COMPANIES

Glencore International AG, the world's biggest commodities trader, and part owner of Australian mining firm XStrata Plc has contracted HSBC Holdings Plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Standard Chartered Plc as its lead underwriters bond offering in succeeding months.

Australian farm chemicals manufacturer Nufarm (NUF.AX) is still confident it can record higher profits after its sales performance hit new lows in its key subsidiaries.

The commodities futures market has shown a strong, steady performance despite the existing global market volatilities, which analysts said were still part of the crisis aftershocks.

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) admitted on Tuesday that it was entertaining the possibility of merger with smaller exchange groups and talks were indeed being conducted leading to that eventuality.

WorkSafe Victoria said on Tuesday that it has issued directives for Esso Australia to check on the alleged corrosion problems at its Longford oil and gas facilities following the occurrence of the series of oil and gas leaks in August this year and November last year.

His entrepreneurial spirit will not be put down easily, not by a technical glitch or by any other trouble at hand. Billionaire Richard Branson launched his latest space tourism project amidst a flight technical glitch that grounded his airline company Virgin Blue.

High-end retailer David Jones Ltd (ASX: DJS) said on Tuesday that it is right on track to achieve its 2010/11 profit guidance though it admitted that in order to reach the higher range of its earnings forecast, the company must experience a full swing recovery for the whole of the fiscal year.

After almost two days of a computer system glitch, Virgin Blue CEO Richard Branson had to personally apologise to customers/passengers for the chaotic delays.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and ice cream company Ben and Jerry settled for dropping the phrase 'all natural' from all product labels.

The National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB) took the first step in preparing for the strict government rulings on credit card use by cutting a range of credit card fees.

Greenpeace protesters are up against the selling of Wyeth's S-26 baby formula in supermarkets.

The Australian Greens party voiced out its concerns on Monday that the South Australian government may be rushing too much on the proposed rare earths processing plant in Whyalla following the state’s move of giving major project status to the planned $1 billion rare earths facility by Arafura Resources Ltd (ASX: ARU).

Major changes will soon be felt in the credit card payment system of the National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) as the giant bank announced on Monday that a new scheme is set to take effect that seeks for the settlement of high interests first prior to payment of lower interest items.

Lawyers handling the $37 million sexual harassment case against luxury retailer David Jones Ltd and its former chief executive Mark McInnes requested the Federal Court on Monday that the names of a number of witnesses for the case remain protected by confidentiality.

The New Zealand government has put some necessary brakes on its policy allowing foreigners to own tracts of farmlands in the country.

Virgin Blue said on Monday that it has restored its check-in system that crashed yesterday as the airline continues to grapple in restoring normalcy on its service flights across Australia and catch up on the backlogs left by the apparent computer glitch.

New Zealand's retail stores have a common reaction of a cautiously moderate spending in the forthcoming Fall 2010 shopping towards the Christmas season would further boost up sales.

Eighteen more Bunnings stores are set to be established in all of New South Wales over the next three years as the Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) hardware subsidiary announced on Monday that up to $600 million would be earmarked for its planned expansion in the state.

Treasurer Andrew Fraser has ensured the corporate office of Queensland Rail (QR) to remain in Queensland.

Gas producers Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd (ASX: LNG) and Metgasco Ltd (ASX: MEL) said on Monday that they have struck a deal to collaborate on the possibility of producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from regular gas LNG’s Gladstone project in Queensland.

Kathmandu Holdings Ltd., a clothing and outdoor equipment retailer listed in theAustralian and New Zealand Stock Exchanges (ASX/NSX:KMD) has reversed a slack in its shares performance and recorded an uptick of 1cent to NZ$1.78 as at the 5 p.m. market close in Wellington today and a 1.84 percent hike to A$1.385 earnings per share in Sydney.

Australia's second largest retail holdings firm Wesfarmers Ltd.reported a net profit after tax of $1,565 million for the full-year ended 30 June 2010. This was an increase of 2.8 percent compared to last year.

Taxi fare payment company Cabcharge Australia Ltd (ASX: CAB) will pay $15 million in penalties and costs related to legal action taken against it by the consumer watchdog.

Natural gas producer Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd (ASX: LNG) is unfazed by the delays that plague its Fisherman’s Landing project at Gladstone, saying that the company enjoys the same amount of confidence it felt during the initial stage of the Queensland gas exploration.

Real estate investment firm CFS Retail Property Trust (ASX: CFX) said on Friday that it has sealed a deal with Austexx Proprietary Ltd to purchase its four direct factory outlet (DFO) centres for $498 million.

Leighton Contractors has been awarded a contract by Chevron Australia to deliver the civil and underground works package for the Gorgon Project valued at more than $800 million, the company said in an issued statement today.

Children's wear retailer and exporter Pumpkin Patch Ltd said full-year profits rose 76 percent as the company cut expenditures to compensate for falling sales.

The wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is beginning to improve as the financial reforms have begun to take shape in the last six months.

Minerals explorer Murchison Metals Ltd (ASX: MMX) said on Thursday that it is upgrading the mineral resource estimate on its Jack Hills magnetite and hematite iron ore project in Western Australia.