Xstrata, the world’s largest exporter of coal used for power, said its first half profit more than tripled on the back of a jump in metal prices from a year earlier.

The Zug, Switzerland-based company said that net income rose to $2.3 billion (approximately €1.7 billion) from $690 million a year earlier, beating analysts’ estimates. Sales rose by 43 per cent to $13.7 billion (approx. €10.3 billion).

10. Kia: reliability score 81.0 per cent

Kia Motors is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer, having sold over 1.6 million cars in 2009.

Founded in June 1944 and headquartered in Seoul, the company is 38.67 per cent owned by the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. North American and European arms are operated by Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Europe respectively.

For the first time, Kia posted KRW10 trillion in revenue for the first half of this fiscal year.

Caterpillar has chosen Winston-Salem, North Carolina as the site of its new powertrain components manufacturing and assembly facility to provide extra capacity for its expanding business in global mining operations. Sites in South Carolina and Alabama had also been under consideration for the plant.

The United Arab Emirates has announced it is banning BlackBerry messaging, email and internet use.

The government claims the ban is due to security concerns because encrypted data sent on the devices is sent abroad, where it cannot be monitored for illegal activity. It says it is cracking down solely on the BlackBerry because it is the only smartphone that automatically sends users' data to servers overseas.

Analysts say this makes BlackBerry messages tougher to monitor than ones sent through domestic servers that authorities can access more easily.

Motorola has reported strong second quarter results thanks to consumer demand for its Droid phones, which run on Google’s Android operating system.

The company announced net income of $162 million, up from $26 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue for the quarter was $5.41 billion, slightly down on Q2 2009, but still ahead of analysts’ predictions of $5.2 billion.

EDFof France is to sell its UK electricity networks business to Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI) of Hong Kong for £5.8 billion.

EDF's UK unit, EDF Energy Networks, distributes electricity to 7.8 million customers and generates around a fifth of Britain's electricity.

In acquiring EDF Networks, CKI has obtained low-voltage electricity distribution networks in the east and south of England, and ongoing contracts with businesses including the London Underground, Heathrow and Gatwick airports, and the Channel Tunnel.

In sports stadium construction, meeting deadlines is critical. Luc Pelland, president of Structal-Heavy Steel Construction, explains to Gay Sutton how the company has built an enviable reputation by finding solutions for construction issues and consistently delivering quality products and services on time.

Three years ago the North American modular building industry witnessed the creation of its biggest organization when Modular Space Corporation came to life. Andrew Pelis talks with ModSpace senior vice president Kevin Bremer about the secrets behind the company’s success.

Le Bleu has been a top provider of bottled water to consumers, offices, retailers, high-end restaurants and resorts for more than two decades. Now top management is helping to nurture a fast-growing dietary supplement company, Nature’s Pearl. Keith Regan learns how the company is setting itself apart by embracing scientific studies on its muscadine grape supplement and using human networking to spread the word.

Calgary’s West LRT project represents a number of firsts and other major milestones for the western Canadian city and the province of Alberta. Keith Regan learns how the project’s intentional detour through an extensive public interaction and feedback process is helping to make for a smoother ride now that construction is well under way.