Vittorio Hernandez

ANZ Chief Executive Mike Smith doused on Sunday speculations that he would leave the Australian bank and move to Barclays. Mr Smith said his job at ANZ is not yet complete and he does not want to live in London, where Barclays is based.

With her current shareholding and involvement in Network Ten and Fairfax Media, Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman, would pass a proposed new media regulatory regime, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said on Sunday.

A report by CommSec released on Monday confirmed that Western Australia (WA) is the country's strongest state in terms of economic performance.

The ongoing strike and barricade of Coles warehouse in Somerton, Melbourne entered its third week on Monday as the industrial dispute goes back to Fair Work Australia (FWA).

The Australian sharemarket lost a little ground for the second time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) easing by 0.1 pct or 5.8 pts to 4230.6. Keep in mind that shares yesterday recorded their best daily improvement for the month, with the XAO jumping by close to 2 pct. Over the past five days, stocks rose by 2.7 pct, making it the best weekly gain since late February this year.

The Australian share market closed higher yesterday and overnight the European and U.S. markets gathered pace, but our market lost ground at the start of trade, even with higher gold, metal and oil prices overnight.

Skills Minister Chris Evans warned on Thursday that low-skills jobs are fast disappearing from the Australian economy due to technology and structural changes. To address this growing problem, the federal government launched the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA).

As more Australian consumer opt to shop from online stores than bricks-and-mortar outlets, the federal government decided to monitor the sector in a bid to understand better the behaviour of shoppers amid the slump in the country's retail industry.

Australian mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) announced on Thursday that it will declare some redundancies on its Clermont Mine in central Queensland which has a total of 770 workers and opened only in 2010.

The Australian Navy burned on Thursday two asylum boats used to ferry 51 passengers from Sri Lanka and 65 from Indonesia. The torching rite, witnessed by The Advertiser, was held 20 nautical miles of Christmas Island which is often the port of destination of the asylum vessels.

Apple is apparently the apple of the eyes of Australian flag carrier, Qantas. Within the same week, Qantas announced shifts to two major Apple devices.

The Australian share market moved back into the black today, following strong production reports from energy players and a positive offshore lead. Strong earnings results from a number of US companies, including chipmaker Intel, saw the Dow Jones Index rose almost 1pct. Locally the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rallied to close higher by 80pts or 1.9pct to 4236.4.

While Coles and Woolworths are busy battling their price wars, Costco is building its capacity in a bid to become the third major supermarket in Australia.

Due to the popularity of private label goods on the shelves of Coles and Woolworths, a new study released in Thursday forecast that by 2017, the share of such products would make up one-third of total supermarket sales.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) announced on Thursday that it will freeze the salaries of 400 senior bankers who earn more than $150,000 a year to avoid big job cuts.

The Australian sharemarket is improving for the third time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 1 pct or 43 pts to 4199.4. This makes it the second biggest improvement for local shares this month. All 12 sectors are trading higher, with the energy sector by far the biggest outperformer thanks to solid production numbers from Woodside Petroleum (WPL) and Santos (STO).

Stocks of major Australian mining firms plummeted to a record low since the global financial crisis, fueling speculations on the longevity of the resources boom.

In between refining Yahoo!'s vision and turning around the firm, new company Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer would also need to take a maternity leave a few weeks in October,

The local share market pulled back today following three consecutive sessions of gains, as investors elected to be cautious despite gains on Wall Street overnight. Weakness in mining stocks dragged on sentiment, as index leader BHP Billiton (BHP) fell close to the $30 per share level for the first time in more than three years. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) finished down 18.9pts or 0.5pct to 4156.4, after hitting an intra-day low of 4154pts.

Overnight European market closed slightly lower after a weak business confidence report out of Germany. In the U.S. the stock markets moved higher, while gold and metal prices sold off. Overnight the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. economy was weak but the FED did not plan on to take any further action at present to boost the economy.

A newly launched discussion paper on food security recommended that Australia be open to more foreign investors in its agriculture sector to ensure the long-term viability of domestic supply and boost food export.

A new study by global firm Right Management found that soldiers were the most engaged among Australian employees. The soldiers were followed by insurance workers and accountants.

McDonald's announced on Wednesday that it will hire more than 3,000 young people throughout Australia until the yearend. The 3,000 will be added to the 90,000 people on the fast food chain's payroll, mostly performing crew tasks such as cooking burgers, taking orders, serving the meals and cleaning the stores.

The issuance of an order by the Victoria Supreme Court for striking Coles warehouse workers has failed to end the deadlock in Somerton. The picket and blockade continues and entered its 10th day on Wednesday with Coles trucks still unable to enter or leave the compound.

The Australian sharemarket improved for the third straight day today, something which hasn't happened since the end of last month. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose 0.8 pct or 32.1 pts to 4175.3. Despite the gains, investors continued to be uninterested in markets, with yet another quiet session when it comes to the number and value of shares exchanging hands.

A Chinese executive with holdings in Australia's mining industry advised on Monday Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Perth business leaders for Australia to prepare a back-up plan in case the mining boom ends.

Yesterday the Australian share market improved for the second consecutive trading session and the market started off well this morning. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) opened 20 points higher, helped by gains in banking and insurance stocks. The mining sector was a little mixed ahead of major quarterly production numbers over the next 2 days and transport stocks also lower.

The stifling effect of Europe's sovereign debt crisis and weakness in developing nations led the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to downgrade its global growth forecasts on Monday to 3.5 per cent for 2012 and 3.9 per cent for 2013.

It was an apparent empty victory for Toll Holdings, operator of the Somerton warehouse of Coles, even at it got an order from the Victoria Supreme Court on Monday. The court mandated the lifting of the blockade at the facility which has been ongoing for more than one week.