Supplying healthy US hospital food, Disney’s staff canteen, the Mammoth Mountain ski resort in California and miners canteens in Australia all helped Compass post a strong 7.7 per cent rise in first-half profits today.

India cuts rate to boost growth

Lord Coe’s claim that London 2012 will be the greenest ever Olympic Games is “corporate spin” say human rights groups, who today launch a campaign to highlight the environmental record of three multinational sponsors.

Lord Coe’s claim that London 2012 will be the greenest ever Olympic Games is “corporate spin” say human rights groups, who today launch a campaign to highlight the environmental record of three multinational sponsors.

There are no two ways about it: the big four FTSE 100-listed diversified mining groups had a cracking start to the year. In the first two months of 2012, Rio Tinto and Xstrata's shares both jumped by nearly a third, while BHP Billiton and Anglo American turned in a relatively poor performance, up by a mere fifth.

"Cameron calls for bank bonus truce" ran the Financial Times headline on Saturday. To some this truce will look more like a white flag. It is a curious moment to relax the pressure on financiers just when some appear to be acknowledging that things have got out of hand. First among equals, in this regard, is the Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive, Stephen Hester.

Rio Tinto bosses became the latest to forgo millions in bonuses yesterday as pressure over payouts moves beyond bankers

A multibillion-pound tie-up set to create the world's fourth largest natural resources firm met instant criticism today as two major UK investors said they would vote against the move.

Mining heavyweights Glencore and Xstrata have unveiled a deal to create the world's fourth largest natural resources firm worth 90 billion US dollars (£57 billion).

Rio Tinto

The jousting match for Canadian uranium producer, Hathor Exploration, intensified yesterday as the white knight Rio Tinto trumped an unsolicited offer from its rival suitor Cameco for a second time.

The Russian precious metals miner Polymetal has increased the amount it hopes to raise with its London stock market listing this year, seeking up to £518m as it eyes a place in the FTSE 100.

Impala Platinum's Zimbabwe unit Zimplats said it is in talks with the government after authorities rejected its black empowerment plan.