It will only ever be half true that diamonds are just another commodity. They have been among the world’s most sought after natural resources since antiquity and still define individual aspirations all over the world. It’s well enough known that the low countries have been the centre of the diamond trade, with Antwerp in Belgium guarding the title of the world’s diamond capital for craftsmanship and Antwerp and Mumbai its financial powerhouses. while both having its share of the essential cutting and polishing phase.

Looking beyond the many tales that exist in a world of urban myth and newspaper re-telling, a leading UK health and safety law consultancy has dug a little deeper and found workplace tales that actually happened, and show that education in this much-maligned subject is still sorely needed.

Walking into a crowded networking event where you recognise no one can daunt even the most sociable business professionals.

Understanding why you’re networking and how to maximise any potential contacts you make is vital to help a business grow.

Here CEO of OfficeBroker.com Chris Meredith gives his top tips on overcoming networking event fears, and getting the most out of them for your business.

Fire is a friend to mankind - until it gets out of hand: then it can become a formidable enemy, one that can only be subdued by an army versed in both conventional and guerrilla warfare and co-ordinated ground and air operations. As Johan Heine, co-Managing Director of Kishugu (formerly the FFA Group) speaks - always passionately - about the business he founded 28 years ago in 1986, he relies heavily on military imagery.

Steve Todoruk, a mining veteran who joined Rick Rule in 2003 at Sprott Global Resource Investments Ltd. says he’s seeing some key similarities between today and the last big bear market for resource stocks, which lasted from around 1998 to 2001. Many of today’s mining legends made their reputation and their fortune during that time.

The last time we saw this happen was in the late 1990s.

Gold was around $300 per ounce; silver was near $6; and copper was $0.60 a pound.

It’s not random chance that puts mining at the head of the list of industries – and it’s a long list – that HAWK serves. HAWK is an Australian company, founded in 1988 with a focus on serving that country’s resources sector with locally designed and produced products. Over the years the company has expanded into different geographic areas, mainly into countries with a mining presence, working through a network of specialised distributors.

Canada’s enhanced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy, “Doing Business the Canadian Way: Advancing Corporate Social Responsibility in Canada’s Extractive Sector Abroad” was announced by the Canadian government on November 14. It builds on experience and best practices gained since the 2009 launch of Canada’s first CSR strategy, “Building the Canadian Advantage: A Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy for the Canadian Extractive Sector Abroad.” The idea is that Canadian companies operate abroad with the highest ethical standards.

Have you always liked aeroplanes?
Fraid so! I don’t know where it came from, but for as long as I remember flying has always been a passion of mine.

What’s so special about Aerosud?
I had the privilege of starting Aerosud as a one man company in 1990, albeit in the context of an agreement with my five other partners who would be following me later.