BUSINESS

The Maria's Farm Vegetables in New South Wales will use coal seam gas (CSG) to power a $65-million glasshouse it would build near Fullerton Cover.

European Union antitrust regulators are looking into allegations that Apple Inc. and five other e-book publishers have planned to fix the price of e-books in Europe.

South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill arrived in Mount Gambier Thursday to meet local mayors and protesters opposed to his plan to sell rights to harvest timbers from the area's forests.

More cash awaits app developers who intend to gear their products towards Microsoft's upcoming platform, the Windows 8, which the company said will be deployed to personal computers, tablets and smartphones.

Australia's unemployment rate rose to 5.3 per cent in November, according to data released on Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates said on Wednesday that he is in the process of developing of a new generation of nuclear reactors with China, with emphasis on safety, waste reduction and reasonable funding.

BHP Billiton Ltd reiterated its concern on growing unrests in the country's labour sector, which according to BHP Chief Executive Marius Kloppers have been prompted by the provisions of the Fair Work Act.

By Kathleen Brooks, Research Director UK EMEA, FOREX.comThere are two major events in the next two days In Europe: the ECB meeting and the EU summit.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 46 points or 0.4% while the S&P gained 0.2% to 1261 and the Nasdaq was flat.

Climate Change?FNArena Editor Rudi Filapek-Vandyck believes we are in the midst of Investment Climate Change.

Term prices of uranium for November month-end closed at $51.50 per pound, a decline of $0.25 from end-October, showing yet again a fading buyer interest as opposed earlier in the month when spot prices reached higher than $4 per pound.

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture between the Japanese company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecom company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones. It used to be the 4th largest mobile manufacturer in the world after Nokia, Samsung, and LG. However, in 2010, its market share fell to sixth place.

Not even wealth and fame could shield them from the financial crisis gripping homeowners in the United States. Celebrities were also victims of bank foreclosures and lost millions invested in properties acquired when real estate was booming.

The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Construction Index was 4.9 points stronger in November at 39.6, although it was still well below the 50 point level separating expansion from contraction. November marked the 18th straight month the national construction industry index has been in the red.

House prices in the country are rising again, as buyers become optimistic about the Philippine economy.

NAB Broker's John Flavell has defended the separate positioning of Homeside products and the bank's branch-based offerings.

Funding pressures mean non-banks won't be able to compete on price in 2012, but Firstfolio's Mark Flack has said this is nothing new for the industry.

The global property markets are imploding, and fast. The strain that first found its footing in the U.S has now truly gone viral. From Dubai to Denmark, developers have been left reeling, while national exchequers struggle to hold ground.

The Asian Development Bank has trimmed its 2012 growth forecast for emerging East Asian economies including China, as the eurozone crisis threatens to further slow an already weakening global economy.

The market turmoil in November, ignoring the stellar final three days of the month, has had an impact on not only the performance of the market, but also on IPOs and other fund raising.

The RBA yesterday cut the cash rate to 4.25% from 4.50%, its second successive rate cut, a move that also has the whiff of being linked to the series of moves last week by major central banks, and this Thursday night's widely expected rate cut from the European Central Bank.

Unbelievable.That is the only word fit to describe the fact that the world's tallest, most luxurious, lavish and downright most expensive single-family home has been left lying empty for what is now more than a year since its completion.

Climate change policy led to the demise of John Howard, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull – but not Julia Gillard, yet, as the carbon tax legislation was approved.

An Australian businessman was sentenced Tuesday by a Chinese court to 13 years imprisonment for bribery and embezzlement.

Chinese police said Tuesday that a Coca-Cola yogurt drink that killed a boy last month was deliberately laced with pesticide ingredients and was not contaminated at the soft drink maker's factory.

It will be an abundant harvest season for Australia, thanks much to perfect weather conditions that the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) said should lead to more than 43 million tonnes of yield from most of the country's farming regions.

The cash rate push back decided by the central bank on Tuesday would certainly lift some pressures off consumers' shoulders, possibly fueling more shopping activities but not enough for retailers to celebrate a glorious Christmas season.

By Andrew NelsonChinese consumerism is on the march despite the spectre of rising inflation in the world's most populous country.

By Greg PeelIn the lazy, crazy, hazy days leading up to 2007, money was cheap, property values were rising, and gearing levels never seemed an issue.