Erik Pineda

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh is set to meet energy stakeholders on Wednesday in Townsville for the proposed hydro-electricity power plant from Papua New Guinea that would supply electricity in the state and on the side, conduct a dialogue with usual nemesis Clive Palmer.

Mineral explorer Conquest Mining Ltd (ASX: CQT) entered trading halt on Tuesday and would remain in such state until Thursday pending the announcement of the $100 million capital raising that would finance the development of the company’s Mt Carlton gold, silver and copper project in Queensland.

Following the announcement of its new debt facility on Monday, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG) drew mixed reviews from Deutsche Bank and Macquarie, with the latter offering a positive outlook for the iron ore miner it now calls as the third force in the iron ore industry.

The offer document of QR National float, the biggest public share offering since Telstra’s privatisation in 1997, has been made public on Tuesday where the Queensland government is anticipating a fund raise that could go beyond the $5 billion mark.

The Beaconsfield gold mine of BCD Resources Ltd (ASX: BCD) could be in danger of entering receivership should it fail to repay a $5 million loan it acquired from Bendigo Mining Ltd (ASX: BDG).

The National Broadband Network (NBN) infrastructure already in place would not be wasted by a Liberal government should it be voted into power come the next election.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh called on grumbling Labor Party members to continue engaging on discussions about the state government’s planned asset sales, specifically referring to the nearing float of QR National which elicited opposition even within the ruling coalition.

Heavy rains that brought flash flooding in southeast Queensland for the past 72 hours has turned its attention on the region’s inland, soaking much of the area of Brisbane’s north and towards Ipswich and Darling Downs, as road conditions on areas earlier hit by record rainfall were still considered dangerous by authorities.

The Vatican City is set to canonise Australia’s first saint on October 17 as the federal government declared on Monday that Mother Mary MacKillop’s name would be protected from the expected onslaught of commercialisation once her sainthood becomes official.

Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX: VBA) said on Monday that total loss incurred on its computerised reservation system crash last month could run from $15 million to $20 million.

With the US unemployment rate steadying at more than nine percent and as investors fidget while anxiously waiting for the October board meeting minutes of the US Federal Reserve, the Australian bond market coursed through a flat start on Monday’s opening.

Iron ore mining giant Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG) announced on Monday a new bank facility of up to $2.06 billion which the company said it would utilise to finance the expansion of its mining operations.

Giant retailer Woolworths Ltd (ASX: WOW) said on Monday that its $704 million off-market buy-back has been wrapped up as the company gave credit to encouraging shareholders support, which it maintained was instrumental in the successful transaction.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh is convinced that the opportunities carried by the November 22 public float of Queensland Rail National’s coal freight operations offer sufficient incentives that effectively eclipse the initiative’s alleged risks.

Profit takers ruled the day on Friday as the waited job figures from the Department of Labor clouded the prospect of quantitative easing by the Federal Reserves and weighed down on the record gains posted by the Australian dollar this week.

After the market’s remarkable gains this week, the first following three weeks of losses, Australian shares retreated at the end of the week as the highs that marked the stocks performances finally settled on firmer levels and detracted from the week’s picked up points.

Federal Resource Minister Martin Ferguson is back in Perth and this time he appears not ready to pick a fight with resources companies as he announced on Friday that the federal government has opened its doors on more inputs about the much-disputed minerals resource rent tax (MRRT).

Following the loss of its entire board to a plane crash in the Republic of Congo earlier this June, Africa-focused mining firm Sundance Resources Ltd (ASX: SDL) named current Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Ltd chief operating officer Giulio Casello as the company’s new managing director and chief executive.

The waiting game on Wall Street trading spurred lower Australian exchanges on Friday noon as traders warmed the benched in anticipation of the US September employment date that was preceded by overnight weak showings from the US shares market.

Friday foreign exchange trading saw a weaker performance from the Australian dollar following its offshore surge of 99.18 earlier this week that was spurred by encouraging local job figures, which analyst said could finally budge the policy rate in an upward mode by November.

Special entitlements for Queensland employees have been approved by the state parliament as the government announced on Friday that this year’s Christmas and New Year holidays would cost taxpayers up to $19 million in penalty rates.

International giant mining firm BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX: BHP) said on Friday that it is set to remit up to $C90 billion or $A90.07 billion in royalties and taxes to the various government branches of Canada and bulk of the payment would be allocated to the government of Saskatchewan.

The market saw a firmer opening for the Australian bonds as analysts said investors were keen on waiting for the anticipated US employment figures where up to 5000 more jobs were to be added on non-farm sectors.

US-based global aluminium producer Alcoa Inc revealed on Friday that it saw dipping net income in the third quarter of the current year as volatile foreign exchange and strong energy costs were cited by the company as main contributor to its 21 percent profit slide.

Construction giant Leighton Holdings Ltd (ASX: LEI) said on Wednesday that its Asian subsidiary would be taking part in a joint venture that is set to develop Hong Kong’s new $660 million sewerage sludge treatment facility.

The proposed sale of Queensland Rail National will proceed as planned, according to QR National chief executive Lance Hockridge, who added that the company’s reputation alone has already attracted enormous investor interest in the share float.

Iron ore mining firm Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG) has been ordered on Wednesday to pay damages of up to $US3.7 million or $A3.81 million following a shipping contract row with Armada (Singapore) Pte Ltd that arose when FMG cancelled its five-year deal with Armada in January 2009.

Virgin Blue cancelled anew some flights scheduled for Wednesday, in what the company labelled as a planned disruption, following the resumption of its computerised check-in services today.

The blockbuster $120 billion merger deal between BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) to fuse their Pilbara iron ore operations in Western Australia could be fizzling out even before its actual realisation as Fairfax dailies carried stories of a crumbling agreement between the two giant resource firms.