POLITICS & POLICY

Barrick Gold, after partially floating African Barrick in 2010, has been reported to be mulling further divesting its 74 per cent hold in the African project, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

A looming rice supply shortage could occur in the next few months as the poor monsoon and low rainfall in India, the world's second-biggest grower, hampers the nation's rice output, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) said.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is slightly higher this morning, currently trading just below USD1.0500 despite some mixed data released during the offshore session overnight.

U.S. stocks finished the day roughly flat as investors juggled an unexpected contraction in domestic manufacturing activity and a mixed batch of corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 7.36 points, or 0.1%, to 13164.78. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 1.60 points, or 0.1%, to 1405.53 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 13.95 points, or 0.5%, to 3030.93.

No less than the United States’ Export-Import Bank (USEXIM) is interested to help Australia’s richest woman fund her company’s Roy Hill project.

Australia barely made it to the Top 10 of the recently concluded London 2012 Olympics but Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan still rejoices with the fact that amidst the lingering financial difficulties, the domestic economy “is 10 per cent bigger,” when pitted against the other developed economies.

Five universities from Australia, led by the University of Melbourne, have been included in the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), released on Wednesday, a feat to be considered five years after the country decided to invest heavily into a world-class university system.

Come December this year, cigarettes in Australian stores will be sold in drab and plain packaging following the High Court’s affirmation on Wednesday that the legislation passed by the Parliament in 2011 did not contravene the constitution.

Australian wheat production, expected to slide this year from a record high 2011/12 season, could be further exacerbated as the country's weather bureau confirmed on Tuesday the emergence of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

U.S. STOCK MARKETSConsumer stocks lifted the Dow industrials after Home Depot and a handful of high-end retailers posted upbeat quarterly earnings and July's retail-sales report topped estimates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.71 points, or less than 0.1%, to 13172.14.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar has managed to maintain levels close to USD 1.0500 following a mixed night in the markets.

Crowd funding websites may offer one of the coolest means to earn some big bucks but Australia’s corporate watchdog issued an advisory on Tuesday outlining the risks and responsibilities that come with getting involved on such projects.

Julian Assange’s asylum application to Ecuador will be known within the current week following reports that the Latin nation’s president has indicated of an imminent decision on the plea of the WikiLeaks founder.

The Norway massacre that killed 77 people on July 2011 was wholly preventable, a new commission report on the incident said on Monday, faulting the Norwegian authorities for their monumental lapses that allowed a lone assailant to maim and kill almost unhindered.

India's massive coal importation, spurred by the sector's belief that local coal has poor content and low quality, has led to the unfortunate downsizing of employment in the coal sector.

Refugee processing facilities in Nauru and Manus Island, located in Papua New Guinea, would be up and running soon enough as Prime Minister Julia Gillard formally requested on Tuesday Australian access to two nations.

A manufacturing plant in Taranto, Italy by ILVA, Italy's largest steel maker, may be forced to close shop after a court ruling released over the weekend ordered the particular plant cannot fabricate steel while in the process of carrying out court-ordered improvements to its production line in light of the environmental and public health hazards it has created to its community.

A manufacturing plant in Taranto, Italy by ILVA, Italy's largest steel maker, may be forced to close shop after a court ruling released over the weekend ordered the particular plant cannot fabricate steel while in the process of carrying out court-ordered improvements to its production line in light of the environmental and public health hazards it has created to its community.

With the economy of New Zealand showing signs of stability and moderate growth, more and more nations are interested to invest in its bond market, particularly China.

Turned off by the weaker macroeconomic environment hitting the world commodities market today, Aquila Resources Ltd. on Monday announced it will slash the budget expenditure it had initially allotted on its flagship iron ore project in Western Australia.

Stocks ended mostly lower Monday, with the Standard & Poor's 500-share index snapping a six-session streak of gains, its longest rally since December 2010. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 38.52 points, or 0.3%, to 13169.43. The S&P 500 slipped 1.76 points, or 0.1%, to 1404.11, ending its longest run-up since a six-day stretch ended Dec. 14, 2010.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar maintained its levels above USD 1.0500 overnight in what was a listless and quiet session with little news or data flow.

More Queensland public workers' jobs are at stake after the state government defined what a frontline job is. To enjoy job stability, public servants in the state must spend at least 75 per cent of their working hours in direct interaction with the public in person or by phone.

BlueScope Steel, Australia's largest steelmaker, on Monday announced it is poised to create a $1.4 billion joint venture with Japan's Nippon Steel Corp., after agreeing to sell half of its coated products operations also to the latter for $US540 million.

Shareholders of Newcrest Mining Ltd are in for good news after the gold miner reported on Monday achieving a $1.12 billion profit for the year to June 30, its second year in a row.

Industry kibitzers are abuzz with combined anxiety, excitement and speculation after a report over the weekend revealed that Westfield Group (WDC) and its offshoot Westfield Retail Trust have divorced from AMP Capital after 50 years of blended bliss enveloping shopping centres with a combined $6 billion worth.

As the number of asylum seekers ballooned to more than 600 in August alone, a political solution on the matter remains elusive as the Coalition reiterated on Monday its opposition to the Malaysian component of the border protection stand off.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar continued its firm tone this morning on the expectation there will be more bank stimulus in the US, ECB & China.

Stocks rallied into Friday's close, with the S&P 500 capping its longest streak of gains since late 2010, as investors shrugged off an unexpected drop in China's trade surplus. The Dow Jones Industrial average rose 42.76 points, or 0.3%, to 13207.95