BUSINESS

Australian flag carrier Qantas is slowly beginning to turnaround financially as the air carrier logged $6 million full-year net profits, its first after it suffered from its first loss since the company was privatised.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 16 points or 0.1% while the S&P gained 0.2% to 1638 and the Nasdaq added 0.

Our operating hunch is that US stocks, Treasuries and gold have all turned over recent months.

Emerging markets are in all sorts of trouble, and with the oil price preparing for another Middle Eastern war, centred this time in Syria, their problems are about to get worse. A collapsing currency combined with a rising US dollar oil price is a big tax on economic growth, and it comes at precisely the wrong time for the global economy.

McDonald's the world's most popular hamburger chain is getting into the chicken wing business. After several months of testing in Chicago, McDonald's is preparing for a nationwide rollout of its "Mighty Wings" next month, the company has confirmed.

The Australian sharemarket rose modestly today, with concerns relating to Syria put on the backburner briefly. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) edged higher by 0.1 per cent, with the underperforming (yesterday) mining & energy stocks leading the improvements.

Tanzania, Africa's fourth largest gold producer, has been exposed as employing children as young as eight years old to work in its many gold mines, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

Apple is attempting to trademark “STARTUP” application in Australia

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra has announced that it will resume its Sri Lankan operations after temporarily suspending work and plant processing for the safety of its employees. Meanwhile, the price of Fonterra's NZX-listed units went up 3.2 per cent or $7.10 after the company retested its alleged contaminated whey protein concentrates and found the botulism scare to be a false alarm.

Colombian rebels who belong to the National Liberation Army (ELN) released on Tuesday Canadian mining executive Gernot Wober after 221 days in captivity.

By Jonathan BarrattAs we have already seen a 20% rally in gold from the lows of US1180 we have to assume, based on a technical footing, that the bull market is back with us.

It is common to see images of women in bikinis in adverts for products that mainly target male buyers such as wine or a car. However, to sell homes, the best come-ons would be photos of the model units of an architect's perspective such as this illustration

Operators of the Dux Live bar in Christchurch, New Zealand is still studying if it will also place a camera in the women's room, following the controversy caused by its installation of surveillance camera in the men's room.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 48 points or 0.3% while the S&P gained 0.3% to 1634 and the Nasdaq added 0.4%Result season took a back seat on Bridge Street yesterday as offshore pressure finally became too much and Australia joined in a Syria-related risk-off divestment which saw cyclicals dumped, with ma...

It's false alarm. It turns out that the botulism scare that almost crippled the New Zealand dairy industry was nowhere near scary.

Australian shares finished firmly lower at the close, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slipping by 1 per cent. The losses within the mining sector worsened throughout the afternoon, with the S&P/ASX200 Materials Index falling by 2.1 per cent.

Reports of Apple Inc getting a deal with China Mobile may be attempts to make an aggressive push for Chinese customers to buy more iPhones. If Apple does release a cheaper iPhone, the company should get the pricing right since there is no guarantee it will be warmly welcomed.

A bar in Christchurch, New Zealand has installed a security camera in its bathrooms to discourage thieves and vandals. But its bid to protect its property may have landed Dux Live bar in trouble after it posted two men apparently vandalising a toilet on Facebook.

Americans who are fond of fast food fare such as hamburgers and French fries should brace their stomachs for a no burger day as workers from McDonald's and other fast food restaurants are set to join a nationwide strike on Thursday.

After doing little on Monday and Tuesday, the local market is recording its biggest daily slump since 7 August. The most significant driver is the tension in Syria. The potential for a US led military strike has been pushing gold and oil prices higher, while equities have been punished.

In what has been an unprecedented move for a country whose mindset is to put only males as leaders whether in the corporate or political streams, McDonald's Japan on Tuesday announced its top post will now be helmed by a woman in the person of Canadian Sarah Casanova.

By Peter Switzer, Switzer Super ReportThere are about four weeks to go for this taper-talk anxiety, which has been unsettling markets.

By Greg PeelThe Dow fell 170 points or 1.1% while the S&P lost 1.6% to 1630 and the Nasdaq dropped 2.0%.

The speculations are true. Samsung confirmed on Tuesday that the South Korean tech giant will unveil the Galaxy Gear smartwatch on Wednesday, Sept 4, two days before the IFA consumer tech trade show opens in Berlin, Germany.

The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) eased modestly after a slightly improvement on Monday. The 5100pt mark remains key for the ASX200; a level we've traded above for three straight sessions. The Australian market hasn't traded above the 5100 in a decisive manner however since June 2008. Weakness from the mining, energy, industrials and telcos kept the market a touch lower. Improvements from three of the four major banks helped to limit the losses; however wasn't enough to push the broader XA...

A new advertising study has suggested that Google Inc Australia's revenue will reach almost $1.74 billion as mobile search advertising on tablets and smartphones continues to remain popular. Google Australia was also pegged to become the biggest mode of advertising in the country by 2018.

The Australian share market is only slightly weaker in the early session despite falls on Wall Street overnight on Syria concerns. US Secretary of State John Kerry blasted Syria for its use of chemical weapons, sending the Dow Jones Index into free-fall in the afternoon session. European shares were mixed in thin trade on Monday with the UK markets shut for the bank holiday.

Despite the weak sales of its Q10 and Z10 smartphones, Canadian tech firm BlackBerry is joining the gold club by releasing gold and white special editions of its Q10. The unit will be available in the United Arab Emirates in late August for $1,035.

The Facebook CEO received mixed responses from the media for his goal to connect everyone on the planet through the Internet. Mark Zuckerberg recently launched the Inetrnet.org, a global initiative to bring Internet connectivity to the vast majority of the people on the planet who are as of yet unconnected.