AAP

US equity markets sank Monday after a three-week rally after a meeting of G20 finance chiefs failed to boost confidence that a solution to the eurozone debt crisis is near.

The woes of Qantas have worsened after a plane suffered engine trouble and Prime Minister Julia Gillard stepped back from possible government intervention in its union disputes.

Samsung has sought an injunction to stop Apple from selling its newly-released iPhone 4S in Australia.

The Australian dollar has hit a one month high after finance ministers from the world's wealthiest nations vowed to stop the European debt crisis from spreading.

Telstra Corporation shareholders are set to say yes to the telco giant's $11 billion deal with the federal government on the national broadband network (NBN).

Gloves and condoms maker Ansell has reported that pressure on some raw material costs is easing, but that other cost pressures are rising.

The Australian share market closed firmly in the black after a positive US lead, with materials and bank stocks leading the charge.

The federal government received departmental advice to work with the live cattle export industry to improve animal welfare standards rather than ban the trade, a parliamentary estimates hearing has

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she will remain prime minister at least until the next federal election, as two new opinion polls show the coalition would win if an election was held now.

Australia's corporate and securities watchdog has given the green light for Chi-X Australia to start operating the country's second securities exchange market on October 31.

A pick-up in borrowing by businesses is emerging as an argument against a cut in interest rates at the next monetary policy meeting of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Fortescue Metals Group is open to the possibility of a joint venture with Aquila Resources for the proposed Anketell Point port development in Western Australia.

Local and international celebrities, sportspeople and even some heavy-metal rock stars came together in Perth over the weekend for the annual Telethon event to raise a record $13,473,159 to help si

Super Retail Group has agreed to buy sports goods retailer Rebel Group for $610 million from private equity firm Archer Capital as the company seeks to expand in the leisure retail market.

The Australian share market opened more than 1.5 per cent higher, led by the big miners and banks after gains on Wall Street.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she can't yet intervene in a Qantas industrial dispute that has prompted flight cancellations across the country.

The Australian dollar surged more than one US cent to a one-month high on optimism that world finance leaders were close to announcing a comprehensive plan to tackle Europe's sovereign debt crisis.

US stocks scored their third straight week of gains on Friday as anticipation of a fairly solid third-quarter earnings season trumped worries about Europe and weak economic growth.

Qantas aircraft engineers have cancelled all industrial action for the next two weeks.However, strikes planned for Sydney airport for Friday have begun as scheduled.

The Australian dollar continued its climb above parity, after a tumultuous night offshore when ratings agency Standard and Poor's cut its credit rating for Spain.

Virgin Australia's boss has rejected claims that Qantas long-haul pilots earn 50 per cent more than Virgin's.

Leighton Holdings' Offshore division has been awarded a $US518 million ($A509.7 million) contract by Iraq's South Oil Company (SOC).

The amount of money Australians spend online is expected to swell to around $10 billion over the next five years, prompting large and small stores to position themselves for a piece of the pie.

Australian shares extended earlier losses to close lower following negative leads from US and European markets.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has warned businesses not to invest in carbon offsets, because a future coalition government will rescind the carbon tax.

The federal government has announced plans to update Australian copyright laws, to cope with the explosion of material published on the internet.

Iron-ore heiress Gina Rinehart has been given seven days to appeal a decision that refuses her bid to stop court action launched by her children over their multi-billion dollar family trust.

When Julia Gillard took over from Kevin Rudd last year, she set herself three key goals.

Jetstar has warned that prolonged industrial action by check-in staff could affect the budget airline's ability to offer low fares.

The federal opposition will back the government if it intervenes in the increasingly bitter row between unions and Qantas.

Protesters say they will target "war criminals and parasites" among Commonwealth leaders meeting in Perth later this month.

The Australian share market opened lower as investors looked beyond a potential plan from France and Germany to fix the embattled eurozone.