Erik Pineda

A research fellow from the University of Oxford is puzzled why Australia is too reluctant to assume leadership position in the global campaign for modifying governments’ climate change policies.

Construction materials specialist James Hardie Industries SE (ASX: JHX) said on Monday that it would appeal a Federal Court decision that ordered the company to pay back taxes of up to $US318 million or $A339 million, owed by its subsidiary RCI Pty Ltd.

With more banks expressing willingness to settle the Storm Financial questions left behind by its collapse in 2008, a consumer group also expressed happiness that a resolution for investors affected by the meltdown may finally be in sight.

Closer cooperation between the government, the resource industry and community is crucial in sealing a better prospect for future mining activities in New South Wales, that according to the NSW Minerals Council.

The lawyer for the families suing giant mining firm Xstrata over the alleged high-level of lead poisonings in Mount Isa, Queensland said over the weekend that the company’s pronouncements for a hasty resolution in the case last week were nothing but lip service.

Firmly convinced that its planned alliances were crucial for growth, embattled Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX: VBA) said over the weekend that it is bent on arguing its case with government regulators to finally win their approval on the proposed partnerships with US and New Zealand airlines.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ) has announced on Friday that it has started talks on special resolution scheme with its depositors who were also clients of Storm Financial and saw their savings wiped out when the investment company went under.

New Zealand dairy firm Fonterra announced on Friday that it has sealed a deal that gave the company the go signal to but two dairy farms in China, where the dairy producer plans to establish a base of milk that meets NZ dairy standard.

Three nations’ markets launched into frenetic trading on Friday as Spanish construction giant Actividades de Construccion y Servicios (ACS) put forward a 2.76 billion Euro or $A3.85 billion all-share proposal on the remaining 70 percent of Germany’s Hochtief, which is a majority owner of Australia’s Leighton Holdings Ltd (ASX: LEI).

Synthetic gas producer Cougar Energy Ltd (ASX: CXY) said on Friday that company measures were underway that would adequately address the environmental issues that plagued its underground coal gasification (UCG) project in the South Burnett region of the southeast Queensland.

A telecom customers’ advocate group has called on the government to revisit Australia’s consumer protection regulations for a possible overhaul to address the telco industry’s deteriorating customer service.

Rare earths producer Arafura Resources Ltd (ASX: ARU) announced on Friday that it has forged a deal with OneSteel Ltd to acquire land in Whyalla on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula where the company will house its new processing plant .

A US neuroscience expert confirmed in his report that children from a small town in Queensland indeed suffered from brain damage due to lead poisoning, which the families of the affected kids had attributed to the nearby mining activities of giant resource firm Xstrata.

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said on Friday that the planned web filter by the government would not slow down internet speeds but simply ensure that child pornography would not invade Australian households hooked up on the national broadband network (NBN).

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said on Thursday that she welcomes the pronouncements made by BHP Billiton boss Marius Kloppers yesterday on carbon pricing in Australia, stressing at the same time that while the federal government is not rushing on the matter, the likelihood of a carbon tax is an open option for her leadership.

Aviation giant Boeing Company said on Thursday that the international airline industry would be requiring the services of a combined million aviators and maintenance crews for the next 20 years, with the bulk of the demand coming from Asia.

South African-focused mining firm Continental Coal Ltd (ASX: CCC) announced on Thursday that it has struck a deal that would allow the junior miner to purchase Mashala Resources, paving the way for the company to achieve mid-tier producer status.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said on Thursday that the country is already out of sync with the US economy and has slowly shifted its focus on the movements of the fast-expanding Chinese economy, currently the nation’s biggest trading partner and largest consumer of its natural resources.

Bauxite miner Alumina Ltd (ASX: AWC) revealed on Thursday that its third quarter operating costs for the current year could soar by as much as $US11 million or $A11.73 million following the power outages and equipment commissioning problems that hit its Alumar refinery in Brazil.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) subsidiary Coles Supermarket said on Thursday that it is set to open some 100 new format stores within the current financial year, with about 60 new format supermarkets already operating in the whole of Australia, which the company said was integral to the fiver-year recovery blueprint for Coles.

Rare earths miner Arafura Resources Ltd (ASX: ARU) said on Thursday that it has requested for a pre-market trading halt until September 20 pending the revelation of its new processing complex.

Budget carrier Jetstar announced on Thursday that it would add 39 daily flights in the New Zealand domestic routes starting February next year, further boosting talks of impending service rivalry between the Qantas subsidiary and Air New Zealand.

Retail firm Myer Holdings Ltd reported on Thursday that its full-year net profit plunged by almost 40 percent for fiscal 2010 as the after-effects of the global financial crisis wreaked havoc on consumer confidence, further deteriorating the already difficult business environment the company had faced on the past financial year.

Mineral resource firm Reed Resources Ltd (ASX: RDR) said on Thursday that it may be spinning off some of its various project portfolios in Western Australia though the company said that it is holding on to the Barrambie vanadium project while plans are underway to reactivate the Comet gold project in Kalgoorlie by June 2011.

China admitted on Wednesday that the $US38.5 billion or $A41 billion proposed takeover bid of Australian giant mining firm BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX: BHP) for Canadian fertiliser maker Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan has elicited considerable attention from the Chinese government.

BHP Billiton Ltd (ASX: BHP) chief executive Marius Kloppers said on Wednesday that the federal government should start treating carbon price as revenue neutral since effective measures on carbon emission reduction would mostly lead to considerable cost impact on consumers.

Gold mining firm Focus Minerals Ltd said on Wednesday that the company’s annual profit for fiscal 2010 soared by more than 300 percent as its newly-refurbished treatment plant paved the way for better-than-expected output that led to a 50 percent increase on its production rate.

Analysts from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) said on Wednesday that giant mining firms BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto Ltd could soon be eclipsed by the soaring iron ore production of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.

Queensland Premier Ana Bligh said on Wednesday that the state is poised to get a huge amount of green energy source in the next 10 years once the proposed multi-billion hydropower project in Papua New Guinea is realised.