AUSTRALIA

Telstra boss Sol Trujillo received a $1.5 million bonus for a strategy plan he paid a US company $54 million to develop, a report says.

As the author CS Lewis once put it, 100 per cent of us die. But this statistic seems to be lost on many Australians, with too many bread winners punting on longevity, leaving them underinsured when it comes to supporting their families if they suddenly die, a new survey shows.

More than 300 secret documents linked to the AWB kickbacks scandal are expected to start being released on Tuesday as the long-running Cole inquiry resumes its public hearings.

Telstra is warning the forced appointment of former federal government spin doctor Geoff Cousins to the company's board could affect the sell-off of the government's final stake in the telco.

If only James Hardie Industries could pay compensation as fast it doubled its own directors' pay, disgusted victims advocate Bernie Banton lamented.

Canadian institutional investor Erik Sardain is looking for an exciting investment opportunity in Australia over the next few months, and at the moment it doesn't look like the $8 billion Telstra share offer quite fits the bill.

The Takeovers Panel has ordered the sale of Alinta's 10.25 per cent stake in the Australian Pipeline Trust (APT).

India has strongly urged Australia to change its nuclear policy and supply uranium to power its booming economy.

Telstra is set to oppose Prime Minister John Howard's plan to install former communications executive Geoff Cousins on the board of the telco.

Australia's Straits Resources Ltd plans to sell some of its Asian energy and trading assets in an initial public offering of around $US400 million ($A529 million) in Singapore in the fourth quarter, sources close to the deal said.

U.S. consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Co. has suspended sales of its SK-II skincare line in mainland China, pending clarification from the quality watchdog over traces of possibly harmful metals.

Britain's FTSE 100 pushed ahead on Thursday, buoyed by strong results and bullish earnings forecasts, but gains were capped by continued weakness in crude prices, hitting oil heavyweights and utilities.

Lockheed Martin Corp.'s $276.5 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the costliest U.S. arms acquisition project, may be set back by moves in Congress to slow initial production, a top company official said on Wednesday.

The head of the India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) said on Tuesday that the company was in talks with parties in Egypt, Qatar and Australia to import at least five million tons of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) annually.

U.S. coal firm Peabody Energy Corp. raised its bid for Australia's Excel Coal Ltd. by nearly 12 percent to A$2 billion ($1.5 billion), but speculation about a rival offer pushed Excel shares above Peabody's new offer price.

Shares in AWG jumped more than 11 percent on Thursday after the water company said it had received an approach that could lead to an offer being made for the 2.2 billion pound firm.

An improving political climate, and the potential for major mineral discoveries, has reawakened interest in Africa among Australian mining companies that have traditionally rated the continent too risky.

Faces furrowed with concentration and biceps bulging, Lorenzo Martire and Giovanni Zorn puffed their way up the narrow streets of this medieval town, rolling the 80kg oak wine barrel ahead of them.

Faces furrowed with concentration and biceps bulging, Lorenzo Martire and Giovanni Zorn puffed their way up the narrow streets of this medieval town, rolling the 80kg oak wine barrel ahead of them.

In death as in life, iconic TV naturalist Steve Irwin captivated millions worldwide and clogged the Internet as fans from Guam to Glasgow reacted with disbelief to news The Crocodile Hunter was dead.

From Australia to Argentina, erratic weather is slashing wheat crops of the major producers, which is threatening to push up prices to multi-year highs and making it difficult for countries to replenish stocks.