The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the United States and Canada.

It’s a vital defense service for North America, but at this time of year, using its global surveillance technology, NORAD provides an extra service of a different kind for the benefit of the public—the NORAD Tracks Santa program.

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has increased its offer for Riversdale Mining to £2.5 billion (A$3.9 billion), after initially offering £2.2 billion earlier this month.

Riversdale's directors said the offer provided "immediate value" and that they would recommend it to shareholders.

Aston Martin is in talks with Daimler over a potential plan that would see the British luxury carmaker design and build the German company’s Maybach brand, according to a report in the Financial Times.

According to the FT, the partnership would see Aston Martin take engine technology from Daimler in exchange for building cars. It is thought that Daimler’s four-wheel-drive technology could be particularly useful to the British company, as it is considering making an off-road vehicle.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has approved the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, the ninth large-scale solar facility given the green light as part of an initiative to encourage rapid and responsible development of renewable energy on US public lands.

The concentrated solar power plant will produce 110 megawatts, enough to provide electricity for up to 75,000 Nevada households, and generate about 450-500 new jobs during construction and up to 50 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. 

The African Development Bank has approved $232 million in loans and grants to Ethiopia to fund the expansion of the country's electricity grid.

Earlier this year, Addis Ababa launched a five-year economic development plan encompassing a massive expansion of the country’s infrastructure. The plan looks to boost Ethiopia’s power production from 2,000 MW to 10,000 MW; and it also includes the construction of 2,395 kilometres of railway lines.

Ethiopia wants to expand electricity coverage to 75 per cent of the population from 41 per cent currently.

A Korn/Ferry Executive Survey released today reveals that the majority of global companies do not have a CEO succession plan in place, even though they regard CEO succession as an important element of overall corporate governance. The Korn/Ferry Institute surveyed a global sample of corporate leaders.

Aggreko has won a £37 million contract to supply temporary power to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012.

The Glasgow-based company has been awarded a contract by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to be the exclusive supplier of temporary energy services for the event.

Aggreko will provide about 220 megawatts of power to the games—around 60 megawatts more than it supplied at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Raytheon Company announced today that it has signed a definitive acquisition agreement with Applied Signal Technology, a leader in the collection and processing of communications signals to support tactical and strategic intelligence missions. The agreement has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

France’s Ingenico, the world’s largest maker of electronic payment terminals, has rejected a €1.4 billion takeover offer.

The bidder is unnamed, though reports suggest it to be the US industrial conglomerate Danaher Corp.

Swedish-owned home appliance manufacturer Electrolux is planning to consolidate the manufacture of cooking appliances in North America by building a new manufacturing facility in Memphis, Tennessee.

After investigating potential locations in the United States and Mexico, Electrolux has chosen Memphis because the site offers an optimal geographical location for customers and suppliers, the company said in a statement.