BUSINESS

Quickflix, the Australian counterpart of US-based Netflix -- which is known for its online DVD rental service -- is expected to launch in New Zealand on Thursday.

Australian stocks closed at their highest levels in almost five months today as investors snapped up financial and consumer stocks, encouraged by commentary from the Reserve Bank of Australia. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose above 4400 for the first time this year, adding 39.8pts or 0.9pct to 4431.4 while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) firmed by 42.2pts or 1pct to 4343.5.

News is out that teenage heartthrob, Justin Bieber, is looking to by a million dollar mansion in Calabasas, California. Now what’s up with the hefty prized mansion and who is the 18-year old planning to take home? Wasn’t it just last month that Bieber supposedly bought a love pad for his girlfriend, Selena Gomez? With all the mansions the Bieber is deciding to buy, how much money did his single hit, “Boyfriend” roll in?

Researchers at Deakin University, in Victoria, have found that eating less than the recommended amount of red meat is related to depression and anxiety in women.

Apple has insisted Wednesday that its marketing ploy for the new iPad led not Australian buyers into believing that the tablet computer will be able to connect on Telstra's 4G network.

Miners at Bowen Basin, jointly-operated by BHP Billiton and Japanese firm Mitsubishi, have walked off from their work details Tuesday night following the collapse of negotiations that union leaders said was caused by management's behaviours.

Well, today Peter Mericka had his day in court only to find that it appears that Sifris J of the Supreme Court of Victoria decided "Lawyers Real Estate Have Been Breaking The Law".

The 'pink slime' maker hung up operations at all Monday, but one plant where the beef ingredient is made; acknowledging recent public uproar, over the product has cost the company business.

Procter & Gamble (P&G), the corporate conglomerate which recently bought out organic supplement and vitamin company New Chapter (http://www.naturalnews.com), has a long and extensive history of engaging in cruel animal testing on its portfolio of products.

Xstrata won its legal battle against environmentalists and farmers to operate the open cut mine in Surat Basin in southern Queensland. The legal victory for Xstrata came after a court ruled that environment change is not sufficient reason to stop the development of one of the biggest coal mines in Australia.

Shares in agricultural chemicals supplier Nufarm were sold off sharply in yesterday's solid market, despite the company reporting a solid interim profit.

Out of the blue, earnings downgrades for the 2011-12 financial year have started appearing, less than a month after the interim reporting season ended.

Rio Tinto has joined rival BHP Billiton in reviewing its increasingly minor involvement in the diamond industry.

Covert operations reportedly sanctioned by ranking officials of global media firm News Corporation were responsible in undermining the operations of the company's competitors in Australia, according to the investigative works of The Australian Financial Review (AFR).

Thailand is wooing struggling automotive companies in Australia to move their operations to the former. Visiting Thai Deputy Secretary General Duangjai Asawacintachit, who heads the Board of Investment, said Thailand's solid economic growth and free trade links to other Asian nations offered wide opportunities for Aussie firms.

Cooper Brewery Chairman Glenn Cooper called for new laws to stop the duopoly in the supermarket industry and protect local owners of farmlands. He specifically blamed Woolworths and Coles, which have engaged in a price war to the detriment of Australian farmers

FNArena has added another video to its Investors Education section on the website. In this latest video, ATW's Jerry Simmons explains why he is keeping a close watch on crude oil futures.

By Greg PeelThe Dow closed down 43 points or 0.3% while the S&P lost 0.3% to 1412 and the Nasdaq dropped 0.

A recent news report by Bloomberg reveals that Microsoft has plans to finish the work on Windows 8 this summer and it will be available in the market by October this year.

Many people were delighted when Apple released its newest tablet offering in the market called the "new iPad". One of its defining features is its 4G capability but Australians are not really delighted with the new iPad from Apple.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is one of the highly-anticipated smartphones in the market and even before any official announcement has been made, there are already speculations about its specifications and availability in the market.

An Australian commission has accused Apple Inc. of misleading promotions in advertisements for its new iPad.

Following BHP Billiton's earlier move to divest all from its diamond business, Rio Tinto is also undertaking a review of its diamond operations leading to a possible divestment of its assets in Australia, Canada and India, which seemed no longer fit to its business strategy.

Federal authorities have decided to prevent Huawei Technologies of China from playing any active role in the $38 billion roll out of the national broadband network, citing internet security issues.

Encouraging comments from US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has seen the Australian share market post solid gains in early trade. Chairman Bernanke hinted in a speech to US economists overnight that the Fed remains committed to keeping interest rates in the US low. He also hinted at a third round of economic stimulus, which saw the broader S**9**amp;P 500 Index in the US hit four year highs during New York trade. Early in the local session, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 34.1pts or ...

An investigation by Australian federal law enforcement agencies suspect Western Union money remitters of helping move millions of drug money out of the country the past five years.

By Greg PeelAfter a flurry of activity the week before last, which might have signalled renewed interest in spot uranium at the lower price, last week activity levels fell back to minimal again.

Two early strikes from Brett Lee proved the key as Australia beat the West Indies by 30 runs in St Lucia on Sunday and in doing so squared the five-match series two-all.

By Kathleen Brooks, Research Director, FOREX.comToday Ben Bernanke "surprised" the market by giving an incredibly dovish speech to an association of business economists in Virginia.