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The corporate watchdog has banned Dalkeith man Pierre Schinazi from providing financial services for five years over his role in the collapse of Westpoint.

The federal government has imposed a raft of tough measures on Perth-based Great Southern Ltd's Tiwi Islands plantation operation following a breach of approval conditions.

The federal government will contribute $1.4 million towards a small wind farm in Denmark that will generate some 5800 megawatt hours of electricity each year.

Western Australia miners have been hit hard in trade today with the metals and mining index plummeting over 12 per cent on fears that the meltdown will spark a global slump and reduce demand for commodities.

The collapse of Lehman Brothers has put the spotlight on BHP Billiton's takeover of Rio Tinto, with Chinalco in urgent talks with Lehman Brothers' liquidators to retrieve a 12 per cent stake it holds in Rio.

Treasurer Troy Buswell said spending will be signifcantly tightened in next year's budget while an exact forecast on how the global financial turmoil will affect the state's resource royalties revenue stream is not yet known.

Mining services company Imdex Ltd is set to acquire Western Australian manufacturer Australian Drilling Specialities for $12 million in cash and scrip.

The state government will take a maximum stake of 25 per cent in homes under the revamped First Start shared equity scheme which this week received a $70 million lifeline.

Shaw River Resources Ltd has completed a $3 million raising with funds to go towards exploration efforts in the Pilbara.

Markets fret over Fed recession fears; WA growth to shrink: Buswell; Hundreds left angry as Opes Prime is wound up; No riding China's back: Rio; Banks urged to pass on cheaper borrowing costs

HISTORIC statistics have only limited value in the context of an unprecedented market meltdown, nevertheless there is some comfort in knowing the economic position before the latest chapter in the slowly unfolding crisis.

THE downturn in Perth's housing market continued during the September quarter, with the city's median house price falling for the third consecutive quarter to $426,000.

YOU'D think an artist commissioned by Andrew Forrest to create a 12-metre high sculpture for the Cyclone George memorial in South Hedland, and who made the centrepiece sculpture for the Sultan of Brunei's Jerudong Park Polo Club, would have quite a follow

WESTERN Australia's seemingly unstoppable supremacy on top of the stock exchange leader board has taken a battering over the past year, with a significant percentage of the state's mining and resources groups finding themselves in the crosshairs of worrie

THE push to redevelop laneways in the Perth CBD is gaining momentum, with plans for a series of small bars and cafes being developed by business owners and arts groups.

PLUNGING international stock markets have been the most visible manifestation of the global financial crisis of the past month, but an equally worrying trend has occurred in debt markets.

ABOUT $14 billion has disappeared from the share portfolios of Western Australia's 20 wealthiest company directors since share prices last peaked.

PROPERTY developers with projects in the City of Joondalup will soon have their development plans assessed by an independent committee, following a decision by the council to set up a design advisory panel.

MINING company directors haven't been the only victims of the stock market plunge.

GLOBAL share markets have entered a netherworld that no-one working in the finance industry has ever experienced before, unless they were alive in the 1930s.

THE global financial crisis has had a big impact on two energy projects off Western Australia's northern coast, with Coogee Resources and Nexus Energy both putting out 'for sale' signs this month.

THE country's banking sector has been the focus of intense scrutiny over the past few months as the global financial turmoil casts light on potential targets.

AUSTRALIA is safeguarded from the worst of the global financial markets because of the strength of the nation's big four banks, according to KPMG partner Kevin Smout.

OSBORNE Park-based distributor of electronic workstations and servers, EDsys Computers, has taken an energy efficient approach to business since it was founded in 1992.

ASK any sport buff in Western Australia what summer means in the world of sport and they will emphatically tell you one thing - cricket.

A DECISION by Perth-based Technip Subsea 7 Asia-Pacific to link its safety standards with not-for-profit donations will this year assist the Leukaemia Foundation of WA with its ongoing research.

WITH universities facing growing pressure to specialise, driven by funding models and the looming federal government higher education review, Western Australia's four public universities are preparing to run the measuring tape over their course offerings.

BUNBURY will get its first new hotel in almost 10 years this Christmas with the opening of The Mantra Bunbury, attached to the Silos apartment development on the Koombana waterfront.

KEY industry bodies are gearing up their preparations for proposed compensation claims following the release of the official report into the Varanus gas explosion, handed down last week by Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore.

A 15,000 square metre beachfront site in the coastal holiday town of Lancelin will soon be home to a luxury bungalow-style resort, the first development of its kind for the town.

TEA and scones, coffee and cake - where would civilised society be without them? The latter in particular is something of an institution in egalitarian Perth, which is forging a reputation nation-wide for the quality of its brews.

ALMOST 120,000 extra workers could be made available in Western Australia if women received more incentives to join the workforce, according to a new report from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA.