BUSINESS

Although it had categorically denied its participation, Australia's flag carrier Qantas Airways Limited has launched its own investigation into allegations that its in-flight headphones had been manufactured and purchased from abused inmates in a prison factory in China.

The Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics estimated that the value of Australia's mining and energy exports in 2013 would decrease by $16 billion even if the volume is bigger and currency is easing.

Australian stocks are enjoying a second session of gains, but it's not the events which transpired in Canberra overnight driving sentiment higher, rather the calm that has been brought to markets by the China Central Bank and a strong rally on Wall Street overnight.

People are starting to fear for their health in India as corpses begin to decay and contaminate water sources following the devastating floods which is now two weeks old. Some of the victims have reported suffering from diarrhea. Officials fear an outbreak of pandemic diseases such as cholera and dysentery could erupt anytime.

Sharp is bringing Ultra HDTV at a more affordable value. The company just unveiled their 70-inch THX-Certified Ultra HDTV. The HDTV starts at $8,000 – it may seem much for a television but this is actually just a fraction of what has been quoted for a futuristic TV as such. The new THX Ultra HDTV from Sharp delivers four times more resolution than the average garden-variety HDTV.

Japan has decided to cancel visa requirements of visitors from Southeast Asian neighbors in order to boost its tourism sector which has been greatly damaged following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident as well as strained relations between Japan and China.

By Michael Lombardi, MBA for Profit ConfidentialEconomic RecoveryThere's a lot of talk about economic recovery these days.

The haze triggered by forest fires in Indonesia has killed at least two in Malaysia, its next-door neighbour. The smog, which likewise severely affected the quality of air in Singapore, another next door neighbor, has crossed boundaries to affect some of Thailand's southern provinces.

Google Nexus 7, a device manufactured under Asus, gave the market one of the best surprises yet. Released just July of last year, it took the industry by storm. Rumor has it that the next installment of the Nexus series will come out this July.

Plugging ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones in USB ports and power outlets will become a thing of the past as Intel ventures into wireless charging. Intel wants to cut the cable soon and allow users to wirelessly charge devices through Intel-powered computing devices especially laptops.

The mysterious Motorola X phone pops up again with another leaked image and confirms testing as the XT1056 on Sprint's LTE network. Moto X phone sports 4.7-inch of screen display, dual-core processor and 10MP rear-facing camera.

Gold continued to lose its sheen as a safe haven as its price further plummeted to $1,223.54 an ounce on Wednesday, its lowest since August 2010. By 3:08 p.m. at New York, gold settled at $1,225.91, down by 4 per cent.

BRW Magazine named on Wednesday financial services company Optiver as the best place to work in Australia. The list of the top 50 companies considered the best places to be employed was after a survey of 179 workplaces across the nation and feedback from more than 25,000 employees.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 149 points, or 1.0%, while the S&P gained 1.0% to 1603 and the Nasdaq added 0.

- PBoC calms China's money market- De facto tightening nevertheless a result- Further pressure on China's economy- PBoC could yet reverse and loosenBy Greg PeelUnlike conventional monetary policy in the US, Europe and Australia, note Commonwealth Bank's foreign exchange analysts, Chin...

The Australian share market rebounded today, as buyers moved in after China's central bank moved to restore calm. The People's Bank of China (PBoC) said liquidity risks in its financial markets are controllable and the unprecedented spike in interbank lending rates would gradually fade.

The Australian Government’s Classification Board banned the sale of Saints Row 4, an action-adventure open world game

Samsung Galaxy Tab is expected to hit stores in July. With the specs and pricing released, the market is torn whether the new tablet is something to be excited about or not.

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z delivers exceptional features combining the appeal of tablets and smartphones into one. While many tablets and smartphones decided to tinker with updates and slight upgrades, the Xperia Z Tablet takes things to a whole new level.

Local shares are finally improving decisively, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 1.6 per cent. This is largely making up for a 2 per cent slide over the previous two sessions.

Ben Bernanke is losing control. He desperately wants inflation. He's getting deflation instead. He wants low interest rates; yet rates are rising.

Until about 10 years ago, whenever an African soccer team conceded a goal at the World Cup, the analysts would say the team was 'defensively naïve', and give a knowing wink at the TV audience.

'When will America's economy finally stop limping along?' asks Steve Hargreaves for CNN Money. Next year, 2014, he says with a degree of confidence we find puzzling at best.

As the fires devouring the forests in Sumatra island continued to burn, the number of visits to medical institutions in both smog-embattled Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesia's next door neighbors, have likewise escalated.

Acer is gearing up for the release of Apple’s iPad Mini 2. To compete against Apple’s latest tablet offering, Acer just revealed their Iconia W3. It is an 8.1-inch tablet that will go head to head not just with the iPad Mini 2 but with other 8-inch tablets soon to hit stores in the third quarter.

Lenovo is boosting its line of products especially their touch series with the new Lenovo Miix. Apart from their group of touch-enabled laptops running on Windows 8, Lenovo introduces a slimmer and more portable version through the Miix.

- Echo counters Crown's Barangaroo proposal- Brokers impressed with scope- Return potential under questionBy Greg PeelEcho Entertainment ((EGP)) has found itself caught between a rock and a hard place.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 100 points, or 0.7%, while the S&P jumped 1.0% to 1588 and the Nasdaq added 0.

iPad Mini was successful in its own turf. The small display but similar capacities to the standard tablet or laptop make it a runaway success for most face offs. It is also the main driving factor behind tech companies shifting their attention to 8-inch tablets. With the pending release of the iPad Mini 2, companies like Asus, Acer and Samsung are gearing up to boost their 8-inch lineups and compete.