BUSINESS

The predominantly Islam country of Iran has arrested and convicted one of its nationals for allegedly handing out copies of the Bible to friends and family, according to the Vatican missionary news agency Fides on Wednesday. His behaviour was considered a threat to national security. He was slapped with a 10-year jail time.

By Jonathan BarrattNote: This article was written on Wednesday, August 21Tonight sees the release of the minutes from the last FOMC meeting, and the market expects the minutes to reveal a committee ready to start tapering the Fed's US85 billion per month of bond and mortgage securities buy-back...

All eyes are on Samsung as the South Korean tech giant releases on Sept 4 its Galaxy Gear smartwatch. In its review of the upcoming device, Computerworld pointed out that more than a timepiece, the gadget would offer a wide range of sensors and enough horsepower to put to shame midrange smartphones.

A 30-second advertisement for the Lenovo Yoga tablet has gone viral in YouTube. In just one day since the video was posted, it has been viewed almost 170,000 times.

The Taiwan-made HTC One has been topping the list of tech reviewers since it was released in the market because of its game-changer features, although it has also been criticised for its irreplaceable battery and being difficult to fix.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 105 points or 0.7% to 14,897 while the S&P lost 0.6% to 1642 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.

Samsung is set to uncloak its second 2013 flagship on Sept 4 but it appears that the South Korean juggernaut is far from relaxing after the third-generation phablet’s release date.

Proof of iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S September release emerges as Apple Inc. suppliers confirmed shipment dates

Kiwi company GoogleDirectory is under investigation by the Auckland Police. The Internet directory service, which is not connected with the Web heavyweight Google, is the subject of several fraud complaints from businesses.

Aussies found Ashton Kutcher’s joke in Channel Seven’s Sunrise program insulting.

The Australian sharemarket is a little higher after a 0.6 per cent slump yesterday. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 0.2 per cent. Most sectors are higher; however significant weakness in the mining and energy sectors is holding the market back.

Sony launches PlayStation 4 in Australia and New Zealand

At least 19 areas in the Philippines' Luzon region have been put in a state of calamity following the onslaught of rains and floods brought by a Storm Trami-intensified southwest monsoon.

Mining giant BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) has committed $2.6 billion for the development of the Jansen potash project in Canada. The commitment comes at a time that BHP logged a 30 per cent drop in prices due to lower commodity prices and uncertainty over the market for this fertiliser ingredient.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 7 points while the S&P gained 0.4% to 1652 and the Nasdaq added 0.4%."On balance, with growth expected to remain below trend for longer and inflation to remain within the target even with the effects of a lower exchange rate, members concluded that a lower level of th...

After a flat start to the week, the Australian market lost ground, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) falling by 0.7 per cent and finishing well below 5100.0. It was always going to be challenging to buck the trend from last night, with both US and European equity markets losing ground. The Dow Jones Industrials fell by 0.5 per cent overnight, dropping for the 12th time in 16 sessions.

With Japan yet to roll out whatever plans it has to mitigate the damaging effects of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant which has already leaked highly radioactive water to its nearby ocean waters, a group of people has expressed their desire to turn the site into a tourist spot. Seriously. Would you go visit?

Effective November, China will cease harvesting the internal organs of its executed prisoners which has supported the requirements of its national organ donation system for years.

The Australian share market has come under selling pressure at lunchtime in the East, after Wall Street recorded another session of losses overnight and insurer QBE Insurance (QBE) missed expectations with its earnings result.

Tropical storm Maring (international name: Trami) may already be pressing the panic buttons of most residents in the Philippine capital of Metro Manila, but state weather forecasters continued to pacify the Filipino populace that the rains it dumped was still far off compared from those dumped by the fatal 2009 typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana).

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Budget iPhone, the iPhone 5C, replaces iPhone 5 but not iPhone 4S

By Greg PeelIt is not always easy to push a large order through an actively traded, exchange-listed market without having an influence on the price in that market.

Complex things are more fragile, says Nassim Taleb, author of the books The Black Swan and Antifragile. Your computer and its misbehaviours are daily proof. You can click on the same button as yesterday only to get completely different results. And encoded error messages are absolutely no help.

With the string of vehicular accidents in Canada caused by distracted driving, citizens believed it is about time to consider the behaviour liable for a criminal offense charge complete with stiffer penalties.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 70 points or 0.5% while the S&P lost 0.6% to 1646 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.2%.

The flat result for local stocks appears unflattering, although it was a solid result considering that Telstra and the CBA went ex-dividend , which took 20 points off the market.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPPL) might have other motives for releasing it budget iPhone, the iPhone 5C.

The Australian sharemarket is up by around 0.2 per cent at lunch, after a relatively flat few hours of trade.

Equity markets have survived the last few years on the mantra that 'bad news is good news'. Each time GDP slowed, unemployment rose or confidence crumbled, stocks surged.