Esther Tanquintic-Misa

SurfStitch, Australia's biggest online surf shop, in after only 4 years of operations, has ventured into the European market with the launching of a dedicated headquarters in France, including an 8,000sqm purpose built distribution centre.

As the world gets more knowledgeable and conscientious of its contributions to carbon emissions, coal mining companies inevitably bear the brunt of the globe's waning interest in the fossil fuel.

Newmont Waihi Gold, a wholly owned subsidiary of global miner Newmont Mining Corp., on Tuesday announced of impending job cuts at its gold mine sites in New Zealand and Australia.

Officials of the Venezuelan Government and Chinese company China International Trust and Investment Corp (CITIC) signed an agreement to develop the Las Cristinas gold mine, touted as one of the world's great undeveloped gold deposits.

Sichuan Airlines, majority-owned by China's provincial government of Sichuan, will now be flying direct from Chengdu to Melbourne three times a week, Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu announced during a recent trade mission to China.

Energy Metals, one of only five companies allowed to export uranium oxide concentrates from Australia, has shipped its very first uranium concentrate to China.

Apart from Australia's agriculture sector, where China has shifted its focus away from commodities iron ore and coal, the world's second-largest economy has decided it wants to have a piece of Australia's dairy sector as well.

More jobs are going down the drain.Resins and chemicals maker Nuplex Industries, after an eight-month review of its operations and markets, said it is forced to close down four factories in New Zealand and Australia over the next two years.

Amid falling prices of commodities in the world market and slowing exports, resource-rich nation Australia will continue to enjoy economic growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday.

Since first announcing in May that it will hold some $80 billion on supposed programmed projects, BHP Billiton Ltd. had been in a roll on supporting that claim as it declared cancellation after cancellation of high-ticket projects.

U.S. oil and gas producer Chevron Corp announced its Australian subsidiary, Chevron Australia, has uncovered more natural gas in its Carnarvon Basin, in the greater Gorgon area, off the coast of Western Australia.

Pilots of Virgin Australia have thumbed down a Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) offered by the airline management.

It is back to one bidder for troubled Australian surfwear retailer Billabong International.

Western Australia's first uranium mine project, five years after a ban was lifted that constricted uranium mining in the area, has received new and stricter environmental conditions from an independent appeals committee.

It seems prices of key steelmaking ingredient iron ore has seen better days, and is now nearing its glorious end.

Canadian mineral exploration company Pacific Wildcat Resources Corp. (PAW) has sold its Muiane Tantalum mine assets in Mozambique to Muscadine Ltd.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is set to undertake an investigation lodged by Japanese maker Hitachi Metals Ltd. against a group of 30 companies which the latter alleged imported and sold goods that infringed the technology patent of its sintered rare earth magnets.

Shares of Macmahon Holdings Ltd. fell deep on Wednesday morning after the Australian construction and mining firm announced it is cutting into half its full year earnings estimate guidance for 2012-13 and that its chief executive, Nick Bowen, has resigned.

Shares of Australian diversified miner Western Desert Resources Ltd surged to a three-month high on Tuesday as the Northern Territory gold, iron ore and copper explorer announced it has received a A$435 million ($457 million) takeover bid from the Meijin Energy Group of China.

Mining giant Rio Tinto Coal Australia has hit back at the Queensland government and its proposed hike on coal royalties with more job reductions.

Sierra Leone, the West African nation that holds some of the world's richest iron ore deposits, has been approved to receive a $6.9 million loan disbursement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Debt-saddled Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. on Tuesday said prices of iron ore will rebound in the near term to $120 a metric tonne.

In what could be an apparent surrender to the prevailing price conditions of commodities in the global market today, resource-rich nation Australia on Tuesday had lowered its mineral and energy exports forecast for 2012/13.

The Muthoot group, India's 125-year-old non-banking financial giant, has launched a 'Muthoot Group Apps' for Apple and Andriod phones and tablets users that enables the consumers to purchase gold and silver coins.

Australia's mounting mining sector crisis escalates as another mining firm on Monday slashed jobs and suspended exploration plans in the face of the dropping prices of iron ore in the world market.

A surge in import prices has forced South Korea to import less of the precious rare earths from China in August.

Barely a week after an Australian resources fund received a buy out offer from a Singapore-based firm, Australia's NuCoal Resources Ltd has received a funding assistance from Mitsui Matsushima Co Ltd from Japan that will help develop the Doyles Creek coking coal project in New South Wales.

Even the primary driver of the Australian resources sector, China, is wary and dubious of the former's slowing mining activity.

Ford Motor Company, in a bid to lessen its dependency on the precious rare earths metals, has moved to come up with a new line of automobiles that run on new lithium-ion batteries instead of the nickel-metal-hydride batteries.