Sharon Olalia

Finally, Singaporean budget airline Tiger Airways has been given the clearance by Australia's aviation authorities to fly again.

In the wake of this week's share market meltdown, a new report from Ernst & Young reveals that the threat of higher taxes to be slapped on the the resources sector could weaken the Australian economy, which narrowly escaped the contagion of the financial crises two years ago.

Global miner BHP Billiton is moving to gain control of its iron-ore mining operations in Australia's Pilbara region. Australia’s Leighton Holdings today announced it has signed a Heads of Agreement for the sale of the HWE Iron Ore entities and assets that provide iron ore contract mining services to BHP Billiton in Western Australia.

Significant pressure from the continued strengthening of the Australian dollar, and increasing competition has forced Coca-Cola Amatil to close one of its three food processing factories in Australia, resulting in 150 job cuts.

Two of Australia’s major banks, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac have joined the growing number of lenders cutting home loan interest rates. Will the other big lenders follow?

14 Year old Jack Vidgen, the winner of 2011 Australia’s Got Talent, has apparently quit high school to become the next Justin Bieber.

DreamWorks has teamed up with Global Creatures, the masterminds behind the phenomenon Walking with Dinosaurs, to bring high-flying, fire-breathing dragons to life.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International welcomed the High Court's extension of the injunction stopping the deportation of the first group of asylum seekers to Malaysia. It said it was horrified that the Australian Government is continuing to try to make an example out of vulnerable people, including unaccompanied children.

Qantas pilots have slammed claims they are seeking spas and massages as part of their industrial campaign against the airline.

Virgin Australia will soon be flying with business class to the Gold Coast, and new luxury lounge is set to follow.

After switching on its first 4G base stations, using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, in May, Telstra has now announced it would start selling Australia’s first commercial LTE device later this month. Businesses in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will be the first to experience 4G/LTE mobile broadband.

The smartphone market crowned a new leader in second quarter of 2011, and its name is Apple. The Cupertino company stole the crown from struggling Nokia.

The worldwide mobile phone market grew 65.4 per cent year over year in the second quarter of 2011 (2Q11), marking the third consecutive quarter where total shipments exceeded 100 million units.

Google+ is offering a much simpler way to invite friends to the service. Google engineer Balaji Srinivasan announced in a Google+ post that a new feature is being rolled out over the next couple of days which lets users invite friends through a link.

Construction group Leighton Holdings (ASX: LEI) has warned that more workers will be killed on building sites if the government does not make an overhaul of occupational health and safety laws.

Consumer group Choice has advised retailers to see the online shopping world as consumers do, as an opportunity and not as a threat. Choice welcomed the Productivity Commission’s draft report into the Australian retail industry, saying it supports arguments in the consumer group’s submission to the inquiry.

The National Broadband Network was switched on in Melbourne this morning with the inner city suburb of Brunswick becoming the first metropolitan area in Australia to receive superfast fibre-based broadband. However, only 1405, or 52 per cent of the total 2689 premises covered in the Brunswick roll-out opted to have the NBN fibre connected to the home.

NSW households wanting to cut down on their electricity bills using solar will be left in limbo for almost a year according to documents released today.

The National Broadband Network went live in Melbourne this morning with the inner city suburb of Brunswick becoming the first metropolitan area in Australia to receive superfast fibre-based broadband. Prime Minister Julia Gillard switched on the network at a ceremony at the Brunswick Town Hall.

Australia’s Gold Coast’s office vacancy saw the highest level of demand in over three years, resulting in a long-awaited and much welcomed drop in vacancies, new research shows.

Office markets around Australia have strengthened amid resurgent occupier confidence, albeit CBD markets retain the lead over their suburban counterparts, new research shows.

Sony Music Australia has announced the signing of 14 Year old Jack Vidgen the winner of 2011 Australia’s Got Talent to its Australian roster. His debut single YES I AM is available to purchase from iTunes and all other digital retailers now. Jack’s debut album will be released on Friday August 19th, 2011.

Qantas Airways has sacked a John Travolta safety video from its flights, igniting union fears that CEO Alan Joyce will soon announce a major restructure of the Australian airline that will include pilots' jobs being outsourced.

Singapore budget carrier Tiger Airways will not be able to fly until at least next week after a court hearing into an extension of its flying ban was postponed for the fourth time this morning.

Leighton's (ASX: LEI) subsidiary, Leighton Contractors has secured a $115 million contract by Sydney Ports Corporation to deliver the main construction phase of the Intermodal Logistics Centre (ILC) at Enfield in South-West Sydney.

Transportation provider Metlink has released the new Metlink Android app as beta, providing Victoria passengers with public transport information on the go.

More than 70 per cent of Federal Member for Brisbane Teresa Gambaro’s electorate support full marriage equality, the Liberal MP announced.

Finding suitable and qualified tradespeople has re-emerged as a major challenge for the automotive sector in South Australia. A 2011 skill shortage survey by the state’s peak automotive industry group, the Motor Trade Association found that 69 per cent of respondents had experienced difficulty in attracting suitable people. This compares with 57 per cent the year before.

Low-cost solar power is increasingly becoming the focus of solar-cell manufacturers, new research shows.