IBT Staff Reporter

Microsoft Corp. wants to block an effort for a shareholder vote forcing the world's largest software maker to explain its support for Internet network neutrality, according to a company letter obtained by Reuters on Tuesday.

The Japanese unit of Amazon.com Inc. said on Wednesday it was considering launching a virtual shopping mall, in a bid to snatch a share of the growing market from Web mall operators Rakuten Inc. and Yahoo Japan Corp.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group on Tuesday became the latest division of a major Hollywood studio to offer television shows, including the hit sitcom Friends, for sale on Apple Computer Inc's iTunes Web site.

Maybe it's the robotic dog resting in the corner or the R2-D2 Star Wars droid on the floor, but Tandy Trower's office is not a typical workstation found on the Microsoft Corp. campus.

South Africa needs $858-million to commence its stadium renovations for the 2010 World Cup finals, the organizing committee told parliament on Tuesday.

Hewlett Packard Co., the world's second largest computer maker, announced on Tuesday it had signed an agreement to purchase business software company Mercury Interactive.

Printer manufacturer Lexmark announced disappointing second quarter earnings as its net profit dropped due to lower consumer demand.

Zimbabweans are having a hard time handling their currency, literally. Due to stratospheric inflation, huge lumps of cash need to be carried around to perform daily transactions.

United Postal Services (UPS), the world's largest package delivery company, reported disappointing results for the second quarter and warned that earnings growth would be at the lower end of its guidance this year.

An oil leak found in a shared pipeline in Nigeria has forced oil companies to shut down their daily production of 180,000 barrels of crude oil.

Californian's across the state experienced electrical disruptions to homes and businesses, as temperatures soared on Monday.

A biofuel company will invest $1 billion to develop the biofuel sector in Africa, it was announced Tuesday.

Honda will begin to produce small business jets for the U.S. market in partnership with Piper Aircraft, the company announced Tuesday.

Britain's FTSE 100 share index closed higher on Tuesday as a surge in the cost of base metals boosted miners such as Xstrata, while steelmaker Corus rose on bid talk and reassuring results from a rival.

The collapse of yesterday's WTO trade talks in Geneva has resulted in mixed feelings for Africa as it faces an uncertain future of high tariffs, officials said on Tuesday.

A judge this week will decide if a $90 million 'click fraud' settlement proposed by Google is a just compensation for plaintiffs in a class action suit.

Nissan, the world's fourth largest carmaker, released its first quarter earnings for 2006 on Monday, announcing a slight increase in net profit despite a reduction in operating margin.

AT&T Inc., the largest U.S. telephone-service provider, released its second quarter earnings report for 2006 on Tuesday, highlighting stronger revenue growth due to increased contributions from Cingular wireless and its wire line operations.

Microsoft Corp. officials made official last Friday that the software giant is readying a portable music device, quelling rampant speculation. Though the new device, dubbed Zune, benefits from the technical expertise and financial backing of the software-giant, it needs more than technical success to hurdle competition.

AT&T Inc. on Tuesday posted higher quarterly profit, bolstered by strong growth in wireless and high-speed Internet services.

McDonald's Corp. on Tuesday said quarterly profit rose, helped by a popular Happy Meal promotion and strong European sales during the World Cup soccer tournament.

The Nikkei average rose 1.42 percent on Tuesday to end above 15,000 for the first time in more than a week as Tokyo Electron Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. climbed after strong quarterly results from U.S. chip firms boosted expectations of higher earnings at home.

Yahoo Inc., said on Monday named a top academic database expert to head its research team studying links between computer and human-aided Web search.

Intel Corp., which has been losing market share in computer processors to Advanced Micro Devices Inc., now looks better placed to weather a brutal price war that seems set to worsen.

Motorola Inc. on Monday unveiled several new handsets, including the Krzr and the Rizr, which are narrower than its flagship Razr.

UK stocks closed at their highest level in nearly two weeks on Monday as numbers from Vodafone boosted investor confidence at the start of a busy earnings week and concerns over the conflict in Lebanon eased slightly.

South Africa's MTN Group now owns 97.34 percent of MTN Uganda following a $55 million cash purchase on Monday.

Online mail-order DVD rental leader Netflix, announced it nearly tripled its profits for the second quarter. However investors were unconvinced, as the company's stock price spiked steeply lower in after hours trading.

Global trade talks have been suspended indefinitely after five and a half years of discussions failed to produce results.