Vittorio Hernandez

The Australian sharemarket managed to extend its gains in the second half of the day with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) rising 0.8 pct or 33.2 pts to 4379.5. This makes it the sixth straight day the market has improved adding to the 7 pct gains posted last week.

Tax cheating convictions for the September quarter went up 20 per cent as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) stepped up its campaign to run after residents who cheat on their income tax returns.

The Queensland government approved a 25-year mining lease for the Mt Carlton gold-silver-copper project of Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN).

Australia's Labor government will increase the yearly intake of refugees to 20,000 from 13,750. However, the almost 50 per cent hike would be based on the condition that the refugees are processed offshore.

Australians will have another alternative budget carrier from Asia by mid-2012 as Scoot operates a 402-seat daily flight between Sydney and Singapore. Scoot will offer 40 per cent lower fare than traditional airlines and targets young and adventurous travelers who want to go around the region at lower cost.

The Australian sharemarket is kicking off the new trading week a touch higher with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) up 0.5 pct or 23 pts to 4369.3. All sectors are higher with the exception of the utilities which are a touch lower at lunch.

Qantas unions have secured the support of the Labor Party to strengthen the Qantas Sales Act. The party backed the motion filed by Transport Workers Union (TWU) Federal Secretary Tony Sheldon to keep majority ownership, operation and governance of Qantas in Australia.

The Map Group announced on Monday plans to merge the international and domestic terminals in Sydney Airport by 2019.

Australian coal miners, Whitehaven Coal (ASX: WHC) and Aston Resources (ASX: AZT), are talking about a corporate merger, Whitehaven disclosed on Monday.

The Australian sharemarket managed to rise for the fifth consecutive day today with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) up 1.4 pct or 58.2 pts to 4346.3. Almost all sectors improved with Information Technology (I.T) stocks the only exceptions. This week the market improved by close to 7 pct. This was in stark contrast to the 4.5 pct pullback which took place last week.

Qantas unions blamed mismanagement of the national air carrier for its $200 million loss for the second half of the financial year. The unions said Qantas should not blame the strikes for the loss, which Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce pinpointed as one of the reasons behind the red ink.

Asia Iron Australia broke ground on Friday on its Extension Hill Magnetite Project in the mid West. The project is expected to yield 10 million tonnes per annum of high-grade iron ore magnetite over 40 years.

Former New South Wales Minister Ian Macdonald admitted to the independent Commission Against Corruption on Thursday that he spent two hours with a sex trade worker at a top Sydney hotel.

Mackay Conservation Group is opposing the planned expansion of the Abbot Point coal port north of Townsville in Queensland. The group is against the increase in number of coal terminals to nine from the current three because of the impact of the expansion on waterways and communities within a 500-kilometre radius of the port.

Employees of Fremantle walked off their jobs on Friday dawn as scheduled as part of their move to improve working conditions and seek a 6 per cent salary increase over the next three years.

Standard & Poor's downgraded on Thursday the credit rating of five large Australian banks. However, rival Moody's Investors Service maintained the stable outlook of the big four banks.

Google Map is one of the applications used in Android mobile phones. It allows the owner to view directions and places and even provides traffic advisories, removing the need to bring a compass or a paper map.

The Senate Committee of Rural Affairs and Transport recommended on Wednesday the suspension of all new coal seam gas (CSG) projects in areas where it would tap into the Great Artesian Basin. The 12 recommendations are based on the potential of CSG ventures to contaminate underground water.

The two West Australia power firms signed supply contracts on Wednesday with gas suppliers. The deal would boost gas security for residents.

The mining sector is going digital to avoid or minimise the incidence and scale of the impact of dust mines on the environment.

The Australian sharemarket is gaining for the fourth consecutive day with the All Ordinaries index (XAO) currently up around 2.2 pct. This makes it the fourth consecutive session of improvements locally and means that Australian shares have jumped by around 5 pct so far this week. All sectors are currently trading higher.

The Federal Court ruled on Wednesday in favour of Metcash in its $215-billion purchase of Franklins supermarkets. The decision was a humiliating defeat for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which opposed the takeover.

BCD Resources announced on Wednesday the closure of its 134-year-old Beaconsfield gold mine in Tasmania by June 2012. BCD Chief Executive Peter Thompson explained the planned shuttering to exhaustion of gold resources.

Fair Work Australia (FWA) may likely have another tough labor dispute to handle soon following the collapse of talks between Fremantle Port workers and management. The port workers have announced a 48-hour strike beginning at dawn of Friday.

In line with global trends for more environment-friendly vehicles, the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) picked on Wednesday the Ford Falcon EcoLPi as one of the best cars in the country.

Information disorder affects 40 per cent of Australian and New Zealand organizations, a report by Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) released on Wednesday said.

Modern electronic gadgets are partly to be blamed for the disruption it causes on the work-life balance of Australians. The other half of the blame belongs to employers who use these devices to reach their workers even while at home.

Australia Post Chief Executive Ahmed Fahour knows how to turn a problem into an opportunity. He showed his success on Tuesday when the agency he heads opened its 24/7 operations that relies heavily on delivery and pick up of parcels ordered online by Aussies.

The local share market is trading flat in early trade, following a generally upbeat session on US and European markets. After the bell on Wall Street, ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded the credit ratings of major US banks, sending our market down in the first hour of trade. At midday in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 4.7pts to 4172.