IBT Staff Reporter

Chinese state-owned metals trader China Minmetals Corp is looking to buy gold mines in Australia and Canada, a senior executive said on Thursday.

Global miner BHP Billiton acknowledged on Thursday that it and other iron ore producers had at times upset their major customer China and said that Beijing realised it had to play with the big boys.

Microsoft is working on a new operating system that will be targeted at corporate customers, Acer's chairman said on Thursday, as the software giant launches its next-generation Windows 7.

Acer Inc, the world's No. 2 PC maker, expects revenue to grow about 70 percent to $30 billion in three years, helped by growth in the PC and handheld devices sector, the company's chairman said on Thursday.

Japan Airlines' net loss may balloon to about 500 billion yen ($5.5 billion) for the year to March as the heavily indebted carrier, Asia's largest by revenue, plans to book hefty restructuring charges, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday.

British oil and gas services company Petrofac Plc said it was confident it would deliver full year earnings growth of at least 20 percent after continued contract wins and healthy bidding activity.

The global downturn finally caught up with telecom gear maker Ericsson on Thursday as it posted falling sales and lower-than-expected quarterly core earnings.

GVT, the Brazilian telecommunications company target of a takeover attempt by two global rivals, said on Wednesday third quarter net income rose on new phone and broadband lines after a loss a year earlier.

Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management is planning to take gun maker Freedom Group Inc public in a $200 million initial public offering, according to a regulatory filing.

Boutique investment bank Imperial Capital Group Inc is planning to raise as much as $150 million in an initial public offering.

Nestle SA, the world's biggest food group, met forecasts with nine-month organic sales growth of 3.6 percent after a disappointing first-half 3.5 percent, and upped its share buyback.

South Korea's Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC) agreed to buy Canada's Harvest Energy Trust for C$1.8 billion ($1.7 billion), the Canadian company said on Wednesday.

Bank of America Corp agreed to sell First Republic private bank to a group of private equity investors.

The European Union told Oracle Corp on Wednesday that it has failed to produce hard evidence to placate concerns that its purchase of Sun Microsystems Inc would hurt competition.

Asian shares fell on Thursday amid disappointment that robust Chinese growth data offered few surprises, but the dollar gained some respite as an expected shift to higher-yielding currencies failed to materialize.

Adds dropped word not in paragraph 8 to clarify the reviewer regretted not having tested on more hardware

The world's first copy of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, has been bought by an Australian early on Thursday morning, ninemsn reported.

Google Inc has suspended the services of investor relations firm Market Street Partners -- the tiny firm federal investigators said tipped off hedge fund traders on Google's 2007 earnings.

Computer makers hoping for Microsoft Corp's new Windows 7 operating system to free up a long-awaited corporate spending spree may have to wait until the second half of next year.

China's economic growth picked up as expected last quarter as a potent cocktail of breakneck investment and buoyant bank lending more than made up for a slump in exports, the government said on Thursday.

The Aussie dollar held on to 0.9190 during European exchange with this level becoming somewhat of a key short term technical support as it was the third time in 24 hours the AUD bounced from there.

Microsoft Corp and Google Inc secured separate agreements to access real-time content from Web phenomenon Twitter, intensifying their battle for a search market that Google dominates.

A key U.S. lawmaker threw his support behind the Federal Communications Commission's open Internet proposal, despite renewed protests from telecom companies including Verizon on Wednesday.

EBay Inc forecast results for the fourth quarter at the low end of Wall Street estimates, disappointing investors who were hoping for a substantial turnaround for the holidays, and its shares down 5 percent.

The Galleon Group, caught up in the largest-ever hedge fund insider-trading scandal, is liquidating its funds even as investors enjoy one of the firm's best years.

Japan Airlines' (JAL) net loss may balloon to about 500 billion yen ($5.5 billion) for the year to next March as the struggling carrier, Asia's largest by revenue, plans to book hefty restructuring charges, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday.

Overcoming an entrenched corporate culture is the biggest question mark for General Motors Co management as it tries to maintain viability following its near failure this year, the former chief of the Obama administration's autos task force said on Wednesday.

Noble Corp reported 11 percent quarterly profit growth as its deepwater rig fleet remained in demand despite a broader slowdown in drilling, which the company expected to turn around next year.

Somer Thompson, 7 was still missing on Wednesday, two days after she vanished when she was on her way home from school in Orange Park, Florida.