Sharon Olalia

As overseas sale of coal remained blocked by severe floods in Queensland, Australia announced a first monthly trade deficit since March 2010 in February.

United Nations (UN) pacifists, propped up by French troops’ contingent, received a mandate from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to take the “necessary measures” to end the use of heavy weapons against the inhabitants of the besieged Ivory Coast city of Abidjan.

A majority of large Australian organisations are still not reaping productivity rewards according to research launched today by telco giant Telstra (ASX: TLS).

On top of the record high prices already experienced in 2011, Brisbane motorists would pay up to 10cpl more for unleaded fuel under a carbon tax according to a new report.

Woolworths Ltd (ASX: WOW) has nominated its former shelf stacker and account executive to replace CEO and Managing Director Michael Luscombe on September 30, 2011.

National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB) today backed comments made by former Westpac CEO and Citigroup director Bob Joss in the Australian Financial Review on the need for Australia to address its structural reliance on offshore funding.

Medical experts have warned Australia must act to avoid an outbreak of a deadly new superbug strain.

Japanese officials said they failed on Sunday in repeated attempts to seal a crack they had identified as one source of radioactive water leak into the Pacific.

Atlas Iron (ASX:AGO) says it shipped a record 547,404 tonnes of DSO in the month of March 2011, beating the previous record of 541,000 tonnes recorded in October 2010.

QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA) has reached an agreement to acquire Cellestis Ltd (CST: AU) for approximately A$341 million (US$355 million) in cash, providing QIAGEN with access to a novel"pre-molecular" technology that offers a new dimension in disease detection not currently possible with other diagnostic methods.

Banks now face the need to rebuild customer loyalty as a new survey shows over half of regional and rural Australians have lost faith in their bank and many believe change is necessary.

Following a 1.1 per cent increase in February, the total number of jobs advertised in major metropolitan newspapers and on the internet rose by 1.3 per cent in March to an average of 195,913 advertisements per week, says ANZ, which gathers the data.

Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:VBA) says its new Airbus A330 Sydney-Perth service will commence operation on 26 May 2011, subject to regulatory approvals.

Another big fall in dwelling approvals in February illustrates the tentative nature of the residential building recovery and highlights the need for government action to remove supply-side impediments affecting housing affordability, according to Master Builders Australia, the peak body for the building and construction industry.

Australian logistics firm Brambles Ltd (ASX: BXB) took majority control of IFCO Systems N.V. through completion of its sale and purchase agreements with Apax Partners and another IFCO shareholder on 31 March 2011, Central European Time.

Biota Holdings Ltd (ASX:BTA) says the US government has awarded an estimated US$231 million contract to its wholly owned US subsidiary for the advanced development of Laninamivir, an influenza antiviral, known as a long acting neuraminidase inhibitor (LANI) and a unique treatment for influenza.

The Australian Uranium Association has reaffirmed its confidence that the Northern Territory mine review process could successfully address all the matters raised by Chief Minister Henderson justifying his opposition to the Angela Pamela project near Alice Springs.

Internet subscribers in Australia climbed to 10.4 million in the six months to December 2010, according to official national figures.

Australians will pay an estimated $821 million extra per year for their private health insurance from today, 1 April, but it’s no April Fool’s Day joke.

After receiving thousands of hits on their sexy advertisement for a Gold Coast property in February, NEO Property has done it again with its latest promo video. The short film for 15 Queen Anne Court still features Australian real estate agents Ian Adams and Adrian Jenkins and once again stars the scantily clad Elle Polson.

The strong Australian dollar along with weak domestic demand, rising overseas competition and increasing cost of raw materials dragged the manufacturing sector back into the red in March according to the latest Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index.

Talk of carbon price is driving growth for Australia’s solar cell industry. Australian clean energy company SilexSolar has ramped up production of solar cells and modules by 300 per cent at its Sydney Olympic Park plant, driven by household demand.

Queenslanders’ need for new household goods following the natural disasters of late December and January have contributed to a moderate bounce in retail figures released today, Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) CEO Margy Osmond said.

National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB) Executive Director of Finance, Mark Joiner has today called for the tax treatment of deposits and a fairer deal on tax for Australian savers to be high on the agenda at the upcoming Tax Forum.

The Nintendo 3DS™, Nintendo’s new device which offers portable entertainment in 3D without the need for special glasses, launched March 31 in Australia and New Zealand.

RP Data-Rismark's Hedonic Index reports that Australian home values held ground during the month of February after a natural disaster-affected January with a 1.5 per cent decline.

Resource giant BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) approved on Thursday its Escondida Ore Access project (EOA), the first of a number of development options that will underline Escondida’s status as the world’s premier copper operation.

Homebuyers are feeling less confident about the housing and mortgage markets following a summer of natural disasters, according to results of the latest Genworth Homebuyer Confidence Index, which fell 1.5 per cent since September 2010.

Australia’s first official royal engagement coin for Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton hit the shelves Wednesday at the Royal Australian Mint.