AAP

Australia's trade balance has returned to surplus albeit a modest one, due mainly to a sharp fall in the value of imports.

Almost 200 Darrell Lea staff are set to lose their jobs today as the confectioner shuts the doors at 32 stores.

The backlash over a deal to bring foreign workers to Australian mines hasn't slowed the government's resolve to strike similar agreements, the immigration minister says.

The construction union has backed a call by former Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) board member Warwick McKibbin for the central bank to intervene to limit the strength of the Australian dollar.

Activists campaigning against Woodside's planned gas hub at James Price Point in Western Australia's Kimberley region say they have blocked access to the project site.

An accelerating trend in retail spending continued in June, confirming that spending is getting back into line with rising household incomes.

Fortescue Metals Group's High Court challenge against the federal government's mining tax has been adjourned for a month.

The Australian share market is flat with cautious investors waiting to see how the European Central Bank (ECB) will spur euro zone economic growth.

A union call for a nationwide gas reservation policy is mere protectionism, the oil and gas sector's peak body says.

It was a canal too far that lost him a state election.But Premier Colin Barnett hasn't given up on his much-derided ambition for a 3,700km waterway from the Kimberley to Perth.

Australian iron ore company Sundance Resources says its suitor Hanlong Mining has received provisional approval from Chinese regulators for a takeover.

The government has ruled out basing a United States Navy carrier battle group in Western Australia.

US stocks have closed lower after the Federal Reserve kept monetary policy unchanged -- a widely expected move that nevertheless disappointed those hoping for a sign of new economic stimulus.

The competition watchdog says it is making progress in investigating whether major supermarket chains abuse their market power in dealings with suppliers.

Australia's export commodity prices rose slightly in July after hitting a 16-month low in May and rising only a fraction in June.

With online retailing, it's now a case of the quick and the dead.

The Australian dollar is slightly lower following weaker than expected Chinese data and ahead of key central bank meetings.

The Australian sharemarket has closed slightly lower after investors took a cautious approach ahead of US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank meetings. 

Wayne Swan has every right to attack rich mining magnates for acting in their own interests, Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Howes says.

Global miner Rio Tinto will soon start cutting office jobs in Melbourne and Sydney to deal with falling commodity prices and soaring costs.

A better than expected rise in capital city house prices show home values are holding up well.

A Western Australia-style gas reservation policy should be adopted by the rest of the nation, one of the country's biggest trade unions says.

Intrepid Mines shares have surged 27 per cent after the company agreed to allocate around five per cent of its shares to Indonesian media mogul Surya Paloh.

Country Road has agreed to buy fellow fashion retailer Witchery Australia for $172 million.

The Australian sharemarket has opened slightly lower as investors wait to see if stimulus measures will be introduced in Europe and the US.

The Australian dollar has ended a three-day rally as markets await the release of Chinese manufacturing data.

US stocks closed lower for a second straight day as investors await the outcome of the Federal Reserve's two-day monetary policy meeting.

The Australian sharemarket has closed at an 11-week high after a turnaround in resources stocks led by market heavyweight BHP Billiton.

DuluxGroup has won support for its $210 million takeover bid for Alesco from two more of the construction products group's major shareholders.

 Tiger Airways is attempting to fly away from its turbulent past.The airline announced today it is increasing flights and creating 100 new jobs, including 70 in Victoria.

Shares in Campbell Brothers have slumped after the chemicals company warned its earnings growth was expected to slow in the second half of its financial year.