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Global oil prices have risen as turmoil in Libya clouded expectations of a return of the country's crude supplies to the market.

Gold prices slipped Friday as traders locked in profits after a sharp rally the day before, but the metal ended the week higher, for a sixth straight weekly gain.

The move by Gina Rinehart and Andrew Forrest into beef production may ultimately be more about the land they own than ‘feeding China'.

Kalgoorlie-based MacPhersons Resources says its Nimbus-Boorara project near Kalgoorlie will have lower capital and operating costs than previously estimated, according to early findings in the feasibility study on the project.

Global investment bank Pareto Securities has opened its first office in Perth, with plans to supply bond finance to resources companies based in Australia.

The Australian share market has closed modestly higher in the wake of positive leads from markets in the US, Europe and Asia.

Aurora Minerals has executed a three way deal with African Lion and Predictive Discovery, offering African Lion an $800,000 placement and in return receiving a 17.2 per cent slice in Predictive.

Perth-based marine environment specialist BMT Oceanica has formed a partnership with aquaculture advisory group SmartAqua, ahead of major growth predicted in the industry.

Australia's biggest blind and curtain maker, Kresta Holdings, has received a formal bid from Chinese sunshade manufacturer with a $34.5 million takeover offer.

FEATURE: Takeovers are a powerful way of delivering short-term returns to investors, as the Total Shareholder Return data released by Morningstar and applied to 700 companies on the Business News BNIQ database.

Internet services provider iiNet has appointed David Buckingham as chief executive officer, filling the vacancy created by founder Michael Malone's departure almost four months ago.

Copper producer Aditya Birla Minerals will resume mining activities at its Birla Nifty mine less than four months after it was closed due to a sinkhole.

Western Australia's residential building market has been ranked the strongest in Australia for the fourth consecutive year.

Balcatta-based Sirius Resources says it's Nova nickel project near Norsemen will cost around $473 million to develop, according to a definitive feasibility study released today.

FEATURE: Tech-related stocks make up half of this year's top 10 TSR performers, but resources stocks feature prominently over the longer term.

FEATURE: Resources companies may dominate the big numbers on the local bourse, but it's a relatively unknown technology stock that leads in TSR.

Curtin University has raised more than $100,000 in its annual fundraising drive to pay for its community radio station, Curtin FM.

Clive Palmer has said the repeal of the carbon tax lies in the hands of the Abbott government.

More than 176 years after its first store opened in Sydney, David Jones is passing into foreign hands after shareholders overwhelmingly backed a $2.2 billion takeover.

Singapore development giant Fragrance Group has bought a CBD site from Luke Saraceni's joint venture with Sirona Capital, Westbridge Property Group, for $40 million.

Beach Energy has accepted Woodside Petroleum's offer to acquire a 70 per cent interest in the Lake Tanganyika basin in Tanzania.

The Australian share market was higher in early trade following positive leads out of the United States and Europe.

Gold prices slipped Friday as traders locked in profits after a sharp rally the day before, but the metal ended the week higher, for a sixth straight weekly gain.

The Australian market is expected to open higher on Monday as investors prepare for a deluge of profit news from the United States.

The Australian dollar is hovering below 94 US cents amid easing concerns over the health of Portugal's biggest listed bank.

The City of Joondalup has put out the call for developers to design and build a mixed use tower in its town centre, comprising a hotel, apartments, and a minimum of 12,000 square metres of office space.

Oil exploration minnow IPB Petroleum has picked up the pace in its grand plan to get noticed by large producers.

Australian stocks finished the day higher but the market was down for the week after three days of losses from Monday to Wednesday, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index 22.4 points, or 0.41 per cent, higher at 5,486.8.

Struggling Perth-based mineral explorer Pluton Resources has announced it intends to raise about $80 million through the issue of about 8 billion shares.

In this week's edition of Business News Background, head of content Mark Pownall and analyst Tim Treadgold discuss the stories of the week, including Navitas' difficulties, Shinzo Abe's visit to WA

Kalgoorlie-based Phoenix Gold has agreed to purchase St Ives Gold Mining Company's heap leach processing plant near Kambalda for $2 million.

Former New South Wales opposition leader John Brogden has been appointed managing director of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, after serving as chief executive of the Financial Services Council.