POLITICS & POLICY

Carbon polluters in Australia will not be punished under the Abbott government's Direct Action plan. Prime Minister Tony Abbott's climate policy was not designed to be punitive, according to Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt. Unlike Labour's carbon tax policy, the Coalition government does not penalise companies that fail to comply with emissions targets. Instead of penalties, the federal government will offer generous and flexible compliance settlements.

Paul Hellyer, former Defence Minister of Canada, has claimed that aliens are not ready to share their technological expertise with earth people since they are disgusted with pollution and wars.

Egypt did not allow 61 Shia Muslims from Canada to enter the country

Besides rejecting same-sex marriages, Australia's homophobia reached a new high with the government rejecting the partnership visa application of a gay man born in Pakistan and in a relationship with a male Brisbane doctor.

After the Bureau of Meteorology has announced 2013 as the hottest year in Australia, the spotlight shines on Prime Minister Tony Abbott as critics seized an opportunity to call for a climate policy change. Richard Di Nitale, acting Greens leader, called Mr Abbott a "reckless ideologue who ignores the science." Mr Abbott was also accused of "listening to people who are part of the tinfoil hat brigade."

The Abbott government, a few months in power, appears to be headed to break some more of its election promises in 2013. One of them is that it would fall short by 200,000 jobs of its election vow to create 1 million jobs over five years.

2014 is going to be a different year for foreign workers in Canada as the country is going to execute a number of changes in federal rules with effect from the very first week of the year

The Conservative Canadian government has decided to ban incandescent light bulbs starting from 2014.

Apple has reacted to the allegation that it co-operated with the National Security Agency of the United States in compromising user data on iPhones

The suicide bomber who killed 16 people and injured dozens in the Volgograd railway station in Russia has been identified to be a woman in the preliminary investigation.

Mao Zedong was criticised by the Chinese president on the 120th birth anniversary of the iconic communist revolutionary of China on Dec 26.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called Jesus Christ as a 'Palestinian' messenger in his Christmas message.

WWII pilot Ken Wright receives surprise honorary rank from the Air Force

Air Force's support to the Australian Government relief efforts Operation PHILIPPINES ASSIST had concluded on Dec 20, 2013.

Same-sex marriage advocates in Australia are targeting 70 federal politicians to try and convince them to change their position on marriage equality in 2014. Some of the MPs on the list include Treasurer Joe Hockey and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

Ex-prime Minister Kevin Rudd will be summoned regarding the inquiry of the home insulation $2.5 billion, which started Monday in Brisbane.

New Zealand MP Maurice Williamson’s “gay rainbow” speech has been voted the quote of the year. Massey University has conducted a Quote of the Year competition, and the Pakuranga MP’s hilarious speech in defence of gay marriage has beaten other popular lines by Lorde and Man Booker prize winner Eleanor Catton.

China's campaign and crackdown to impose frugality and weed out corruption among its government officials have extended even to their dead.

The New South Wales (NSW) Parliament House located in Sydney, Australia faced a lock down on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013. Reportedly, the parliament has been locked down due to a bomb scare just outside the parliament. Also, a man armed with explosives has been reported to be present in the nearby area.

Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman, has just received a US$694.4 million (AU$784 million) loan from the U.S.' Export-Import Bank to develop the Roy Hill iron ore project in the Pilbara.

The Department of Defence confirmed $11.3 M Drugs nabbed in the Arabian Sea.

First Australia C-27 battlefield airlifter makes its maiden flight in Italy

Despite Edward Snowden's offer to help in the investigation of the U.S. government's alleged spying on Brazil and its people, the Brazilian government has no plans of granting the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor asylum.

China on Thursday announced that it will be building its fourth research base in the Antarctic, the Taishan summer field camp, according to the state-run China Daily.

Australia's network of legal centres is not happy with the Coalition government and Prime Minister Tony Abbott's decision to cut funding for the Environmental Defenders Offices (EDO). Mr Abbott cut EDO's $10 million worth of funds, which means the offices will not receive money from the government after July 1, 2014.

Snowden wrote an open letter to the Brazilian people offering his help for the investigation of the U.S. Government’s alleged spying on Brazil and its people Dec. 17, Tuesday. In return, he asks for a permanent political asylum.

Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook has met with U.S. President Barack Obama together with other top tech company executives like Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, among others, to discuss surveillance policies.

Environmental conservationists and growth advocates in New Zealand are currently at each other's necks over a planned construction of a monorail that will slice through the country's pristine forests and river made famous in the trilogy films "The Lord of the Rings."

Despite being listed offhand as a 'future reliable energy' in an issues paper released no less than by the federal government, Australia will not consider using nuclear power. Not now nor even in the future.