BUSINESS

Concerns over "production practices" had prompted Health Canada to issue a recall notice against a British Columbia supplier of medical marijuana. The specific pot is Purple Kush, Batch PK-10-20-13, manufactured by Greenleaf Medicinals that is based in Nanaimo.

New Zealand economists have rejected the claims of an analyst writing for U.S. magazine, Forbes, that the country is headed for "a major fall." Jesse Colombo wrote in a Forbes column that New Zealand's housing market was "overvalued" and an increase in interest rates could lead to recession. The 28-year-old analyst suggested that along with Australia, Canada and other countries, New Zealand's economic bubble could burst. Mr Colombo said the bubble could pop and he expected it ...

Google Inc., Apple Inc., Intel Corp. and Adobe Systems Inc. are facing trial against an alleged conspiracy law suit of agreeing to keep wages down of their experienced employees

The Australian share market has resumed trade after the Easter break on a positive note, rising 0.4 per cent in thin trading volumes.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has set aggressive plans to confront Google head on by convincing Apple to make Yahoo the default search engine in the iPad and iPhone's Safari Web browser. She is well backed up by Adam Cahan, senior vice president for mobile and product search department of Yahoo, and already supported by a longtime acquaintance inside Apple and some of its executives.

A month after air pact between New Zealand and the Philippines was signed in March, one of the latter's budget carriers has applied to mount flights to the Kiwi nation.

There have been some very interesting corporate developments over the Easter break around corporate auctions. AstraZeneca, the UK's second largest pharmaceutical company, received a takeover bid from US giant Pfizer, Newmont Mining and Barrick Gold are in talks for a 'merger of equals' as US medical company Allergan is under interest from investment activist William Ackman - a deal which is believed to be worth over US$50 billion.

In US economic data, the national activity index eased from a revised reading of +0.53 points in February to +0.20 points in March. The leading index rose by 0.8% in March, higher than the market expectation for a gain of +0.7%.

It would soon be easier to smuggle into dorms and even restaurants alcohol drinks without detection with the recent approval by the Alcohol and Tobacco tax and Trade Bureau of alcohol in powdered form.

The mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 360 seems to have created a Flight 370 syndrome characterised by air passengers fearing the worst-case scenario once their plane turns around or diverts from its original route.

Despite criticisms and vulnerability regarding the Heartbleed bug, Dropbox, a U.S. online storage giant, has announced it will soon open in Sydney to further support Australian customers.

Google has filed a new patent application with the U.S. Patent Office for a contact lens, which comes embedded with a tiny camera.

For Apple Inc.'s investors who expect a strong June quarter, Chuck Jones, a prominent writer of Forbes, has lower expectations. Wall Street's predictions for Apple's June quarter is equally disappointing for those hoping for a big Apple comeback.

The ASX 200 ended Thursday's session with a flourish having posted highs in the late morning. The index tapered away in the afternoon although it kicked higher to end the week with a gain of almost 0.5%. This was a noteworthy turnaround considering the weak tone that marked the early part of the week.

Google's 2014 first-quarter revenue has fallen short of Wall Street expectations as the price of its ads declined.

The Australian sharemarket is rising for the third straight day, driven by firmer global markets overnight. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is still above 5400pts this shortened trading week.

For countries about to construct nuclear power plants, or even those that had, a floating facility built offshore would serve best against tsunami and earthquake threats.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is set to have its conference call discussing its second fiscal quarter financial results on April 23, 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has arrested a 19-year-old Canadian in relation to the Heartbleed security breach.

US equities advanced yet again as earnings continued to underpin confidence in the recovery and US data encouraged. With no fresh negative tape out of the Ukraine sentiment remained positive.

In US economic data, housing starts rose by 2.8% to an annual rate of 946,000 in March, below expectations for a result near 973,000. Industrial production rose by 0.7% in March, above expectations for a gain of 0.5%.

Beijing-based Sina Weibo is due to debut this week in New York through an initial public offering (IPO) that seeks to raise at least $340 million.

Apple Inc. is expected to reveal its Q2 FY 2014 quarterly earnings on April 23 after the final trading call. What do analysts' expectations reveal?

Nike has shown good performance in overall sales and continues to gain growth worldwide. But the popular sports brand still faces a tough challenge with its projected sales in China.

While Twitter users feasted over the US Airways inadvertent post of a not safe for work photo on Twitter, many businessmen could deeply reflect over this accident to keep their company's reputation in good standing.

The Australian sharemarket closed above 5400pts, partly boosted by a slightly better than expected Chinese economic growth. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) jumped 0.6 per cent to 5412.6. On Monday the local market sank to three-week lows. Volume has been subdued due to public holidays.

The Australian share market is continuing to add to Tuesday's gains in the early session on Wednesday, after US markets rode out a volatile session on a high note.

Australia has launched its first Bitcoin ATM in Sydney despite troubles and a threat from the National Australia Bank (NAB) that it will close the accounts of businesses trading in crypto-currencies, including Bitcoin.

Global equities were mixed with US markets continuing their recovery, while European and emerging markets struggled. US markets struggled early as China growth fears and Ukraine concerns weighed on equities, but they managed to reverse on earnings optimism. Earnings from Johnson & Johnson and Coca Cola impressed, while Intel came in mildly better than expected.