COMPANIES

Samsung phones topped the list of bestsellers in Australia in the September quarter on the back of demand for the Galaxy SII and its stripped-down versions.

Samsung intends to line up its Galaxy product lines for the much-awaited update to the new version of the Android mobile operating system, the Android 4.0, by the first few months of 2012.

Australian mining giant BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to sell its 51 per cent stake in the Chidliak diamond exploration project in Canada to Peregrine Diamonds (TSX: PGD).

The local share market is seeing a broad based recovery today, thanks to strong leads from US and European markets overnight on positive economic data. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 81.4pts or 2pct to 4188.5 mid-session.

Fusion Garage has been playing a game of hide-and-seek with its customers. It hasn't fulfilled orders for its Grid10 tablet, the company's Twitter page and website hasn't been updated in weeks and its executives have maintained a radio silence about what's going on with the company. Is Fusion Garage shutting down?

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has reportedly snatched up Twitter shares on Monday amounting to $300 million.

AT&T announced on Monday that it has officially withdrawn plans to acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom, effectively ending the $39 billion merger deal that the two telcos sealed earlier this year.

If rumors are to be believed Apple Inc. will be releasing a mini iPad in addition to the next generation iPad 3 next year. According to Digitimes, a 7.85 inch iPad will be released before the fourth quarter of 2012 and the new iPad at the end of the first quarter.

From Morrison Securities Pty. Ltd. U.S. stocks rallied as domestic home building jumped to the highest level in nearly two years and another successful Spanish debt auction buoyed investor sentiment.

More kids aged 6 to 13 are receiving money as Christmas gifts instead of boxed presents. Market research firm Roy Morgan, in a report released on Tuesday, said 66 per cent of young Aussies get cash as Christmas present, up from 62 per cent in 2007.

Orica (ASX: ORI) seeks to end Wesfarmers' (ASX: WES) monopoly in the manufacture of explosives in Western Australia by planning to build a $700-million ammonium nitrate plant in Pilbara through a joint venture with U.S. energy firm Apache.

Woodside Petroleum (ASX: WPL) sought permission for the West Australian (WA) government to postpone its decision on the proposed and controversial $30 billion Browse liquefied natural gas (LNG) project to 2013 from mid-2012.

Australian supermarket giant Woolsworths (ASX: WOW) bought 31 pubs worth $500 million across New South Wales.

Stocks of Billabong International Limited (ASX: BBG) fell 34 per cent after the Gold Coast firm forecast lower earnings for the first half of the financial year and issued a profit downgrade due to the chilly summer weather.

Yanzhou Coal Mining of China is in an $8-billion merger talks with Gloucester Coal of Australia. In anticipation of the takeover, Gloucester (ASX: GCL) will halt trading on its stocks on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks fell Monday after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi made cautious comments on the state of Europe's economy and as bank stocks sagged in expectation of tighter capital standards.

Canadian gold and iron miner Eldorado Gold Corp. wants to buy European Goldfields Ltd. in cash and shares worth $2.4 billion, in an effort to add its gold reserves.

About 4,000 litres of sulphuric acid leaked on Friday from the Foreshore Road Plant of Orica in New South Wales (NSW). It was the sixth industrial accident to hit the chemical manufacturer since its Kooragang Island plant suffered a carcinogenic chemical spill over the Newcastle suburb of Stockton in August.

If you want your car to be innovative within an upmarket-yet- affordable range, then the Kia Rio is the perfect ride to invest on.

A New Zealand air force plane on Monday dropped fuel and pumping equipment beside a Russian fishing vessel stranded in an Antarctic ice shelf and taking on water because of a hole in its hull.

A drilling rig with 67 people fell into the icy Sea of Okhotsk off Russia's far eastern island of Sakhalin on Sunday while it was being towed amid rough waters. The accident killed four people and 50 were lost at sea.

Qantas has ended its industrial dispute with aircraft engineers after both parties agreed to a 3 per cent annual wage increase for the next three years. However, the other demands of the Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) such as the construction of a new engineering hangar, was rejected.

Australian miners such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto and the country's steel industry are to be affected by the weaker metal demand in China for 2012.

Days after menswear store Fletcher Jones announced the closure of several outlets, the weak retail environment claimed another victim. Giant Myer (ASX: MYR) announced on Monday it would shutter in 2012 weak performing chains.

Australians are searching for wide and various things through Google. This could be the best way to describe the 2011 “most googled” list of Australia released by the giant search engine.

An Australian eBay user discovered an online merchant’s database – with her name, phone number, and address – after doing a Google search for her name.

Insurance Australia Group will buy New Zealand's second-largest general insurer AMI for $290 million. However, the purchase excludes all of AMI's liabilities related to the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011.

Ford is ending production of its once vastly popular small half-truck, the Ford Ranger, which it admitted became the unwilling victim of in-house competition.

A firm based in Seattle specializing in caller identification technology has sued Apple Inc. for patent infringement alleging that the latter is illegally using its inventions on iPhones.