SYDNEY An Australian regulator filed a lawsuit on Friday against No. 3 lender National Australia Bank Ltd accusing it of taking loan applications from unlicensed "introducers", the first lawsuit stemming directly from a finance sector inquiry.
* NAB accused of taking loan applications from unlicensed professionals
* Shares up 4% (Recasts with plastic toy promotion; adds CEO comments)
SYDNEY Australian casino giant Crown Resorts Ltd said on Wednesday its annual profit fell on less gambling by Chinese tourists, and it again denied media reports alleging the company flouted visa rules that have triggered three regulatory probes.
SYDNEY/BENGALURU Australia's Treasury Wine Estates posted a record annual profit due to robust demand for its premium wines in China, adding that its strategy to geographically diversify was helping it cope with the U.S.-China trade war.
SYDNEY A man went on a stabbing rampage in downtown Sydney on Tuesday, killing one woman and wounding another before he was restrained by members of the public, police said, adding they were not treating it as a terrorist incident. | Video
SYDNEY An Australian court on Tuesday dismissed allegations that Westpac Banking Corp had approved mortgages without adequate credit checks, dealing a blow to the regulator's efforts to toughen lending standards.
SYDNEY/BENGALURU Australian No. 2 electronics chain JB Hi-Fi Ltd defied a gloomy retail market by posting an annual profit that beat forecasts, sending its shares to a record high amid hopes it would benefit even further from recent economic stimulus.
* Result defies Australian retail downturn (Recasts with shares reaction, adds analyst quote)
SYDNEY Troubled Australian wealth manager AMP Ltd sought investor support for a capital raising to fund a turnaround plan on Thursday, as it posted its biggest half-year loss as a listed company following damaging revelations of misconduct.
Hong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas to break up anti-government protests in a gritty industrial suburb on Saturday after activists threw petrol bombs and bricks, as China freed a British consulate worker whose detention had fuelled tensions.