COMPANIES

The temporary ban on cattle export to Indonesia failed to dampen the growth of the Australian Agricultural Company (AAco) which even registered a 40 per cent improvement performance that led into a $10.5 million net profit.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 8.9 will not hit the German market after all following an appeal court decision on Tuesday, finding the South Korean tech giant in clear violation of unfair competition laws.

Australian flag carrier Qantas was dealt another blow on Tuesday when rating agency Moody's Investors Service downgraded the air carrier's credit rating to Baa3 from Baa2. Moody's explained the cut in long-term senior unsecured rating of Qantas to expectations of ongoing pressure on the company's credit profile.

The ongoing price war between Australian supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths has led some MPs to seek a major amendment to the country's competition law. The legislators warned that the short-term benefits shoppers get from a 50 per cent price reduction on fruits and vegetables sold by Coles could mean disaster for the agriculture sector.

Australia's interest in Gina Rinehart, the nation's richest woman, continues to be fueled following her soon-to-be-completed acquisition of shares in Fairfax Media. Ms Rinehart, whose personal wealth is valued at $10.3 billion, wants a biiger piece in Australia's most influential media company.

The Kingdom of Thailand has agreed to Twitter's recent move to allow countries to censor tweets. Representatives from the Thai government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have said that they will be working with Twitter to implement this new policy.

While the rest of the tech world is buzzing about the rumored Galaxy S III model that is reportedly being revealed at next month's Mobile World Congress, Samsung went ahead and revealed a new model of the Galaxy S called the Galaxy S Advance.

Starbucks Corp., the world's biggest coffee-shop chain, which proved the world that there's nothing as paying too much for a cup of coffee, is planning to experiment with wine and beer, the two elixirs that Americans love.

Australia's stock market had not moved in pace with the rest of the Asia-Pacific markets on Tuesday and is seen to remain flat on Wednesday's trading, but some action will push media-related stocks led by Fairfax Ltd.

The Dow was in line for a fourth straight decline after a weaker than expected reading on consumer confidence erased early gains prompted by agreements designed to address Europe's sovereign-debt issues.

Megaupload users may never be able to re-access their files following the U.S. government's announcement late Monday that digital storage firms contracted by the shuttered company will begin deleting files Thursday this week.

Australian consumers are expected to benefit again from the renewed price war between supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths with price cuts of up to 50 per cent on certain fruits and vegetables.

Australia's retail sector will witness more shopping activities in the first quarter of the current year, according to the latest indicators summing up the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) CHEP Retail Index.

Apple has been identified as the biggest buyer of semiconductors in 2011.

Lacklustre trading is expected in Australian markets following the subdued overnight trading results in the U.S. and European markets still deeply embroiled in the debt crisis.

-- Likelihood of an early recovery in NEC's financial soundness has receded, due to a slowdown in profit improvements as well as costly structural reforms.

Tech companies have earlier forged an informal agreement that allows them to cap employee's salary through an invisible protocol that prohibits the hiring of workers still on active roll of each firm, reports said.

The past year proved as the year that Apple and Samsung intensified their rivalry, while former mobile phone leader Nokia further slid down and continue struggling, reports said.

Indian manufacturer Mahindra will make its first venture into Australia's passenger vehicle market in 2012 when it launches the XUV500. The seven-seat SUV joins the Mahindra Pik-Up, which will continue in its single and dual cab chassis and cargo body styles.

Australia's national road toll last year fell to its lowest level since 1946.

Research in Motion's game plan for the rest of the year was leaked online. The roadmap for the next 15 months reveals that RIM will launch new products later in the year culminating the first BlackBerry device running the new operating system in the latter half of 2012.

Apple Inc. posted record numbers for the last quarter of 2011 with sales of $46.3 billion a tech industry record.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said on Tuesday that it will seek an injunction from the Federal Court to stop Air Asia from publishing misleading advertisements.

Giant global miner Rio Tinto Group bought additional shares of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd for $283.71 million, giving it 51 percent stake on the mining firm that only a month before had maneuvered to thwart Rio's takeover initiatives.

Research in Motion Ltd. named a new CEO Friday replacing Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis at the helm of the troubled Blackberry Maker. As Thorsten Heins steps up to take the reins at RIM, the question is can he still do anything to revitalize the stumbling Research in Motion?

Nokia's gambit may be paying off as reports came out this week that its Lumia product lines breached the one million mark by the end of December last year, boosting the company's efforts to recover its lost ground soon.

Toyota has reportedly developed a way to produce its hybrid and electric vehicles without using scarce and expensive rare earth metals.

The Australian Stock Market has recorded early morning gains as of 10: 16 AM, the benchmark The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index is up 22.6 points, or 0.5 per cent, at 4309, while the broader All Ordinaries index is up 23.5 points, or 0.6 per cent, at 4247.7. Analysts are optimistic of the day's trading, sharing new leads and market insights.

Volvo is looking to partner with another car maker and share platforms in a bid to offer greater international competition in smaller vehicle segments.