IBT Staff Reporter

Australia's chief financial officers (CFOs) are pressing for shorter corporate annual reports, and they want them distributed over the internet instead of posted.

An interstate bidding war for workers has left state governments battling to meet soaring wage costs, with pay demands from public servants adding nearly $4 billion to employee-related costs this year.

A former AWB manager was accused by one of his colleagues of collecting $US16 million ($A21.3 million) in kickbacks from wheat shipments to Saddam Hussein's regime, the Cole inquiry has been told.

Telstra boss Sol Trujillo received a $1.5 million bonus for a strategy plan he paid a US company $54 million to develop, a report says.

AOL Chief Executive Jonathan Miller said on Wednesday that he expects Internet video-sharing Web site YouTube.com to overcome its business and piracy issues, and be acquired by a larger media company.

The world's largest software maker is suing the developer of a program that allows users to circumvent digital rights protection from Microsoft's Windows Media Audio (WMA) song format.

TAAG Angola Airlines joined Boeing's Component Services Programs on Wednesday, becoming the world's 22nd airline to join the leading aerospace company.

Japan will update its Containers and Packaging Recycling Law, the Ministry of Economy and Industry said on evening Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Microsoft unveiled the pricing of its anticipated external Hi-Definition DVD (HD-DVD) player to be released for its Xbox 360 gaming console.

The United Nations announced on Wednesday it will expand the access of its agricultural information to reach 37 of the world's poorest countries. This marks the second phase of a joint United Nations-private sector initiative to fight poverty and under-development.

The Republic of Congo must diversify its economy away from a high reliance on oil exploitation, the WTO stated in a report on Wednesday.

The market for mobile security products to protect user's hand-held devices and identity will expand to almost a $5 billion by 2011, new research indicates.

U.S. mortgage applications fell for the first time in four weeks even as interest rates dropped to a six-month low, an industry trade group said on Wednesday, offering more evidence the country's housing market slump is deepening.

Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it is teaming up with renowned movie director Peter Jackson to create a new game studio to create games for its Xbox game console.

Sales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in August but sales in July were weaker than first thought, while new orders for durable goods fell, according to government reports on Wednesday giving mixed indications about the economy's direction.

Intel, IBM, and other companies announced on Wednesday a proposal to enhance PCI Express technology, the system that allows data to travel between major components within a computer.

Comic book maker Marvel Entertainment has teamed with development firm Cryptic Studios to create a massively multiplayer online game, dubbed Marvel Universe Online.

AOL announced the latest version of its Winamp Media Player on Thursday, adding minor enhancements to the previous system, and includes two new features, the Winamp Dashboard and Remote.

The head of the World Trade Organization said on Wednesday that aid for trade is a key piece necessary for trade development and growth to occur.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. may repay 695 billion yen ($5.91 billion) in bailout aid it owes to the government earlier than expected, Japanese media reported on Wednesday.

Verizon Communications Inc. said on Wednesday it expects its upgraded fiber network project, FiOS to be in more than 50 percent of all households in the US by 2010 that are within the company's service area.

Hibernian Life & Pensions announced the beginning of a new advertising campaign to “highlight the importance of saving to sustain current lifestyle habits,”

Aviva Plc today announced the appointment of Tim Harris to the position of group chief accountant.

Nokia today announced that it had extended its WCDMA 3G network frame agreement with Taiwan Mobile (TWM), “to cover the Nokia High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) solution and the new Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station,”

Nokia today announced the launch of a new range of music phones at Nokia Theatre in Times Square, New York.

Barclays today announced that it had renewed its global title sponsorship of the Premier League.

Japan's Ambassador has urged the United Nations to lead global efforts in ending world conflicts in order to establish peace and promote economic development.

New minister of education Bunmei Ibuki said Wednesday it's not necessary to make English a mandatory subject at elementary schools in Japan.

In recent quarters, the semiconductor firm, Intel Corp, has put increased efforts in to processor efficiency, an area many believe rival AMD has taken the lead. However at this year's Intel Developers Conference, the firm is realigning its focus on performance once again.