BUSINESS

Minecraft 1.8, the latest adventure update to the hugely popular sandbox building indie video game written in Java by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson, is now officially live.

Qantas workers belonging to the Transport Workers Union will strike on Sept. 20 for four hours. The job walk-off is over enterprise negotiations, particularly a 5 per cent pay increase and clauses that would limit the use of contract labour.

Stocks surged as investors found reasons for optimism in a barrage of headlines from Europe. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 140.88 points, or 1.27%, to 11,246.73, after a day of whippy trading.

In a press conference, Sony Corp said it is set to kick off the global rollout of its new PlayStation Vita on Dec. 17 in Japan. NTT Docomo, Japan's biggest mobile carrier, will provide prepaid 3G plans for PS Vita users. Although criticized for setting a high price, Sony said in August there was no need to cut the price of the PS Vita from the announced figure of 24,980 yen ($325) for a Wi-fi only model and 29,980 yen ($390) for a 3G plus Wi-fi version.

Australians are feeling the negative effects of natural disaster s and calamities on the national economy.

Australian gamers will have a reason to celebrate this season as Microsoft announced that it has slashed the price on its Xbox 360 and Kinect bundles by AU$50 in time for the Christmas season.

Sony announced that it will launch its next generation handheld device, the PlayStation Vita on December 17 in Japan but insisted that it will not reduce the price of the device despite its rival Nintendo slashing the price of its console.

Buggy or not, due to popular demand, we're giving a quick guide on how to install Minecraft 1.8:

Italian officials have confirmed meetings between government ministers and officials of China's investment arm early this month but denied that bond purchase was the agenda of the talks.

Australian consumers have regained their positive outlook in the present month, thanks much to the steady cash rate benchmark being implemented by the central bank in the past quarters plus the economic recovery posted at the close of the first half of the current year.

Coca-Cola Amatil has expressed plans to launch a legal action against the upcoming Northern Territory recycling initiative that would provide a $0.10 incentive for every plastic bottle returned to a beverage manufacturer.

The REIA has broken with other data providers in reporting growth in Australian property values for the June quarter.

On the eve of the Federal Government's October Tax Forum, new research from MYOB has found more than two thirds of Aussie business owners (71%) want the Business Activity Statement (BAS) simplified and three quarters (76%) want to have the GST rules reviewed and clarified; while over one third (33%) said that addressing these concerns would impact their voting intentions.

Microsoft gave developers a taste of its new OS at the company's Build conference on Tuesday in California when Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows team, offered a full preview of its upcoming Windows 8.

Indicating the difficult times Australian businesses are going through, insolvencies in the country rose 12.1 per cent in the June quarter, according to the latest survey by credit agency Dun & Bradstreet.

Australian flag carrier Qantas plans to get a larger cut of the Chinese passenger market by planning to bring five carriers to China, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

- Brokers pick up coverage on Collins Foods- Both UBS and Deutsche Bank rate stock as a Buy- Upside from continued solid same store sales growth- New store openings, refurbishments should also grow earningsBy Chris ShawCollins Foods ((CKF)) is one of Australia's largest restaurant operators, co...

By Greg PeelIn mid 2007, many were concerned over a growing credit problem in the US with regard to subprime mortgages.

The Australian Dollar has opened slightly weaker this morning as the FX markets continue to be driven by headlines out of Europe and the US.

FNArena has added another video to its Investors Education section on the website. In this educational broadcast, ATW's Jerry Simmons suggests all is not necessarily lost for equities just yet.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 44 points or 0.4% while the S&P gained 0.9% to 1172 and the Nasdaq starred with a 1.

U.S. stocks notched a second-straight day of gains Tuesday, led by the industrial and technology sectors, even as investors kept a cautious eye on the latest developments regarding Europe's debt woes

The NAB's latest survey of monthly business confidence and conditions produced the expected outcome: confidence crashed, while business conditions hardly moved.

Microsoft Corp. is unleashing next year Windows 8, its first operating system designed to work for personal computers, tablets and smartphones. But before the Redmond, Washington-based firm could extend its market dominance to mobile devices, it's possible that Google will launch a serious attack at Microsoft's forte: the desktop and laptops. Google, developer of the world's top-selling smartphone platform, will likely be an "Android" to PCs. It's not a question of if but ra...

Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) has awarded a US$300 million contract to HLG, one of the leading multi-disciplined contractors in the Middle East and North Africa and a subsidiary of the Leighton Group of Australia for a road improvement project.

Australia is expecting generally favourable winter growing conditions to lead to a large 2011-12 national winter crop.

The planned industrial action over a wage claim at Toyota Australia’s Altona manufacturing plant and Toyota Parts Centres in Melbourne and Sydney will undermine the stability and reliability of its Australian vehicle manufacturing operations, the car manufacturer said today.

Small businesses can downgrade energy costs through the installation of simple energy saving devices, new research has revealed.

Now, Nintendo President Satoru said in a briefing in Tokyo on Tuesday that Nintendo is hoping to woo female customers by unveiling a misty pink version of the Nintendo 3DS. Iwata also said that more features will be added, including a function that allows users to record movies in 3-D, changes to Street Pas Mii Plaza and eShop, and a 1,500-yen expansion slide pad.