SYDNEY, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Home prices across Australia's major cities fell in December as the once red-hot Sydney market continued to cool in the face of tighter rules on investment lending, a relief to regulators but a potential drag on consumer spending power.Property consultant CoreLogic said its index of home prices for the combined capital cities dipped 0.4 percent in December from November.A...Read More

Jan 2 (Reuters) - Australian shares are seen logging a soft start to 2018 on Tuesday, tracking a weak finish on Wall Street in the previous session, with thin trading expected in the absence of cues as financial markets worldwide remained shut for the New Year's holiday.U.S. stocks closed out their best year since 2013 on a down note on Friday, with losses in technology and financial stocks keepin...Read More

U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran is failing and called for a change there, as security forces clashed with demonstrators rallying in a rare show of displeasure with the country's leaders.Read full newsRead More

ALL TIMES IN EST/GMT -------------------------------------------------------1100/1600: The USDA releases weekly U.S. export inspections for grains and oilseeds. (Delayed from Monday due to the New Year's Day federal holiday)1130/1630: The Treasury Dept holds weekly sale of 3-, 6-month bills. (Delayed from Monday due to the New Year's Day federal holiday)1300/1800: The Treasury Dept. sells 4- and 5...Read More

On December 31, residents of Jerada, in northeastern Morocco, braved the winter cold and stayed on the streets late into the night in what was the ninth day of continued rallies in demand for jobs, social development and government intervention in what the call "the mines of death." This time, protesters showed up dressed as miners, had their faces and hands blackened and were carrying black loave...Read More

In a year-review post published on its official Facebook page, state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited announced that it expects coal production to touch 85 million tonnes per annum in the next five years as it plans to open up 12 new mines.The company's outlook is also based on the fact that during the fiscal year 2017 it produced close to 41 million tonnes of the black mineral. Only in...Read More

Jan 2 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 6,065.10 -23.00NZX 50**8,398.08 -10.45DJIA24,719.22-118.29 NIKKEI**22,764.94-19.04Nasdaq6,903.389-46.771 FTSE**7,687.77 64.89S&P 500 2,673.61 -13.93Hang Seng** 29,919.1555.44SPI 200 Fut 6019.0 -27 STI** 3,402.92 3.82SSEC**3,307.1721 10.78740KOSPI** 2,467.49 30.82-------------------------------------------------------...Read More

Four employees at the state-owned Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company were found guilty of conniving to steal diamonds worth half a million dollars while replacing them with fake gems.According to local media, the main perpetrator of the crime, 34-year-old Anesu Dhliwayo, will remain in custody until January 12, following Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa's verdict that identified him as a fl...Read More

Four employees at the state-owned Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company were found guilty of conniving to steal diamonds worth half a million dollars while replacing them with fake gems.According to local media, the main perpetrator of the crime, 34-year-old Anesu Dhliwayo, will remain in custody until January 12, following Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa's verdict that identified him as a fl...Read More

Four employees at the state-owned Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company were found guilty of conniving to steal diamonds worth half a million dollars while replacing them with fake gems.According to local media, the main perpetrator of the crime, 34-year-old Anesu Dhliwayo, will remain in custody until January 12, following Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa's verdict that identified him as a fl...Read More

Russian coal and steel producer Mechel said that talks with banks on restructuring a $1 billion syndicated loan had concluded successfully.Mechel, which is controlled by businessman Igor Zyuzin and came close to bankruptcy last year, had circulated the final draft of a restructuring proposal among its creditors last week. It needed the support of at least 75 per cent of the loan holders - a pre-ex...Read More

London-based Patagonia Gold (AIM:PGD) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pan American Silver's Calcatreu deposit, located 60 km south of the town of Ingeniero Jacobacci, in the Argentinian province of R?-o Negro.To move forward with the deal, Patagonia will acquire all shares of Minera Aquiline Argentina, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pan American, for a total considerat...Read More

London-based Patagonia Gold (AIM:PGD) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pan American Silver's Calcatreu deposit, located 60 km south of the town of Ingeniero Jacobacci, in the Argentinian province of R?-o Negro.To move forward with the deal, Patagonia will acquire all shares of Minera Aquiline Argentina, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pan American, for a total considerat...Read More

Scientists at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science are using gold ions to understand the behaviour of liquids at the atomic level. This, in turn, would help them determine what are the needed components to design batteries with less volatility and flammability along with better conductivity for more energy efficient devices.In a study published in the past week in Science Adva...Read More

Scientists at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science are using gold ions to understand the behaviour of liquids at the atomic level. This, in turn, would help them determine what are the needed components to design batteries with less volatility and flammability along with better conductivity for more energy efficient devices.In a study published in the past week in Science Adva...Read More

(Adds details, analysis)By Andrew TorchiaDUBAI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Oman's state budget for 2018, approved by ruler Sultan Qaboos on Monday, boosts spending at the expense of running a large deficit, despite increasing concern among credit rating agencies about the health of the country's finances.The budget projects spending of 12.5 billion rials ($32.5 billion) this year, up from 11.7 billion in...Read More

* Gasoline hike came sooner than some had expected* May combine with VAT introduction to hit consumption* Saudi Public Transport shares rise, Budget Saudi falls* Telecommunications firm Mobily jumps* Other major regional bourses closed for holidays By Andrew TorchiaDUBAI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's stock market fell on Monday after the government sharply raised domestic gasoline prices, a s...Read More

December 31, 2017 marked the end of an era for one of Canada's oldest and most prolific gold mines.After 107 years of operations, Porcupine Gold Mines' Dome underground mine in Timmins, Ontario, ceased operations due to aging infrastructure, low productivity and depleted resources. The minelife had been extended for 18 months in July 2016.According to a local news site, the mine's 140 workers had...Read More

December 31, 2017 marked the end of an era for one of Canada's oldest and most prolific gold mines.After 107 years of operations, Porcupine Gold Mines' Dome underground mine in Timmins, Ontario, ceased operations due to aging infrastructure, low productivity and depleted resources. The minelife had been extended for 18 months in July 2016.According to a local news site, the mine's 140 workers had...Read More

Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU), operator of the eponymous (and seemingly ubiquitous) streaming entertainment platform, made its Nasdaq trading debut as recently as Sept. 28, when the stock's initial public offering (IPO) priced at $14 per share. After a big two-day post-IPO rally, it was a tough slog for ROKU over the next month. From their Sept. 29 close at $26.54, the shares went on to shed 29% of their val...Read More