COMPANIES

Swiss drugmaker Roche has signed a spate of deals to further its genome analysis program.

Because of the rapid pace of growth of medical tourism, Australian insurers are starting to cover medical procedures done abroad. Yearly, about 25,000 Australians undergo cosmetic procedures overseas valued at $300 million, experts said.

AstraZeneca’s heart drug Brilinta prevents recurrence of heart attacks for a year.

After rejecting the $975 million divorce settlement cheque that her former husband, oil billionaire Harold Hamm, offered last week, Sue Ann Arnall came to her senses and had the cheque cashed.

The 101-year-old chocolate company, Ernest Hillier, entered into voluntary administration with the appointment of Col Cordis this week as administrator. That would mean Australian may soon miss the confectionary products sold by the oldest chocolate-maker in the country under the brand names Hillier's and Newman's.

Google has unveiled a working prototype of its self-driving Google Car in California. The vehicle looks like a little beetle pod with two large headlights and a nose at the front and rounded corners. Once ready, the car will be able to drive, stop for pedestrians, obey traffic signals, watch out for hazards - all without the need for a human driver.

Biogen has acquired Convergence for its portfolio of pain treatments and key drug for neuralgic pain.

Sanofi and Regenron have found that their Alirocumab treatment is successful in controlling bad cholesterol levels in patients.

The Raffles Hotel in Perth has officially banned Lycra shorts on its premised. The prohibition was because of the complaint of hotel guests that many cyclists who wear Lycra biking outfits are sweaty and smelly.

BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) has sought the permission from the federal government to increase the height of the walls of its tailings dam at its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia by 10 metres from 30 to 40 metres.

Lynx has featured a gay kiss on an Australian TV ad, and has earned praises for it.

Myanmar Deputy Finance Minister Maung Thein announced over the weekend the formation of the country's first stock market by October, the Yangon Stock Exchange.

On Tuesday, American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr lost the chance to earn a guaranteed purse of $120 million after a group of investors from the United Arab Emirates withdrew their offer made in November. The investors, which includes royals, were disappointed in Money May's lack of commitment to fight Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Separation from iPhone causes users to perform poorly on tests and feel disoriented.

Nico Roseburg teased his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton on social media as the latter turned 30 on Jan. 7th.

Formula One executives recently held a meeting in Geneva to discuss about the possible return of 1000hp cars in the sport.

Gogoro is a new energy infrastructure that could transform city transport in the near future.

The U.S. FDA has approved a new treatment for ovarian cancer from AstraZeneca

Genetics startup 23andMe has tied up with Genentech, a unit of Roche, to find a treatment for Parkinson's, which affects about 1 million people in the United States.

From sex slave to porn star - that is the career path that adult film company Vivid Entertainment is proposing to Virginia Roberts, the 30-year-old American woman who claims to have engaged in a sex orgy with Prince Andrew.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates drank on Wednesday water from a machine that converts the faeces into electricity, water and ash. He compared the water to as delicious as that from a bottled one.

Sports fans could kiss the dream match goodbye after the group of Abu Dhabi investors withdrew on the first week of January their $120 million offer for American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr to fight Filipino champ Manny Pacquiao.

Apple Inc (AAPL) stock is expected to rise with the growing iPhone market share. Analysts expect the new Apple Watch to be made available in luxury retailers.

Even before Indonesian officials confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crashed and is on the ocean floor, the embattled air carrier's share had plummeted 13 percent on new of its disappearance on Sunday.

Because of yearend revelry wherein Australians would consume alcohol or travel to other places, many adults would misplace their wallets and bags, resulting in lost credit cards.

More Australians are giving unwanted Christmas presents that is why for 2014, the number of such gifts rose to 20.3 million from 14.2 million in 2013.

Listed shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) had been named the most traded stock among retail investors in 2014. The stock split in June allowed small investors to trade more of the company's stocks.

Air Asia Flight QZ 8501 made headlines yesterday when the aircraft went missing en route to Singapore and now rescuers believe that the plane is now on the ocean floor.

Phil Dickson videotaped a FedEx truck spilling Christmas packages along Highway 40 in Colorado. The video has gone viral on YouTube.