The following substantial shareholder notices were made to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) yesterday.

WELLINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Fletcher Building Ltd FBU.NZ, New Zealand's largest construction and building products company, said its first-half profit rose 22 percent on contributions from new businesses and cost savings, and reaffirmed its full-year target.

Russia's threat to cut back gas supplies to Ukraine has been averted after talks between the two countries' presidents.

Workers from an automotive parts distribution company which went into administration yesterday are blockading one of the company's New South Wales offices this morning.

The world's biggest computer chipmaker, Intel, has been raided by European Union competition regulators amid claims it abused its market position.

SYDNEY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Creditors of Centro Properties Group CNP.AX have given it an extra two months to refinance its debt and help avoid a firesale of assets, the Sydney Morning Herald paper reported on Wednesday.

Mining group Rio Tinto has sold its 70.3 per cent stake in the US Greens Creek silver mine to its joint venture partner Hecla Mining for & #36;A830 million.

Australian airline Ozjet has proposed initially operating four days a week from Brisbane and Sydney to Palmerston North in New Zealand.

SYDNEY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Australian stocks are set to open firmer on Wednesday following gains on Wall Street, with attention on results from Commonwealth Bank CBA.AX and global miner and takeover target Rio Tinto Ltd RIO.AXRIO.L.

Police in central England are hunting for a would-be copper thief who tried to cut through an 11,000 volt power cable with a hacksaw.

BRUSSELS (AFP) - European Commission antitrust regulators on Tuesday raided microchip giant Intel and a number of personal computer retailers in Europe on concerns they might have stifled competition.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Tuesday unveiled a new private sector-led program backed by six leading home lenders to help homeowners facing foreclosure to keep their homes.

General Motors Corp has reported a & #36;US38.7 billion ( & #36;A42.81 billion) loss for 2007, the largest annual loss ever for an automotive company.

HELSINKI (AFP) - Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with Google to incorporate the Google search engine in its handsets.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Tuesday said he offered to reinsure 800 billion dollars in municipal bonds backed by three insurers hard hit by the US mortgage and credit crunch.

LONDON, Feb 12, 2008 (AFP) - The price of platinum soared to a record high near 2,000 dollars here on Tuesday as the precious metal was swept higher by persistent supply concerns in top producer South Africa.

LONDON (AFP) - Oil prices fell slightly Tuesday as the market watched over the stumbling American economy and its impact on crude demand while continuing to digest Venezuela's threat to cut US supplies, dealers said.

Russia has threatened to cut back gas supplies to Ukraine in a few hours unless the Ukrainian government pays a & #36;1.6 billion gas bill.

The Heart Foundation has outraged nutritionists by awarding its tick of approval, for the first time, to a pizza chain.

LONDON (AFP) - The dollar eased against the euro on Tuesday after a largely positive survey on investor confidence in Germany, which is the eurozone's biggest economy.