The $19.5 billion it made topped the $14.8 billion achieved in 2012, with growth in the company’s book value coming it at 18.2 percent. "On the operating front, just about everything turned out well for us last year - in some cases very well," Mr Buffett wrote to shareholders.

Rising sales and an increase in demand from China, seen by the Danish company as being a future core market, contributed towards the toymaker’s profits of 6.12 billion kroner ($1.12 billion).

The world’s second largest toymaker, behind Mattel, has been increasingly looking towards Asian markets as a way to boost future sales. "During the coming years the Lego Group expects to grow moderately ahead of the global toy market that is expected to grow low single digits," said Lego in its annual report.

Europe’s largest aerospace group saw net income rise by 21 percent in 2013 to €3.6 billion, while revenues rose five percent to €59.3 billion.

The past year witnessed the group delivering a record 626 planes, with Airbus expecting to deliver a similar number this year. Included in this will be an increasing number of its A320 jets, with production to expand to 46 planes a month from 42 by 2016.

“Across the business, we served 53 million meals in the financial year to June 2013,” states Chief Executive Officer, Pierre van Tonder. “That is almost one meal for every person in South Africa.” Such impressive numbers really speak for themselves and highlight just how iconic a brand Spur Steak Ranches has become in South Africa.

It was in 1975, two years after the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) proclaimed an oil embargo sparking a five month oil crisis, that the concept of a State Energy Corporation was first mooted within Jamaica.

Kassa Maru has a bit of experience behind him when it comes to working within the aviation sector. The fact is that the founder, Chairman and President of American General Supplies (AGS) is a man with an employment history that few could hope to match, and that many would be envious of.

Plascon is a company with serious clout in South Africa, where it had its origins 125 years ago in 1889. Under his own name Herbert Evans, a new arrival to South Africa from Wales, set up a business in Johannesburg to produce polishes, varnish – and ready mixed tinted paints, a first for South Africa. During his lifetime, Evans, as well as the paint product introduced an excellent floor polish and a revolutionary Best Elastic carriage varnish that could accommodate the expansion and contraction of wood.

Aveng Trident Steel has its origins in a steel merchandising business founded in 1972 in the Germiston suburb of Wadeville. The company has grown steadily since then, making a number of acquisitions along the way and now covers all of South Africa. In 1998 Trident became part of the Aveng group, which listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange the following year.

Dramatic political events over the weekend saw what amounts to a revolution in Ukraine. Weeks of violent protest in Kiev led to in the impeachment of President Viktor Yanukovych, his flight from the capital to an undisclosed location, and the appointment of an opposition figure as acting president to run the government until elections can be held in May. Acting energy minister Eduard Stavytsky expressed on Monday Ukraine's hope that Russia will not use gas transit and prices to influence the political process.