WORLD FINANCE UPDATE:
The Australian dollar has hit a fresh eight-month low after the New Zealand central bank talked down its own currency.
At 0630 AEST on Friday, the local currency was trading at 87.88 US cents, down from 88.05 cents on Thursday.
And the Australian share market looks set to open markedly lower after Wall Street fell more than one-and-a-half per cent.
At 0645 AEST on Friday, the December share price index futures contract was down 51 points at 5,320.
ELSEWHERE:
WASHINGTON - New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits have crept higher but the overall trend continued to head lower, the Labor Department has reported.
WASHINGTON - Business orders for long-lasting manufactured goods in the US fell by a record amount in August, dragged lower by a plunge in demand for commercial aircraft.
TOKYO - Standard & Poor's says it has affirmed its long-term sovereign credit ratings on Japan at "AA-" but the outlook remains negative, despite efforts to boost the nation's growth.
MADRID - Trade in sex and drugs has boosted Spain's economic output by nearly 10 billion euros ($A15 billion) in a year, new official data reveals.
SAN FRANCISCO - Google has fired back at media mogul Rupert Murdoch, disputing a News Corp complaint in Europe that the internet titan has veered from the path of doing no evil.
LONDON, Sept 25, AFP - Britain's bailed-out Lloyds Banking Group says it will sell another tranche of shares in its TSB division.
WASHINGTON - Apple has acknowledged a bug in its iPhone software update that caused users to lose cellular service, offering a temporary fix and a full update "in the next few days".
DUBLIN - Irish low-fare airline Ryanair says annual net profits will be at the top end of expectations, citing improved customer services and a new offering for business travellers.
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