreement is conditional upon various approvals, including from the government of Ghana.

Chrysler Group LLC has announced the repayment of $7.6 billion in outstanding US and Canadian government loans following the completion of new refinancing transactions.

The original loans were repaid in full, more than six years ahead of schedule, along with the payment of accrued interest and additional consideration.

Online retailing giant Amazon has announced that more than 900 new permanent and temporary jobs will be created over the next five years with the opening of its new customer service centre at Waverley Gate in Edinburgh.

The new centre, due to open this August, will handle customer enquiries regarding Amazon.co.uk, including technical support for the Amazon Kindle and MP3.

Israel’s Haifa Port is just about to make its new Carmel Container Terminal fully operational. Mendi Moscovitsh explains to Gay Sutton how the new terminal and new port management system will relieve congestion and markedly increase productivity.

South Africa is putting great effort into improving living standards for its more disadvantaged citizens, as Alan Swaby discovers.

Several years ago, Arafura Resources identified the imminent shortage of rare earth oxides. Now, it is about to become an alternative supplier for users worldwide to China’s monopoly.

Andrew Bellamy, CEO of Austal, one of the world’s leading aluminium shipbuilders, talks to Jayne Alverca about the winds of change that are blowing in the wake of a major defence contract with the US Navy.

Austal, headquartered in Henderson, Western Australia, is the largest builder of aluminium fast ferries in the world, with a customer base that spans the globe. The company has reached this level of success in just over 20 years—an achievement that CEO Andrew Bellamy attributes to three key factors.