COMPANIES

Kenyan cement maker Bamburi recorded on Friday a 21 percent drop in annual pretax profit to 7.56 billion shillings as competition increased.

Namibia paid commodities trader Glencore N$448 million in outstanding fees after the government cancelled an oil supply contract, the Southern Times reported on Friday.

Mozambique will solicit bids for oil and gas exploration from international firms within the next two years, a senior government official said on Friday.

BP said on Friday it would shut its Plutonio oilfield in Angola for maintenance work in April and expected the stream to return to production in May.

Joe Jackson, the father of late King of Pop Michael Jackson, has invested in a $2 billion, five-star 1,000-room hotel and amusement park in Vietnam.

The automotive credit market showed a significant improvement in the final quarter of last year, as 30- and 60-day loan delinquencies exhibited sharp declines, says a new report.

Italian automaker, Fiat s.p.A has collaborated with iconic brand Gucci to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy and Gucci's 90th anniversary.

A unit of China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd, the country's No.2 mobile operator, will make a 16 billion yuan ($2.4 billion), 180-day short-term commercial paper issue, sources said on Friday.

A top Freddie Mac executive received notice the government may file charges against him for allegedly violating securities laws in the years leading up to the housing bust, according to a regulatory filing released on Thursday.

Accel Partners is planning to raise $2 billion in new funds and invest more broadly into energy opportunities in China, VentureBeat has learned, even as Peter Wagner, the man who led its cleantech efforts, is leaving the company.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $35-billion contract to Boeing Co. to (NYSE: BA) build a fleet of aerial fueling tankers in favor of its rival EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co.) ending a three-year epic battle, according to a report in The New York Times, quoting politicians and industry executives.

U.S. regulators' efforts to settle with banks over improper mortgage foreclosures are being hampered by infighting among the groups involved in the talks, and a settlement may take a while, according to sources familiar with the matter.

CNPC and Chevron have started building gas production capacity at the Chuandongbei gas field in southwestern Sichuan province, the top Chinese oil and gas firm said on Thursday, more than three years after they inked a cooperation deal.

A Chinese state company has tapped Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd and Guoco Group Ltd as potential investors for a fund that aims to raise up to 20 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) to develop Shanghai's Bund district, a source said on Thursday.

Toyota is recalling another 2.17 million vehicles due to troubles with floor mats interfering with the functions of accelerator pedals.

Newmont Mining Corp's (NEM.N) fourth-quarter profit rose sharply, beating Wall Street estimates, and the company increased its gold reserves by 2 percent. The world's No. 2 gold producer said on Thursday that net earnings were $812 million, or $1.61 per share, compared with $558 million, or $1.13 per share, in the same quarter of 2009.

Access to LinkedIn, a social networking site aiming for a $175 million initial public offering, was disrupted in China on Thursday, according to several Internet users.

An Iraqi immigrant, who ran over his daughter in his car and assaulted her boyfriend's mother in a case billed as honor killing, has been convicted of second-degree murder by a Phoenix jury.

Top lawyers are deserting Howrey en masse and are joining rival law firms in search of greener pastures.

An appellate court in Texas has affirmed the dismissal of a defamation suit filed by an Austin-based neurosurgeon against a local television station, ruling that accurate and fair reports on third-party allegations do not amount to defamation.

A New York Supreme Court judge has ruled that a person's constitutional right to a fair trial outweighs the press privilege, even if the information obtained by the latter is confidential in nature.

Malikah Shabazz, one of the children of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, has been denied bail by a North Carolina court in connection with grand larceny, forgery and identity theft and could face trial in New York City where warrants have been issued against her.

Utah's attorney general's office said ReconTrust Co., a subsidiary of Bank of America Corp. (BofA), has violated the state's law on foreclosures.

Mark Ciavarella, the former Pennsylvania judge who was convicted of racketeering and tax fraud last Friday, has been called a 'scumbag' by a grieving mother whose son committed suicide last year.

Two of the world's biggest cola drinks makers - Coca-Cola and PepsiCo - have come under fire for using cancerous caramel coloring agents in their drinks.

Ford Motors will recall 144,000 F-150 pickup trucks in the U.S. and Canada for potential airbag problems, the carmaker said in a statement.

US automaker, Infiniti, has announced the launch of a luxe hybrid priced at $53,700. The 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid (M35h), which will go on sale starting March 16, is the first V6 luxury performance driver's hybrid offering over 350 horsepower and 32 mpg fuel economy.

Global miner Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) has lifted force majeure on its Blair Athol and Kestrel coal mines in Australia's northeast Queensland state but kept it in place for two other mines, Rio said on Thursday.

Merger and acquisitions activity in the global mining sector is expected to accelerate in 2011, fueled by strong commodity prices and repaired balance sheets, advisory and accountancy firm Ernst & Young said on Wednesday.