China's Guangdong Rising Assets Management [GDRAM.UL] launched a fresh $850 million bid to buy copper and gold miner PanAust Ltd (PNA.AX), but priced its offer at a quarter less than 10 months ago, underscoring the rout in mineral commodities.
Australia
BHP's South32 risks tough market debut, M&A talk swirls
BHP Billiton's shareholders are expected to approve the biggest ever spin-off in the mining industry on Wednesday, seeking to wring more value out of a string of long-neglected aluminum, manganese, silver and nickel assets.
Tattoo snafu irks inked Apple Watch wearers
Early adopters of the Apple Watch, Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) first new product in five years, are complaining that a number of its key functions are disrupted by their tattoos.
Asia shares notch new peaks, weather China news
Asian shares weathered a soft reading on Chinese manufacturing on Thursday as it only whetted expectations for more policy stimulus there, while a sharp rise in British and German bond yields rippled through global debt markets.
Australia's Fortescue tells miners to work more as iron ore price sinks
Australia's Fortescue Metals Group Ltd will change its roster to increase the time workers spend at mines, as the world's fourth largest iron ore producer rushes to reduce costs in the face of plunging prices for the steelmaking ingredient.
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U.S. energy firm Chevron (CVX.N) is seeking to sell its entire stake in Caltex Australia Ltd (CTX.AX) for about A$4.6 billion ($3.6 billion), exiting Australia's biggest refiner after nearly 40 years as falling oil prices and high costs hurt margins.
Australia has invited Germany, France and Japan to pitch for a contract to build its new submarine fleet, kicking off a contentious A$50 billion ($38.8 billion) project which has become a political football at home.
BHP Billiton has put far less debt than expected into its $13 billion South32 spin-off, positioning the company formed from its unloved assets to weather tough markets and still pay a dividend.
A group comprising KKR & Co, Varde Partners and Deutsche Bank are looking to securitize about A$7 billion ($5.33 billion) of debt they acquired from a unit of GE, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Bankers running the expected A$3 billion ($2.29 billion) initial public offering of Australian software firm MYOB Ltd, owned by Bain Capital, plan to file a prospectus for the sale by end-March, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
A consortium of private equity firm KKR & Co LP (KKR.N), alternative investment manager Varde Partners and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) has agreed to buy GE Capital's Australian and New Zealand consumer lending arm for A$8.2 billion ($6.26 billion).
Australia expects to make a decision within weeks on whether it will seek to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Saturday.
The U.S. dollar climbed to multi-year peaks against the euro and yen in Asia on Tuesday amid starkly diverging outlooks for interest rates globally, while currencies from emerging markets came under mounting pressure from risk aversion.
The Australian government has sided with farmers who say official data vastly underestimates foreign ownership of the nation's farmland, as it moves to clamp down on overseas purchases of agricultural land.
