IBT Staff Reporter

Australians spend twice as much time working out their footy tips each week than they do planning their superannuation, a survey has found.

The Takeovers Panel has ordered the sale of Alinta's 10.25 per cent stake in the Australian Pipeline Trust (APT).

Sales of US existing homes in the last month likely fell to the lowest level in more than two years, according to a Reuters poll and National Association of Realtors data.

India has strongly urged Australia to change its nuclear policy and supply uranium to power its booming economy.

Telstra is set to oppose Prime Minister John Howard's plan to install former communications executive Geoff Cousins on the board of the telco.

Sony Corp. said Friday it will slash the price of its much-anticipated PlayStation 3 video game console in Japan by 20 percent, a decision deemed ridiculous by a Japanese financial expert.

Charter Communications introduced high-speed broadband service for customers this week, offering an upgraded security suite and some of the fastest down-stream rates in the country.

The worldwide PC market continued to expand at a healthy pace in the second quarter of 2006, although growth was slower than in recent quarters, according to recent data.

Apple heralded its official entry into the PC/TV convergence space with the announcement of the company's future iTV product in San Francisco last week, however it may face stiff competition from software giant, Microsoft Corp.

Speaking out for the first time publicly about the growing HP leak probe scandal, the company's CEO, Mark Hurd said on Friday that he knew a fake e-mail was sent to a journalist in an effort to root out the source of leaks at the firm.

Following the announcement of Adobe's next generation Acrobat software last Friday, the San Jose Calif.-based company showcased upcoming features and developments at several industry events, giving consumers and investors a look at its anticipated software.

BP Exploration said on Friday it will re-start production in a portion of the Eastern Operating Area of Prudhoe Bay following its earlier shutdown in August this year.

Wal-Mart said on Friday it will launch a 5-year plan to reduce the amounts of natural resources it uses for packaging by 5 percent.

The World Bank said on Friday it has approved a $13 million grant to reduce avian influenza threats on poultry in the West Bank and Gaza.

Apple Computer revamped its online media store, iTunes, last week, adding over 75 movies from four major Hollywood studios. However, a recent study indicates that the large following of iPod users, only a fraction obtain media from iTunes.

Shares in JetBlue Airways Corp. fell on Friday after the discount carrier lowered its earnings forecast amid weaker demand.JetBlue was the latest U.S. airline to highlight softening demand because of security concerns and a seasonal drop-off in traffic.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., fresh from cutting the prices on generic prescription drugs, is now taking on the packaging industry.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. disputed a report on Friday saying it was trying to dissuade movie studios from working with......

July saw the volume of total goods exports increase 11.6% on the same month last year while that of total goods imports rose 9.5%

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, the largest lender of mainland, will launch its initial public offer and become the first one offering the listing.......

Coles Myer's bold five year strategy that includes job cuts, brand integration, supply chain upgrades and hypermarkets may have scared off any potential predators, retail analysts said.

Souls Private Equity Ltd believes its current portfolio of 15 small to medium sized enterprises (SME) is well placed for continuing growth, after the group posted a rise in annual earnings.

Australia's Straits Resources Ltd plans to sell some of its Asian energy and trading assets in an initial public offering of around $US400 million ($A529 million) in Singapore in the fourth quarter, sources close to the deal said.

BluGlass Ltd will focus on proving that its technology to cut the cost of manufacturing gallium nitride is commercially viable after making a strong debut on the Australian Stock Exchange.

A new virus that targets users of Microsoft's MSN Messenger program has been identified by researchers, threatening to steal users banking and personal data.

Japan and six Gulf nations comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council began to discuss their bilateral free trade agreement during the first round of talks in Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Plexus Corp., an electronic manufacturing services company, said on Friday that talks have begun to purchase an additional manufacturing facility in Malaysia in order to meet the demands of its customers.

Hewlett Packard chief executive Mark Hurd said Friday that he is taking over as the company's chairman effective immediately, replacing Patricia Dunn, who was at the center of the company's spying scandal.

UAE-based Etihad Airways was voted the world's leading new airline for the third year in a row in the 13th annual World Travel Awards currently taking place in the Carribean's Turks and Caicos Islands.