Northrop Grumman has threatened to withdraw from the competition for a $35 billion contract to build new US military tanker aircraft.  Northrop had teamed with European Airbus parent EADS to bid against Chicago-based Boeing. If Northrop drops out, Boeing would become the sole bidder for the job.  The contract is to supply 179 converted civilian jetliners to become tanker aircraft for aerial refueling, to replace the Air ForceÔÇÖs current ageing fleet of KC-135 tankers.

French electrical equipment maker Schneider Electric SA and the power and transport engineering company Alstom SA, also of France, have acquired the power distribution activities of Paris-based nuclear group Areva SA.

Everything is large in scale at Newmont Mining Corporation’s Boddington mine in Australia, including ethical responsibility. Tim Netscher, senior vice president of Asia Pacific operations, tells Gary Toushek about it.

Brisbane tuff is only one hurdle in the construction of Australia’s largest-ever road project, but the Airport Link will eliminate the congestion that frustrates the citizens of Queensland’s capital, and they won’t be disrupted because most of it is underground, as John O’Hanlon learns from project director Gordon Ralph.

With droughts being the norm in Australia, safeguarding water supplies is a priority for Gold Coast Water.

The Maldives is a coral archipelago located in the Indian Ocean, some 480 kilometres southwest of India and 720 kilometres west of Sri Lanka. Twenty-six natural atolls and 1,190 islands—only 200 of which are inhabited—make up the region, home to a total of 87 resorts that are all keen to capitalise on the country’s tropical climate and exquisite beaches. Ninety-nine per cent of the Maldives is in fact water, which explains the hordes of tourists who visit the area each year in search of world-class diving and watersports facilities.

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General Electric (GE) and Vivendi have agreed on a $5.8 billion valuation of the French companyÔÇÖs 20 per cent stake in television and movie company NBC Universal (NBCU).  The valuation clears the way for Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE to sell control of NBCU to Philadelphia-based cable giant Comcast. GE must buy out Paris, France-based VivendiÔÇÖs interest before it can sell its controlling stake in NBCU.

Networking know-howJane Bordenave talks to Tony Dolton, chief technical officer for Vodafone in Ghana, about the companyÔÇÖs plans to revolutionise GhanaÔÇÖs communications infrastructure and service.

A dynamic business
Photovoltaic module manufacturer Tenesol is gearing up for growth in the South African marketplace. Kevin Robinson talks to Gay Sutton about the dynamics of the market and his vision for the future of the Cape Town plant.