Muara Teweh!

Mr Talbot will reappear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday charged with making 35 corrupt payments to former Queensland health minister Gordon Nuttall, who retired last year.

Mr Nuttall has been charged with corruptly receiving the payments totalling $300,000 from Talbot between October 2002 and September 2005.

Both men say they are innocent.

Mr Talbot, who handed over the running of Macarthur Coal to former chief financial officer Nicole Hollows six months ago, last night confirmed he would not return as managing director of the company.

Ms Hollows has been appointed to the board as managing director and will remain as chief executive. » Read more after the jump →

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Inflation in May outside of food and energy posted its slowest annual gain in three years, suggesting the Federal Reserve is making progress in fighting inflation.

Consumer sentiment also held up in June, according to a separate report on Friday, while Midwest business activity continued to expand, albeit at a slower pace.

In a report released on Friday, the Commerce Department said it “core” personal consumption expenditures price index, which removes food and energy costs, rose 1.9 percent in May from a year ago, its smallest annual rise since March, 2004.

On a month-to-month basis, prices rose a stiff 0.5 percent in May but core prices edged up just 0.1 percent. » Read more after the jump →

NEW DELHI, JUN 28: Underground coal mining production has taken a big hit over the years. Currently, the total underground mining production is about 45-50 million tonne.

This is quite low compared with the 1970s when it was 65 million tonne.

“There has been a sharp decline in under ground mining coal production. At the time of Coal Mining (Nationalisation) Act, 1973, under ground coal mining production constituted 70% of the total coal production in the country but now it only constitute 15%,” a senior government official said.

The dip in the under ground coal production is a matter of concern and if things do not improve, the country is likely to face a severe shortage of coal in the next 20 to 30 years, he added. » Read more after the jump →

By Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY
BEIJING — Chinese officials and exporters say the USA’s new import restrictions on five types of farm-raised Chinese fish are unfair and will increase costs for seafood firms in both countries.

The USA should distinguish between Chinese exporters who meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards and those that fail them, said Wei Shouzhu, vice general manager of Yongyan Aquatic Food Group in Mingguang, Anhui province. “It is unfair to detain shipments from companies like ours, which have never had any shipments rejected by the FDA.”

The FDA announced Thursday that all imports of the affected fish will be detained until the shipments are proven to be free of residue from antibiotics and anti-fungal drugs not approved in the USA for use in farm-raised aquatic animals. Some Chinese farms use the drugs to keep the fish healthy, but the FDA is concerned about possible harmful effects on humans after years of consumption. FDA officials said they took the action after months of testing imported Chinese » Read more after the jump →

By Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY
BEIJING — Chinese officials and exporters say the USA’s new import restrictions on five types of farm-raised Chinese fish are unfair and will increase costs for seafood firms in both countries.

The USA should distinguish between Chinese exporters who meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards and those that fail them, said Wei Shouzhu, vice general manager of Yongyan Aquatic Food Group in Mingguang, Anhui province. “It is unfair to detain shipments from companies like ours, which have never had any shipments rejected by the FDA.”

The FDA announced Thursday that all imports of the affected fish will be detained until the shipments are proven to be free of residue from antibiotics and anti-fungal drugs not approved in the USA for use in farm-raised aquatic animals. Some Chinese farms use the drugs to keep the fish healthy, but the FDA is concerned about possible harmful effects on humans after years of consumption. FDA officials said they took the action after months of testing imported Chinese » Read more after the jump →

By Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY
BEIJING — Chinese officials and exporters say the USA’s new import restrictions on five types of farm-raised Chinese fish are unfair and will increase costs for seafood firms in both countries.

The USA should distinguish between Chinese exporters who meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards and those that fail them, said Wei Shouzhu, vice general manager of Yongyan Aquatic Food Group in Mingguang, Anhui province. “It is unfair to detain shipments from companies like ours, which have never had any shipments rejected by the FDA.”

The FDA announced Thursday that all imports of the affected fish will be detained until the shipments are proven to be free of residue from antibiotics and anti-fungal drugs not approved in the USA for use in farm-raised aquatic animals. Some Chinese farms use the drugs to keep the fish healthy, but the FDA is concerned about possible harmful effects on humans after years of consumption. FDA officials said they took the action after months of testing imported Chinese » Read more after the jump →

AP Golf Writer

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Alexis Thompson played without a care in the world, even if she only had one birdie on her card. That’s expected of a 12-year-old playing in her first U.S. Women’s Open, the youngest qualifier in history.

Michelle Wie might remember that feeling.

She was 13 when she made her Women’s Open debut four years ago and opened with a 73. Based on the way she continued to slide off the map of women’s golf, it must seem like a distant memory.

“I know I’m a better player than this,” the 17-year-old from Hawaii said Thursday after hitting only four fairways, four greens and signing for an 82 that extended her streak to 21 rounds without breaking par, 13 of those on the LPGA Tour. » Read more after the jump →