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Swick Mining Services Limited (SWK) said it has secured a two rig underground diamond drilling trial with Canadian nickel producer Vale Inco. The trial is the fourth commercial agreement secured by the company in North America during the last nine months. Swick said as result of the Vale Inco contract award, the number of Swick rigs in work in North America is forecast to increase to a record seven rigs by May 2010. The company said the trial is designed to assess the benefits of the Swick Mobile Diamond Drill rig and would involve both exploration and definition drilling. The trial will be conducted with two rigs over a six-month period at one of Vale Inco’s nickel mines in the Sudbury Nickel District in Canada.

Swick Mining Services Limited (SWK) said it has secured a two rig underground diamond drilling trial with Canadian nickel producer Vale Inco. The trial is the fourth commercial agreement secured by the company in North America during the last nine months. Swick said as result of the Vale Inco contract award, the number of Swick rigs in work in North America is forecast to increase to a record seven rigs by May 2010. The company said the trial is designed to assess the benefits of the Swick Mobile Diamond Drill rig and would involve both exploration and definition drilling. The trial will be conducted with two rigs over a six-month period at one of Vale Inco’s nickel mines in the Sudbury Nickel District in Canada.

Healthscope Limited (HSP) said it has signed a conditional heads of agreement with Moreland City Council to acquire land in Coburg, Melbourne for the development of a new private hospital. The company said a proposed development includes 300 hospital beds, 12 operating theatres, emergency department and cardiac catheter laboratories is under consideration. The Australia Financial Review reported this morning that the company was planning the construction of a $150 million hospital in Melbourne’s inner north.   

APA Group (APA) said it has purchased 51.6 million Hastings Diversified Utilities Fund (HDF) securities, taking its interest in HDF to 14.9%. The company said the investment is consistent with its strategy of long-term investment in gas transmission pipelines. APA said each of HDF’s pipeline assets delivers natural gas into existing APA infrastructure investments. Coupled with APA’s existing investment in HDF, the group said its average purchase cost is $1.30 per HDF share. APA said it does not intend to make a follow-on takeover bid, unless any future actions of HDF or others make it necessary for APA to protect the value of its investment in HDF. The acquisition is not expected to have any impact on APA’s guidance of 5% growth in FY10.

Australian Vintage Limited (AVG) announced that it has ended discussions with Constellation Brands regarding a potential merger of both their Australian and UK businesses. The company said over time, it became evident that both companies were not going to be successful in accomplishing all of their goals. Therefore, the companies mutually decided it was in their best interests to discontinue their discussions and focus on their respective businesses. Australian Vintage said it is in good financial shape with its lowest debt level in nine years.

SAI Global Limited (SAI) said it has strengthened its profile in the UK and European food assurance sector through the acquisition of UK company FoodCheck Limited for GBP£4 million. SAI said Foodcheck is a provider of assurance services in the food sector, focusing predominantly on the retail, hospitality and public service sectors. The company said the acquisition provides an opportunity to leverage FoodCheck’s technology solution to better service SAI’s global assurance client base.

SAI Global Limited (SAI) said it has strengthened its profile in the UK and European food assurance sector through the acquisition of UK company FoodCheck Limited for GBP£4 million. SAI said Foodcheck is a provider of assurance services in the food sector, focusing predominantly on the retail, hospitality and public service sectors. The company said the acquisition provides an opportunity to leverage FoodCheck’s technology solution to better service SAI’s global assurance client base.

Acrux Limited (ACR) said the US rights to the testosterone spray for women Luramist would return to Acrux subsidiary FemPharm after the US licensee for the product Vivus Inc. provided notice to terminate the license agreement. Acrux said as a result FemPharm would now own and control worldwide rights to the product. The developments followed the failing of Vivus to start the Luramist Phase 3 trial by the outside date of 1 April 2010 that was set by the independent arbitration panel. The company said it believes the product has the potential to generate very strong commercial returns for Acrux, being potentially the best-in-class product in a billion dollar market.

iSOFT Group Limited (ISF) announced a contract worth more than $2 million with ACT Health in Australia for new patient and emergency software applications at Calvary Public Hospital. The health information technology company said the agreement is for the installation of iSOFT Patient Management and iSOFT Emergency at the 280-bed Calvary Hospital this year. iSOFT said about $900,000 of the total consists of license fees

Lend Lease Group (LLC) announced the completion of its fully underwritten $806 million equity raising by way of a 5 for 22 single Entitlement Offer and the result of the Shortfall Bookbuild. The group said 28,206,762 new securities were offered at $8.60 per new share under the Shortfall Bookbuild conducted on yesterday. Lend Lease said this price represented a discount of 1.4% to the last traded price of the group’s shares and a premium of 90c or 11.7% to the Entitlement Offer price of $7.70 per new security. The group said this premium would be returned to renounced eligible institutional and retail shareholders and to ineligible shareholders on or about Friday, 9 April 2010.

Lend Lease Group (LLC) announced the completion of its fully underwritten $806 million equity raising by way of a 5 for 22 single Entitlement Offer and the result of the Shortfall Bookbuild. The group said 28,206,762 new securities were offered at $8.60 per new share under the Shortfall Bookbuild conducted on yesterday. Lend Lease said this price represented a discount of 1.4% to the last traded price of the group’s shares and a premium of 90c or 11.7% to the Entitlement Offer price of $7.70 per new security. The group said this premium would be returned to renounced eligible institutional and retail shareholders and to ineligible shareholders on or about Friday, 9 April 2010.

Bank of Queensland Limited (BOQ) said it has signed an exclusivity agreement to conduct due diligence for the potential purchase of CIT Group Australia and New Zealand’s vendor finance business. The company said due diligence is significantly progressed but incomplete and there is no guarantee a transaction would occur.

ASX Limited (ASX) said based on activity levels in the early weeks of the second half of FY10, it is optimistic about its business growth prospects for the balance of the year. The company said this was as long global ‘headwinds’ don’t dampen the recovery strength of the domestic economy, or trigger a second round of aftershocks in the global banking system.

Sedgman Limited (SDM) said work has resumed at the Bocamina Coal Handling Plant (CHP) project in Chile following the recent severe earthquake. The company said the project remains subject to the force majeure notice issued to Sedgman’s client Tecnimont Chile on March 1, 2010 and announced to the market the same day. Sedgman said personnel had formally recommenced works and started undertaking repairs after the site had been inspected and assessed as safe. The company said the potential impacts as a result of the earthquake are still being assessed in anticipation of further ongoing delays due to widespread damage to essential transport infrastructure and disruption to supporting supply chains.