Vittorio Hernandez

Africans are making a bid to be a major hub of mobile gaming. With more than 700 million mobile broadband subscribers in the entire continent, a growing number of young entrepreneurs are going digital and creating innovative and interactive content in their own home market.

The Australian High Court would hear a landmark challenge to the 30 per cent minerals resource rent tax (MRRT). The challenge, raised by West Australian mining tycoon Andrew Forrest of Fortescue Metals Group, would be heard by the court's full bench in 2013.

Although Karachi authorities assured the Pakistani importer of 21,000 Australian sheep that the animals suspected to be sick would be culled following international standard in exchange for withdrawing a court challenge, evidence indicates otherwise.

Experts believe that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will retain the current 3.25 per cent overnight cash rate when the central bank's monetary committee meets on Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday, Nov 6.

Local stocks received a boost in the afternoon session, after a volatile day which saw the main index see-saw between positive and negative territory. By close, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) was firmer by 10.3pts or 0.2pct to 4493.6.

The Australian sharemarket is off to a negative start, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.2 per cent or 10.6 pts to 4472.7. Almost all sectors are in the red; however the defensive telcos are up modestly. Telstra (TLS), the sixth biggest company on the local market is up 0.12 per cent or 0.5 cent to $4.09.

All eyes are on Australia's Melbourne Cup which will be held Tuesday afternoon with no less than British royals Prince Charles and Camilla attending the annual event.

Flava Works, creator of gay pornographic films which feature black and Latino men, has been awarded $1.5 million by a federal court in Illinois due to the damage caused by Kywan Fisher, who uploaded copyrighted gay porn movies using BitTorrent. The penalty is believed to be the biggest awarded in file-sharing cases.

A news application is on sale at Top Nine in Apple Store. Nick D'Aloisio, a 17-year-old Londoner has launched this news application called Summly for iOS users. He has so far received more than $1 million in funding from investors.

A dozen young blackbirds were found dead at a school playground in Cumbria, England. An investigation indicated that the avian creatures suffered from alcohol poisoning due the birds eating fermented berries.

The federal government of Australia will launch this November the National Digital Economy Strategy which aims to double the number of Australians who telework to 12 per cent by 2020. The roll out is part of the country's observance of Telework Week from Nov 12 to 16.

Besides planning to open another peer-to-peer file sharing site, former Megaupload owner Kim Dotcom is proposing the revival of the Pacific Fibre cable project.

Kim Dotcom announced on Friday plans for Mega, a service which will replace the file-sharing site MegaUpload.

The decision of Pentagon or the U.S. Defense Department last week to seek new contracts for its mobile phone needs brings to focus software security. Pentagon has a current contract with Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, but expressed openness to try other units such as those of iPhone and Androids.

Despite a positive start, local stocks ended Friday's session only modestly higher, as investors pared back ahead of a key US jobs report being released tonight and next week's local interest rate decision. After hitting 4507 points in early trade, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) finished the session only 3.4pts higher at 4483.3, a gain of 0.1pct. Over the course of the trading week, the XAO lost 0.3pct during extraordinary circumstances where Hurricane Sandy caused the New York Stock Excha...

Australia's federal government has teamed up with Facebook and Headspace and Project Rocket, a youth mental health group, to battle cyber bullying. They launched on Friday, Nov 2, the new campaign Be Bold and Stop Bullying.

The Australian sharemarket is improving modestly at lunch for the fourth time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up 0.2 per cent or 10.9 pts to 4490.8. Yesterday was the worst day for the local market in three months however, with equities slipping by 1.2 per cent due in part to unimpressive economic news in China.

Felix Baumgartner, the famous skyleaper from Austria, criticised the sending of missions to the planet Mars as a waste of money. He told the Telegraph the amount should have been spent more wisely.

Australia's agriculture sector is facing another headache in Indonesia, just weeks after it had lost the battle to Pakistan which culled 21,000 Aussie sheep.

The United States's Department of Defense or Pentagon is considering ditching its exclusive contract with Canada-based Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry mobile phone, in favour of new deals with makers of the iPhone and Android cellphones.

Nokia was the holder for several years of the crown of having the most number of mobile phone users in the world. It all changed with the introduction of smartphones, powered by the regal system iOS, and the democratic approach of the Android Project. Nokia has joined the fray with Symbian; however, the phone line ups with this OS didn't last long.

Windows Surface has been released recently together with new Windows version - Windows 8. A lot of computer brands likewise rolled out their own devices such as smartphones and notebooks with the new OS.

The Australian sharemarket pulled back for the first time this week, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) slipping by 1.2 per cent or 55.5 pts to 4479.9. Today was the worst day for the local market in three months and the XAO finished the session at its lowest point of the day.

The local share market is giving back yesterday's gains, with falls in energy, mining and financial stocks contributing to the sell-down. Overnight, Wall Street resumed trade for the first time since Friday night, with the Dow Jones Index finishing modestly lower. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down 32.3pts or 0.7pct to 4503.1.

Australian researchers are seeking 100 women willing to be part of a clinical trial of Tefina, a testosterone gel in the form of a nasal spray to boost sexual arousal of females. The trial, which would also be conducted in the U.S. and Canada, would need subjects between the ages 18 and 49.

A report released by the federal government on Thursday estimated that Australia would need to import 100 million tonnes of carbon abatement to meet the country's greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Mining giant BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) announced on Thursday that it will pilot test the use of robot trucks at its Jimblebar iron ore mine in Pilbara. The company will use by late 2013 between 12 and 15 automated Caterpillar trucks, BHP head of Iron Ore and Coal Marcus Randolph disclosed.

With Windows 8 launched late this October and several famous brands such as Lenovo, ASUS, Dell, and Microsoft itself releasing new devices that will run on the new OS, Samsung has made a new line of devices exclusively using Windows 8, which make this set of devices sync to each other. Samsung will tap in this new generation of Windows together with its features and amazing power.

Microsoft has officially launched the new version of Windows Operating System - the Windows 8, and many users of Windows have experienced and still more are experiencing the feeling of the OS.