Santos CEO plans dash to China to eyeball ENN and other top stories.

• Santos CEO plans dash to China to eyeball ENN

  

  How investors can play volatile oil prices Life was obviously never meant to be easy at Santos.A week that was punctuated with a pair of high profile executive departures that signal the broader organisation reprocessing being shaped by new boss Kevin Gallagher has ended with a dramatic illustration of the confusion that can flow from an open invitation to strategic alliance with China Inc.Last November the executive chairman of Santos, Peter Coates, contentedly delivered a lit..

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• Axiom forced to reapply for nickel mining leases

  

  Indonesia's ban on exports of nickel ore has removed as much as 30 per cent of global supplies. Photo: Bloomberg Axiom Mining has been forced to reapply for prized nickel leases in the Solomon Islands after a lengthy legal dispute over the legitimacy of its original lease application which had been challenged by Japanese giant Sumitomo Metal Mining.Axiom Mining was invited by the Solomon Island government to apply for a mining lease for the Isabel nickel proj..

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• Bank shares hit on bad-debt fears

  

  The big four banks fell sharply after two majors pointed to rising bad debts. Photo: Karl Hilzinger  ANZ's warning of a $100 million lift in bad debts has sparked a hefty drop in bank shares, with $20 billion wiped off the big four's combined market value this week.In a sign of investor fears over the threat to bank profits from soured loans, shares in ANZ and Westpac fell sharply on Thursday after both lenders said they would increase provisions for bad debt..

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• Virgin America mulls sale: reports

  

  Virgin America mulls sale: reportsRichard Branson-backed Virgin America is considering selling itself or a part of the company after it received buyout interest, Bloomberg reports.The budget airline is reaching out to potential buyers, Bloomberg said, citing people with knowledge of the matter.Virgin America declined to comment, saying it does not comment on any speculation concerning mergers or acquisitions.The airline company's shares were up 13.6 per cent at $US34.83 in midday trading.They ro..

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• Election 2016: devastating poll shows just three per cent of voters support likely budget centrepiece

  

  Video will begin in 5 seconds. Individual tax cuts scrapped Treasurer Scott Morrison indicates that individual tax cuts - which he has previously flagged - will not be possible until the budget is in better shape. PT1M33S 620 349 Just 3 per cent of voters think a company tax cut should be the government's top economic priority, according to a devastating poll that will put further pressure on the Coalition's pre-budget planning.Treasurer Scott Morrison has indicated company t..

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• Inside Elmer Funke Kupper's darkest days

  

  Elmer Funke Kupper feels aggrieved.His decision to quit as chief executive of sharemarket operator ASX Ltd – one of the most high profile business roles in Australia – over bribery allegations has bruised his hopes of seeking another major corporate role in Australia.But it's criticism that he took too long to make the call to step down that clearly rankles the 50-year-old."I was criticised by one journalist for taking a whole week to make a decision," Funke Kupper told AFR Weekend. "That is ac..

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• Macro Realty and spruiker Jamie McIntyre banned from promoting Pilbara scheme

  

  21st Century Group CEO Jamie McIntyre speaking at a Public Hearing for Scrutiny of Financial Advice in September Wayne Taylor WA-based property development group Macro Realty Developments and companies associated with colourful property spruiker Jamie McIntyre have been permanently banned from promoting a "risk free", "no money down" property investment scheme in the Pilbara mining region.In a statement, the Australian Securities & Investments..

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• Suncorp's Ziggy defends workload after ASA warning

  

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• Woodside puts Browse Basin FLNG on ice

  

  In a fresh blow to Western Australian coffers, Woodside has announced it will not move forward with the Browse basin floating LNG project. The $40 billion project was planned to turn the Browse basin into an offshore LNG hub, which would have seen significant royalties flow to the WA government, however plummeting oil and gas prices and uncertainty in the market have seen the project mothballed. Woodside CEO Peter Coleman said the company had commissioned high-quality preliminary technical ..

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• Time to end the airport parking scam

  

  Airport pricing rip-off0:47A national watchdog has slammed Australian airports for using high car parking prices to record millions in profit. Airport parking is ‘legalised theft’. Picture: Mark StewartAUSTRALIA’S airports are abusing their market power to rake in extreme profits on parking. It’s time for the scam to end.Yesterday’s release of the ACCC’s Airport Monitoring Report for 2014-15 once again shone a light on the absurd profit margins enjoyed by our nations airports.Let’s be clear: no..

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Gutierrez suing Newcastle over treatment after cancer diagnosis .	Telstra provided the biggest lift on the index on Tuesday, rising 1.4 per cent to $5.26. Photo: Supplied .
Females are more pessimistic than males about economy, Mastercard survey says .	Trainer Peter Moody suspended for 12 months with six months suspended on charge of cobalt administration without ... .