BUSINESS

On the 20th of March, the grief-stricken Cyprus' finance minister asked for help from Russia.

Google's next version of the Play Store has been revealed on Droid Life, and a hands-on video demonstrates the tweaked look and deeper integration of the Holo-theme. Most of the layout is still same, many new pages are blank in this new look and it's easier to switch between searching for apps, music, books and videos.

Reports have emerged that Apple is tapping Japanese firm Sharp to supply the screen display that the tech giant will install on the rumoured iPhone 6, this time able to recognise handwriting using an ordinary pen.

There are now more than 1 billion unique users monthly for the video sharing site YouTube. That means 50 per cent of people who are on the Internet visits YouTube.

Samsung has officially rolled out the new Galaxy Pop, a quad-core Android handset that is exclusive for now to the South Korean market.

After a lackluster performance in the past four years, the South African housing market is now gaining momentum.

AstraZeneca PLC, the global pharmaceutical giant and the UK's second biggest drug company, informed that it planned to restructure itself by introducing downsizing program and reorganizing its global research and development operations.

Not surprisingly, the Reserve Bank of India has decided to cut interest rates for the second time since the beginning of 2013. The cut in interest rates is aimed at boosting growth and reviving investment in the former "Jewel in the Crown." However, the Reserve Bank of India underlined that other easing monetary measures would be difficult to introduce.

Newest data showed that China witnessed an increase in new home prices in 66 of 70 Chinese major cities in February, raising concerns over the prospects of economic growth. Unquestionably, the new leadership will have to face all challenges caused by increases in new home prices and real estate speculation.

At last, BBC Worldwide, the entertainment company, informed that after all it sold its Lonely Planet to NC2 Media for slightly over £50 million. Fortunately for Lonely Planet, it is now in hands of US-based NC2 Media which has plans what to do with it and how to run it to make it even more successful.

Sharp Corp., well known Japan's electronics maker, informed that a second investment from US chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. encountered some difficulties and therefore it was delayed. The delay in Qualcomm investment in Sharp was mainly driven by the inability of meeting terms of the original accord. Certainly, the setback will have an impact on Sharp Corp. which has been struggling to restore its balance sheet.

Now that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is out, all eyes and ears are attuned to the next big Android event and it’s quite big – the Galaxy Note 3. Naturally, rumours about the much-awaited handset abound and here’s a quick round up.

Australian dairy farmers are crying, not over spilt milk, but over lost income as they continue to be caught in the price war between supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles. Thus, while prices of milk in the international market soar due to the drought that hit neighbor New Zealand, the $1 per litre price tag at groceries continues to hurt their pockets and caused some farms to close.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 55 points, or 0.4%, while the S&P gained 0.7% to 1558 as the Nasdaq added 0.

-Focus on margin expansion-But at the expense of sales growth?-Broker sentiment divided on turnaroundBy Eva BrocklehurstDavid Jones ((DJS)) is transforming.

The lack of resolution in relation to the Cypriot bailout remained the main influence on regional markets on Wednesday. The Cypriot parliament has voted against levy on bank deposits by a margin of 36 to 0 with 19 members abstaining. Eurozone officials remain defiant that Cyprus must contribute to its rescue.

A study released by the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) on Wednesday has urged Australians, particularly those from West Australia, to take extra precautionary measures when travelling overseas, especially if it is to Bali, Indonesia.

Galaxy Grand Duos is getting an upgrade called Group Play that will allow for the smooth file sharing with compatible handsets using Wi-Fi channels.

Side by side, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 look identical and users will only notice the difference once they get the chance to explore what’s inside the guts.

When Samsung unwrapped the Galaxy S4 last week many experts greeted its body-make with disappointment. The plastic material was totally unsuitable for a high-end device looking to finally dethrone Apple’s iPhone 5, they bemoaned.

Taiwanese tech company HTC Corporation is delaying again the release of its flagship smartphone, the HTC One, due to parts shortage.

To meet Indonesia's target to become self sufficient in its beef meat requirement by 2014, Jakarta said it is considering running a cattle breeding farm in Australia. The Indonesian government pointed to lower production cost as the reason behind the plan.

Samsung intends to selectively deploy the upcoming Key Lime Pie from Google, a new report said, and only a few select high-end Galaxy models will eventually chew in the Android 5.0 once it hits the update channel.

The Australian sharemarket is falling for the third straight day, taking the losses for the week to almost 3 per cent. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.74 per cent and has slipped below the key 5000.0 point level for the first time this month.

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 commercial release already looming, another indicator emerged and declared that the iPhone 5S is almost upon us – sweet price cutbacks for currently the top-selling Apple smartphone, the iPhone 5.

By Greg PeelLast night Goldman Sachs global stock analysts in London downgraded iron ore producers BHP Billiton ((BHP)) to Neutral from Buy and Rio Tinto ((RIO)) to Conviction Sell from Neutral.

BBC Worldwide announced on Tuesday the sale of Lonely Planet, its travel guide business, for $75 million. The American company, NC2 Media, is the buyer.

Microsoft is offering a $100 fee to U.S. developers for every app they would write for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. There is a limit of 10 apps per Store, and the Keep the Cash offer promo runs only from March 8 to June 30, 2013.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed up 3 points, while the S&P lost 0.2% to 1548 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.3%.The Cypriote parliament last night voted to reject the eurozone proposal for a bail-out involving a levy on deposits, large and small.