After approval by competition authorities on 31 December, CoorsTek has now finalized its acquisition of the advanced ceramics business of Saint-Gobain for US $245 million.

Headquartered in North America, and celebrating its 100th year in business, CoorsTek is the largest technical ceramics manufacturer in the world with facilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

SC Johnson, one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products, has reached an agreement to acquire Sara Lee's global shoe care business for €245 million.

The deal will bring the world famous Kiwi brand that has been polishing shoes around the world for more than 100 years into SC Johnson's robust portfolio that already includes Pledge, Glade, Mr. Muscle, Windex and Ziploc. Like many SC Johnson brands, Kiwi is the leader in its category.

The Timken Company today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, TSB Metal Recycling LLC, has purchased substantially all of the assets of City Scrap and Salvage Co. in Akron, Ohio.

City Scrap has been a local source of supply of ferrous scrap for Timken’s steelmaking operations for more than 15 years. Timken's steel business was founded in 1917 to provide a dependable supply of steel for its bearing business, and this acquisition is consistent with that strategy.

The US Navy has awarded contracts worth a total of more than $7 billion to build 20 of its new Littoral Combat Ships to Lockheed Martin and Austal USA.

The Defense Department has awarded Lockheed Martin a $491.6 million deal to construct one ship. If options for nine additional ships are exercised, the award total amounts to $4.57 billion.

Renewable energy firm RES has received approval from the Scottish government for its 99 megawatt wind farm, located approximately 20 miles south of Inverness at Dunmaglass.

The wind farm will comprise 33 turbines, each with a maximum height of 120 metres to the tip of the blade, and is expected to generate electricity equivalent to the average annual demand of around 46,000 Scottish households.

The Scottish government said the construction phase of the development would create work for about 55 people.

MidAmerican Energy has placed an order with Siemens Energy, Inc. for 258 of its 2.3-megawatt turbines, to be erected in Iowa during 2011.

MidAmerican Energy has also entered into an asset purchase agreement with RPM Access under which it will acquire the Laurel Wind Project from RPM, where approximately 52 of the Siemens turbines are planned to be located.

Israel’s Koor Industries has announced the sale of its subsidiary MA Industries, the world’s biggest maker of crop protection chemicals, to China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina).

The deal, which values MA at $2.4 billion, will see Koor retain 40 per cent of the maker of fungicides, pesticides and herbicides. ChemChina will buy the 53 per cent of MA currently held by the public for $1.27 billion, and will pay Koor $168 million for an additional seven per cent.

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.