COMPANIES

The administrator of candy retailer Darrell Lea said on Thursday that it will shutter 32 out of 66 outlets which are losing money. The move would cause about 200 store workers to lose their jobs.

There is a looming war between poppy growers in Tasmania and Turkey. However, it is not similar to drug battles fought in Columbia, Mexico or other illegal drug-producing areas.

The official countdown begins as Microsoft said on Wednesday that its numerous tinkering and testing on the new Windows 8 and Windows RT have been completed.

Major changes were made in Australia's union movement after the president of the scandal-rocked Health Services Union (HSU) resigned on Wednesday. To make his departure from the union more dramatic, HSU President Michael Williamson quit via a text message.

Microsoft has unveiled plans to retire its Web-based e-mail service Hotmail, replacing it with the social media-integrated Outlook that is currently in preview play and readily accessible to millions of existing Microsoft e-mail patrons around the world.

In an apparent confirmation that Australia's mining sector is moving on a slower lane, mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) plans to cut jobs in Melbourne and close an office in Sydney.

He would have made a fine Yahoo ship captain but Ross Levinsohn, who twice missed the chance of becoming CEO of the Internet firm, is finally leaving the company that he served for close to two years.

There appears to be some truth to warnings from industry experts that the mining boom is headed for a slowdown. One evidence is that a new report released on Tuesday found that only one-fourth of Australian mining firms plan to invest in major projects in .the next 12 months.

The smartphone market will continue to grow, analysts said, but at a slower pace compared to previous years when the gadget’s introduction reaped billions of revenue to key global players.

Telstra Corporation said on Friday that upward adjustments on its home and mobile communication will be implemented effective at the start of October 2012, according to a blog post by the country’s premier telco.

Samsung disclosed on Friday that its overall operations in the three months leading to end of June netted $US5.9 billion, 70 per cent of which contributed by its Galaxy smartphone product lines.

A report by Fairfax Media claims that Thalidomide, the drug which caused thousands of babies to be born with congenital defects, was initially tested on pregnant Australian women.

The local share market closed higher today, boosted by company news and a lift in energy and banking stocks. By close, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) was up 22.4pts or 0.5pct to 4173.8.

Hybrids without batteries, remote Honda EV apps and personal car-sharing hitches a ride with GM's OnStar.

Again, Apple created the same amount of market buzz that normally accompanies its quarterly results but this time around, apprehensions ruled investors’ sentiments instead of the usual excitement that had marked the tech titan’s previous financial reports.

The local share market is tracking higher in the early session, boosted by company news and a lift in blue chip US shares overnight. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 10.8pts or 0.3pct to 4162.2.

Coles gained the upper hand in its battle for the number position with Woolworths as the number one supermarket by reporting on Thursday a yearly sales growth of 6.1 per cent to $33.7 billion.

The iPhone first released in 2007 was based on a personal digital assistant units produced by Sony in the prior years, according to a new court filing by Samsung in reply to Apple’s allegations that Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones designs were made to look and feel like the million-selling Apple mobile phone.

Local stocks ended slightly lower today, recovering from heavy losses earlier in the day on the back of a tame inflation report. The core inflation data (CPI) was released today, showing a 0.5pct rise in the June quarter, for an annual increase of 1.2pct, showing inflation in Australia is well and truly contained. By close, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) was down 9.8pts or 0.2pct to 4151.4, off its earlier lows of 4114pts.

The South Australian police busted the illegal operation of a group believed to be responsible for the $2 million theft of car parts owned by GM Holden, which were pilfered from the carmaker’s Salisbury East assembly facilities in Elizabeth.

The Australian share market opened lower this morning after overseas markets continued to fall overnight. The concerns over European debt, growth and miss management continue to rock market. Weaker than expected European manufacturing data and more drama in Greece also added to the pain.

Apple practically confirmed Samsung’s stature as currently the biggest smartphone maker in the world but that reputation was tarnished, the tech giant insisted, when the South Korean firm “chose to compete by copying Apple.”

National Australia Bank (NAB) announced on Tuesday that it will increase on July 30 its interest rates on business loans by 20 basis points. The bank explained it had to hike rates because of strong competition for deposits and higher funding costs.

Local stocks managed to finish in positive territory today, as investors embraced better than expected Chinese economic data and as merger and acquisition activity boosted retail players. By close the All Ordinaries Index added 2pts to finish at 4161, a pretty positive outcome given the weak offshore lead and fact the market was trading down to the tune of half a percent at one stage during the day. The benchmark ASX 200 Index (XJO) added 4pts or 0.1pct to 4133.2.

he Australian share market remains in the red in the early session, but importantly the selling isn't as significant as what we saw on US and European markets overnight. Investors there sold out of equities on ongoing concerns about the Eurozone debt crisis and after companies missed earnings expectations, including bellwether McDonald's. Locally, investors are treading water ahead of the release of the flash HSBC manufacturing gauge out of China, and a speech by RBA Governor Glenn Stevens...

There is no stopping Apple and Samsung from waging their legal battles as top executives by both firms failed anew to seal a deal that could end their year-long conflict, according to reports by Reuters.

More charges of Health Services Union (HSU) funds misuse were confirmed Monday on union officials, similar to charges made by HSU Executive President Kathy Jackson on embattled MP Craig Thomson.

A UBS forecast that banks in Australia would axe several thousands of positions over the next two years was validated by a National Australia Bank (NAB) executive on Monday.

The more than two weeks industrial action at Coles warehouse in Somerton, Melbourne finally ended on Monday night. The workers agreed to terminate their strike, lift the barricade and accept the wage increase offer from Toll Holdings, the operator of the largest warehouse of Coles in Australia.