Breaking news business
February retail sales 'relatively flat'
GARRY SHILSON-JOSLING 12:04am Retail spending was relatively flat in February, according to an indicator measuring electronically processed sales.
Toyota says training lapsed amid growth
12:04am Toyota's training of workers to maintain quality control failed to keep up with the company's rapid growth, its president Akio Toyoda said in an interview.
ABC Learning creditors to decide wind up
DAVID BARBELER 8:19pm ABC Learning creditors will meet in Brisbane late next week to decide whether to take heed of administrators' advice to wind up the group of companies.
China Mobile hopes to reach iPhone deal
11:14pm China Mobile says it hopes it will soon reach a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone, several months after rival China Unicom launched the smartphone.
China orders Boeing safety checks
7:09pm China has ordered its airlines to make safety checks on more than 400 aircraft made by US giant Boeing, due to concerns over possible problems with tail flaps.
Moody's warns of resources spending risk
XAVIER LA CANNA 6:29pm Ratings agency Moody's says a huge spending splash planned by Australian resources firms could lead to cost over-runs because of increasingly scare labour.
Bank hoses down claims on recovery
ALISON BELL 6:29pm Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd has hosed down claims that securitisation markets have recovered enough to lift bank competition.
ETrade launches online global trades
5:49pm ETrade Australia has launched a pilot program offering clients Australia's first online trading access to global equity markets.
Foxtel CEO slams ABC news channel plan
JORDAN CHONG 5:39pm Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams has criticised the ABC, targeting its proposed new 24-hour news channel and its chairing of Freeview.
Ex-Macquarie banker sentenced to jail
DREW CRATCHLEY 5:44pm A former Macquarie banker was running from allegations of wrongdoing by ASIC when he tried to flee Australia earlier this month, a court has found.
OZ Minerals explores Cambodian gold
XAVIER LA CANNA 4:54pm OZ Minerals says early work at its Cambodian gold project has found an inferred resource of 605,000 ounces, spurring it to continue more exploration there.
Nissan to make Leaf electric cars in UK
4:44pm Nissan Motor will start building its Leaf electric car at its UK plant from early 2013, the Japanese car maker said, saving more than 2,000 jobs.
Sydney plant closure leaves 115 jobless
4:29pm More than 100 Sydney workers are set to lose their jobs as an international car parts manufacturer sends its operations offshore.
Nestle drops Sinar Mas on green claims
4:39pm Indonesian palm oil giant Sinar Mas has rejected claims of environmental vandalism after Nestle, the world's biggest food company, dropped it as a supplier.
Macarthur joins quarterly coal pricing
5:39pm A quarterly pricing system for metallurgical coal looks more likely to be adopted permanently after Macarthur Coal said it would use short-term pricing.
Quickstep to supply fighter parts
3:49pm Perth firm Quickstep has signed a manufacturing licence agreement with US firm Northrop Grumman to supply parts for the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter.
Air NZ to cut Tasman, Pacific fares
3:24pm Air New Zealand said it is cutting the price of lead-in fares as part of a restructuring of its Tasman and Pacific Island services.
Rental vacancies fall in NSW metro areas
2:54pm Vacancy rates for rental properties in major NSW cities have fallen for the second month in a row as the supply of housing tightens.
ConsMin slams JP Morgan fees after win
2:19pm Consolidated Minerals' president has criticised JP Morgan's "excessive contractual terms" after the investment bank lost a $50m court case against the miner.
Qld makes sustainable recovery: Fraser
2:09pm The Queensland economy is making a sustainable recovery, with mining development crucial to growth, Treasurer Andrew Fraser says.
NZ consumer confidence slips in March
1:54pm Consumer confidence slipped slightly in New Zealand in March, the ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence survey says.
Pay-TV sector still growing, says ASTRA
1:29pm Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association head Steve Bracks says the pay-TV industry is growing, despite a "stagnant regulatory environment".
iiNet confident it will defend appeal
1:24pm Internet service provider iiNet Ltd says it is confident it will succeed in defending an appeal in its legal stoush over illegal downloading.
Minemakers to list on Namibian bourse
1:19pm Phosphate miner Minemakers Ltd plans to list in May on the stock exchange of Namibia, where it has marine phosphate projects.
Leighton Contractors appoints new MD
1:25pm Leighton Holdings Ltd says Craig Laslett has been appointed managing director of Leighton Contractors, effective from September.
Virgin Mobile punished for sending spam
1:19pm Virgin Mobile Australia will pay the media watchdog $22,000 after it sent email promotions to people who had opted out of receiving marketing material.
Australia is 'economic envy of world'
1:09pm Australia is positioned enviably in the global economy but growing ties to China also expose it to risks, a US-based economist says.
Sigma unlikely to pay H2 dividend
1:09pm Drugs maker and distributor Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd says it looks unlikely that it will be able to pay a dividend in the second half of its fiscal year.
CBH recommends revised Toho proposal
12:04pm CBH Resources Ltd's independent board committee has recommended Toho Zinc Co's bid for a stake in 49.9 per cent of the miner.
BHP Billiton cautious on world economy
12:04pm BHP Billiton Ltd is cautious about the state of the world economy and is warning governments to be careful about tax changes and winding back stimulus packages.
