AAP

Seven West Media has appointed Chris Wharton as head of its Western Australian media outlets.

Rio Tinto is planning to double its fleet of driverless haul trucks and to deploy them at the Pilbara's largest mine site, Yandicoogina, after a two-year trial performed "well above expectations".

Shares in engineering firm Coffey International soared after outlining a business restructure that the company says will lead to a more disciplined focus on its activities and higher earnings.

The Australian stock market has opened slightly higher, boosted by gains in the materials sector, after US markets plunged overnight.

West Australian farmers will be able to cash in on the growing instability in the Middle East by signing new deals with oil-rich states.

US stock markets gave up all their gains on Tuesday after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke confirmed a gloomy picture of economic growth just 15 minutes before the closing bell.

The Australian dollar is trading a third of a US cent higher this morning, after recovering some losses from yesterday, when the central bank chose to keep interest rates on hold.

Tax on coal 'ahead of world' – The Aus; Blitz on GST, profit shifting – The Fin; Burrup executives set to face public examination – The West; Indonesian cattle trade halted – The West; Relief for Metcash as WA figures hold up – The West

The Australian dollar dropped more than half a US cent after the central bank decided to keep the cash rate at 4.75 per cent.

Growing inflation worldwide is casting a pall over the global economic recovery and risks hurting the financial system, China's top banking regulator has been quoted as saying.

The world's biggest miner BHP Billiton says it is the first operator to bring a new well online in the Gulf of Mexico since last year's BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The Australian share market closed marginally lower despite investors being buoyed by the central bank's largely unchanged outlook for the domestic economy.

The political outrage over out-of-cycle interest rate rises late last year was without foundation, the Australian Bankers' Association (ABA) says.

The well-anticipated decision to leave Australia's interest rates steady wasn't accompanied by any clear signal a widely-expected increase is imminent.

Farmers will be able to file their agricultural census forms online for the first time in 2011, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) says.

Treasury modelling shows putting a price on carbon will not cut jobs, Treasurer Wayne Swan says.

The operation of global markets will be irrevocably transformed by the growth of cloud computing, an internet researcher says.

Qantas Airways Ltd shares have fallen hard after domestic rival Virgin Australia announced plans to enter a long-term partnership with aviation powerhouse Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Aquila Resources says a dispute with Brazilian mining giant Vale could affect sales from its Isaac Plains coal mine in Queensland after a customer cancelled a coal shipment.

Virgin Australia has announced plans to enter an alliance with Singapore Airlines from August this year.

Australian shares have opened lower again after a fourth consecutive fall on Wall Street due to concerns about ongoing economic weakness.

Australia's construction industry has shrunk for the twelfth consecutive month and looks highly vulnerable to further interest rate rises, a survey has found.

The Australian dollar was over a third of a US cent lower yesterday, ahead of the central bank's decision on interest rates on and amid global risk aversion.

Resources boom to keep rolling – The Aus; Miners ready for workplace war – The Aus; WA port rebuff to rest Buckeridge – The Fin; Dispute stops coal shipments – The Aus; Iluka rides high on rutile – The West

Falling bank shares dragged US stock markets down for the fourth straight trading day Monday, with worries their margins would be under pressure from the slow economy.

Mining magnate Clive Palmer says he has secured an extra $1.2 billion of funding from a major Chinese bank to help construct his $8 billion coal project in Queensland.

The Australian dollar closed three-quarters of a US cent higher due to US dollar weakness after the release of poor employment data in the United States.

The Australian share market suffered more falls on Monday amid weak global markets, continuing a downward trend that has lasted more than a month.

Shares in ThinkSmart gained 3.7 per cent after the computer and office equipment financing company completed a new multi-funder securitisation platform.

Australian beef is being placed under the microscope after a restaurant owner said he suspected it was to blame for an outbreak of E.coli in Japan.

West Australian Labor Party frontbencher Ben Wyatt says he's appalled and embarrassed by the federal government's decision to send unaccompanied children to Malaysia as part of its asylum seeker deal.

Shares in Qantas Airways have slumped to their lowest point in nearly two years due to an analyst downgrade of the stock and more cost cutting measures.