AAP

Gold miner Newcrest Mining's first half profit has dropped by 51 per cent due to weaker production and sales.

US stocks rebounded from early sharp losses but finished down Thursday amid some earnings disappointments while Apple jumped after it said it was reviewing ways to return some of its $137 billion c

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is pressuring the coalition over its superannuation plans, even though Labor has declined to guarantee it won't change the treatment of retirement savings.

Pessimistic forecasts for Western Australia's share of GST distributions have underestimated the dire outlook for the boom state.

The Australian dollar hit a fresh three-month low after local employment data failed to give the market much optimism about the economy.

The Australian share market has closed higher, boosted by some positive company earnings reports and better-than-expected unemployment figures.

National Australia Bank says its priority in 2013 is cutting costs, even if it is on track to post a record $6 billion full year cash profit.

Confidence among Australian businesses slumped in the final three months of last year, suggesting a slow start to 2013.

Western Australia's Labor party is "ashamed" of its own name because of the record of Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her federal colleagues, Premier Colin Barnett claims.

The future of News Corp's Australian newspapers looks more uncertain as the company partly blamed them for an earnings downgrade and said how excited it was to be spinning them off.

A Greens' bid to have the federal government disclose state government attempts to secure Commonwealth funding for a light rail system has failed.

Western Australia sealed a good deal with James Packer despite the billionaire being granted a $35 million discount on land on which he plans to build a six-star, 500-room hotel, Premier

Premier Colin Barnett says he would be horrified if it was proven the state's professional sporting clubs were caught up in doping and links to organised crime.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is backing away from a draft coalition discussion paper proposing incentives and beneficial tax rates to encourage people to move to northern Australia.

Leighton Holdings subsidiary John Holland has won a $186 million contract extension for work on an iron ore port being built for Rio Tinto in the state's north.

Telstra shares are higher after the telco lifted its first-half profit and said it was on track to achieve its full-year growth targets.

Nurses at two more hospitals will implement work bans in their continuing fight for higher pay and fewer menial tasks.

The competition watchdog has flagged that it has some concerns about Virgin Australia's $35 million plan to buy a major stake in budget airline Tiger Airways.

Australia's construction sector contracted further in January, marking the industry's 32nd consecutive month in decline.

Property developer and owner Australand's full-year profit has risen by 28 per cent and the company expects further earnings growth in 2013.

The Australian share market has opened flat.

 Job seekers had more advertisements to sift through in the first month of the new year, with an increase in ads on Australia's main job website.

US stocks closed fairly flat on Wednesday after a choppy day of trading, with some positive earnings reports providing support.

The Liberal-National coalition has questioned the value of Labor's $37 billion national broadband network, but farmers appear to be happy with its progress.

The Australian dollar fell to a two and a half month low after official data showed that retail spending fell for a third consecutive month.

The Australian share market has closed higher on the back of a positive lead from the United States market and the prospect of a cut to interest rates.

Gina Rinehart may have fought in court to keep details of her finances private but now the life of Australia's richest woman is reportedly coming to television.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has challenged the opposition to show how it would have achieved budget surpluses during the global financial crisis.

Environment Minister Tony Burke will wait for legal advice before deciding if a banned super trawler should be allowed to operate as a giant freezer for smaller ships fishing in Australian waters.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Australia has tripled during the past decade, despite the strong dollar, new figures show.

Internet search giant Google has won a legal battle with the competition watchdog over claims it engaged in misleading or deceptive advertising.

 BHP Billiton has told workers at its Olympic Dam project about further losses as the global miner seeks to slash costs.