Casio is working on a smartwatch, which it is preparing to release by the end of March 2016.

Facebook launched Moments, a new photo-sharing app, in the US last week. But it won’t be rolled out to Europe because it’s worried that European regulators will object to its use of facial recognition.

Apple is looking beyond mobile devices to learn how to make a self-driving electric car, and is talking to experts at carmakers and automotive suppliers.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore says a US senate report which found Apple used Ireland to avoid paying tens of billions of euro in tax is not an issue for the government.

Michael Moynihan on his week in the online terror underworld.

Jared Loughner, the man accused of killing six people and wounding then-US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in 2011, is set to plead guilty in a Tucson court tomorrow, a person familiar with the case said.

The Transport Minister has said that he is not aware of any deadline for the ratification of the EU fiscal compact, other than January next year.

BRITISH oil giant BP is pushing the US energy services firm Halliburton, to pay for all the costs BP incurred in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

OVER 160 new hi-tech jobs were announced by four IDA client companies yesterday, boosting the Government’s push to make Ireland a leading European technology hub.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde says European leaders have made "very good progress" on plans to resolve the eurozone debt crisis.

The US government is planning to sue some of the country’s largest banks over mortgage-backed securities they sold that lost value in the housing market collapse, according to reports.

Rupert Murdoch has said he will do “whatever is necessary” to prevent the phone hacking scandal occurring again, as his News Corporation conglomerate reported a rise in annual profits to $2.74bn.

THE FBI has opened an investigation into allegations that media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation sought to hack into the phones of 9/11 victims, according to a law enforcement official.

Political Correspondent Conor Ryan selects some of the best quotes in a week of political strife

Fast food restaurant Burger King, which has 500 outlets in the UK and a large number in Ireland, is in talks with private equity firms for a potential sale, it was reported today.

London: Independent News & Media (INM) seems to be moving closer to concluding the sale of its two London-based newspaper titles – the Independent and the Independent on Sunday – to Russian tycoon, Alexander Lebedev.

IRELAND is the most economically free country in Europe thanks to its low levels of corruption and competitive tax rates, according to a new report.

Stocks clawed back from early losses to post moderate gains as traders funnelled money into utilities and industrial stocks.

There is growing speculation today that Libertas leader Declan Ganley may enter the debate on the re-run of the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

CHINA wants all personal computers sold domestically to come with software that blocks access to online pornography, which it has banned, the main developer of the software has said.

American International Group (AIG) Inc said it is reviewing its operations and discussing possible options with outside parties to improve its business after a week when its stock dropped 45% amid concerns about the company’s financial underpinnings.

Barack Obama launched his strongest attack yet on his Republican rival John McCain as he accepted the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, US political pundits said today.

Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton’s pollster and senior strategist has left her campaign after it was disclosed he met representatives of the Colombian government to help promote a free trade agreement his boss opposes.

PLANS are in place to cut the red tape burden on Irish businesses by 25%, saving firms €500 million a year.

Wall Street finished higher in an uneasy session today as retail and homebuilders stocks rose on expectations for more interest rate cuts, but banks and insurers fell on worries about further mortgage debt troubles.

Thursday is a critically important date in the 2008 US presidential race, Evan Thomas and Richard Wolffe look at Iowa’s history as a graveyard for front runners and a launching pad for long shots.

Banking stocks ended the final full trading session of the year on the back foot today as fears over the sector’s fortunes sent shares down.

Rupert Murdoch moved closer to owning the Wall Street Journal today as the News Corp media conglomerate signed off on the £2.5bn (€3.6bn) deal, according to US reports.

Nicole Kidman has been left disappointed after her latest movie Fur was slammed by US critics, all but ending her hopes of gaining a third Oscar nomination.

Lacklustre earnings reports from Dow Jones industrials General Electric and Citigroup sent stocks nosediving on Wall Street today.

HONG Kong and Singapore are ranked the world’s freest economies - but they face a growing challenge from Ireland, according to a survey by the Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal.

THE US military death toll in the 2 1/2 year Iraq war reached the milestone of 2,000 last night with the announcement by the Pentagon of a US soldier who died at a hospital in Texas over the weekend.

Wall Street managed a moderate gain today in a volatile session that saw investors alternating between worries about interest rates and delight in a new wave of merger deals.

US stocks regained ground today as the market’s cautious optimism was restored by government data showing only modest inflation, better-than-expected corporate earnings, announcements of two merger deals and the report of a third.

US Food and Drug Administration expects to inspect Boston Scientific factory in the “near future” as part of its probe into the company’s coronary stent recall, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Delta Air Lines is plans to stop funding a special bankruptcy-proof pension program for executives.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Microsoft Corp has plans to inject stronger financial management into each of its seven business units.

The stock market stalled today, held back by a reported investigation of Boeing and profit-taking from Wall Street’s recent rally. Shares closed mixed in light trading.

Dozens of heavily armed police surrounded a Karachi court today for the appearance of the British Islamic militant who confessed to masterminding the abduction and murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl.

Armed police were today guarding an anti-terrorism court in Karachi, Pakistan, for a closed-door hearing of the British former public schoolboy who confessed to masterminding the kidnapping of murdered US reporter Daniel Pearl.

Lured once more by lower prices, buyers returned to Wall Street late today.

The managing editor of the Wall Street Journal has issued an open letter to the group he believes is responsible for kidnapping US reporter Daniel Pearl.

Fears are growing for a US reporter apparently taken hostage in Pakistan.

More than 24 hours after the first attack on New York, fires are continuing. It is now reported that the World Financial Centre is ablaze.