BUSINESS

Apple concept store will open at the heart of Wellington.

AFTERNOON REPORT (4.30pm AEDT)The local share market posted its fourth win in a row today, kick-starting the trading week on a positive note. Investor sentiment remained buoyant after German and French leaders agreed to do all that is necessary to secure the recapitalisation of European banks. Share markets around the Asian region were generally positive, despite ratings agency Fitch cutting the credit ratings of Italy and Spain. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) gained 37.3pts or 0.9pct to 42...

New revelations published about the astronomical salaries paid to Qantas executives, including CEO Alan Joyce, have fueled further anger among Qantas pilots.

Max Payne has undergone a makeover in the years since Max Payne 2. He's shaved his head, ditched his trademark trench coat in favor of a wife beater and he's changed locations to Brazil. But underneath the cosmetic changes, Payne is still the same tortured noir hero gamers have played in two previous iterations and new developer Rockstar Games has kept the same fluid bullet-time combat that made the series a landmark in gaming.

The ongoing economic debacle in Greece is becoming more costly for the nation’s population.

Gold prices regained its footing on Monday posting a 1 percent uptick upon announcement that France and Germany are fast tracking updated fiscal strategies to alleviate the debilitating debt crisis affecting the Eurozone. The spot gold price is predicted to float between $1,596 and $1,677 during the day.

Australia’s suburbs are happy places to live, with 70 per cent of new homeowners saying they have a good or great relationship with their neighbour, a new survey has revealed.

Customers who look beyond the interest rate horizon when choosing a home loan often stand to benefit in the long run, according to Australia's largest independently-owned mortgage broker, Mortgage Choice.

Renewable energy is poised to grow faster than other electric generating alternatives, accounting for nearly one-third of the world's electric generating capacity by the end of 2035, with China and India projected to consume one-half of that energy growth. The burgeoning prices of crude oil and populist concerns over climate change are also seen to boost the shift to use cheaper and cleaner fuels.

Woolworths-owned BIG W discount department stores are recalling the Abode multi-functional blender purchased at stores nationwide due to a potential safety hazard.

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) Australia has invested $35 million in a new bottle production facility in Adelaide on Monday.

Employees at Toyota Australia’s Altona plant have rejected a new workplace agreement from the car manufacturer in a secret ballot.

Gold Coast start-up IT firm Cake Media launched on Monday an Australian social networking site named Family HQ. The portal, which used Microsoft's Azure software platform, promises more user privacy compared to current top social networking site Facebook.

Fast-changing consumption habits and a host of other factors could further push up food prices, according to a global food firm, which added that rising costs could spawn uprisings in many countries around the world.

The economic insecurities affecting most countries around the world had caused majority of Australian businesses to become more wary to the point of being pessimistic.

The Australian sharemarket is surprisingly holding up very well despite a fall in U.S shares on Friday. The All Ordinaries index (XAO) is up 1.1 pct or 46.4 pts to 4271.4, adding to the 3.8 pct gains recorded last week.

Amcor, BlueScope Steel, Boral and other major Australian manufacturers recently formed a new industry manufacturing group to oppose the proposed carbon tax.

First it was Standard & Poor's, then a fleet of private economists; finally it was the IMF delivering the bad news that everyone knows: developed Europe is in trouble and the various economies are sliding towards a new recession.

Two more tests approach for the slowing US economy.

More evidence yesterday that Australian consumers are spending solidly.

More evidence the Australian economy is better placed than all the business and consumer sentiment surveys have been suggesting.

In the current economic climate organisations cannot afford to relax their search for talent - it's a case of secure the best and brightest, or have yours taken.

The St. George Banking Group has named current RAMS head of franchise Clive Kirkpatrick as its new general manager of broking across St. George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA brands.

Home loan competition between the banks has primarily benefited high income earners, it has been claimed.

Medium and high density developments are set to trump those in the urban fringe, RP Data has suggested.

Aussie Home Loans has pushed its recruitment drive into WA, seeking to draw franchisees from both within and outside the financial services industry.

A Sydney real estate group has claimed a 20% spike in first homebuyer enquiries ahead of changes to stamp duty concessions in NSW.

- Barclays Capital suggests risks of a global recession are increasing- In such an environment commodities deliver variable performance- Cattle, hogs, gasoil and wheat most at risk in current environment- Platinum, cotton, lead, carbon and cocoa among the better placed commoditiesBy Chris ShawIn the...

While battling strikes from ground crew, baggage handlers, engineers and pilots, Qantas also signed on a contract on Thursday for the largest single commercial jet order in Australian aviation history worth $9.5 billion.