Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange: WPL - WOODSIDE PETROLEUM - up 15 cents, or. 0.48 per cent, at $31.45 STO - SANTOS - up 10 cents, or 2.47 per cent, at $4.15 OSH - OIL SEARCH - up 13 cents, ...

President Barack Obama has exhorted fellow Democrats to preserve his legacy-defining healthcare law as Republicans moved ahead with their long-sought bid to scrap it in what Vice President-elect Mike Pence called the "first order of business" of Donald Trump's administration. The emerging Democratic strategy is to warn that Republicans risk throwing the entire US healthcare system into chaos by moving to dismantle the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, without a plan to replace it. Republicans argue the system is already broken and that they will help more people gain coverage by repealing the law while working to minimise disruptions to those who depend on it.

China-based food retailer Winha Commerce and Trade International has had a positive start to life on the Australian share market, with its share price rising 40 per cent in its debut trading session. Winha describes itself as a paddock-to-plate retailer and wholesaler that specialises in selling premium food products to 1.3 billion consumers in China. Winha says it listed on the Australian share market because it hopes to source as many agricultural products as possible from Australia for sale in China, under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement that came into force in December 2015.

China will invest 2.5 trillion yuan ($A495 billion) in renewable power generation between 2016 and 2020, the National Energy Administration (NEA) says. The investment will create over 13 million jobs in ...

Engineering firm WorleyParsons has renewed its engineering services contract with oil giant Saudi Aramco. The Australian company says the contract involves project management and design engineering services ...

Drivers may want to fill up at the servo in coming days with Australian petrol prices set to surge. The consumer watchdog says petrol prices are rising on the back the world's oil producing nations mid-December agreement to cut production. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims said the falling Australian dollar was also likely to push up the prices consumers pay for fuel in Australian.