POLITICS & POLICY

Earlier speculations linking Janet Lim-Napoles, the pork barrel scam queen, with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, was further fueled on Wednesday after a photo of the president with the controversial daughter of the businesswoman surfaced.

Employment Outlook Survey of New Zealand reveals a moderate fall, in hiring, in the country for the coming fourth quarter of 2013. This follows, two quarters of marginally more optimistic results, according to, survey data released by, ManpowerGroup. However, the survey finds that the pace of hiring will continue to remain stronger when compared to the international market.

As millions of children suffer across the world in conflict-ridden countries, unable to go to school, the international community has the responsibility to take up measures to protect them from violence. These thoughts were expressed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, at the 24th Session of the Human Rights Council, which began in Geneva on Monday.

All eyes during the Sept 7 federal election in Australia were on the two male protagonists - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Coalition leader Tony Abbott.

Apparently, global markets rallied overnight on hopes that a conflict may be avoided if Syria gives up its chemical weapons. If that's the case, it's a rally that will fade later in the week.

In what might become global history's momentous yet unbelievable collaboration, the U.S. and Russia have become unlikely allies as both work to win over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to turnover his government's stockpile of chemical weapons. News of alternative solutions to avert any impending doomsday World War 3 immediately caused the global markets to jump on Tuesday.

The Freedom Flotilla’s flagship yacht, “The Pog” with six protestors, has left Thursday Island towards West Papua. Meanwhile, reports say the Indonesia security forces are preparing themselves for a possible showdown with demonstrators. Reports say, around 2500 security personnel have arrived at the Flotilla’s destination port of Merauke, anticipating trouble.

Should the United States wage a strike on Syria and President Bashar Assad's forces, the attack is bound to be swift and harsh. President Obama has already signalled that a punishment is necessary for Syria to exercise restraint in the international community. Various contingency plans will be created while locations where the chemical weapon storage areas will be the major targets of attack. The U.S. has maintained the position that Syrian should be disarmed of its chemical stockpile so tha...

Even as U.S. and allies push forward with their plans to enter the Syrian civil conflict on the side the rebels, the Syrian People’s Assembly has reached out to the U.S. Congress ahead of the crucial vote approving President Obama to strike government forces in Syria. Warning that, “irresponsible, reckless action by the U.S. will kill innocent civilians; the letter implores the U.S. to "communicate with us [Syria] through civilised dialogue rather than the language of fire and blood."

In what could turn out to be a major embarrassment for the United States and its allies, reminiscent of similar action in Iraq, the world is still to see concrete evidence of President Assad government in Syria ordering use of chemical weapons. Although the Obama administration and its allies continue to insist they have the intelligence, the German media reports that Assad has actually refused permission to his troops to use chemical weapons on several occasions.

With victory in his pocket and claiming a mandate to act, Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott has vowed to immediately scrap the hated tax on carbon polluters, popularly called Carbon Tax. He is reported to have instructed his team on Sunday to begin drafting legislation to abolish the carbon-pricing scheme. Meanwhile, businesses are warning that the economy will face a multi-billion-dollar drag, if the opposition Labor and the Greens succeed in thwarting Abbott's plans.

A political solution to the Syrian civil war seemed closer, as the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, said Tuesday that two-and-half years of conflict in Syria have produced only “embarrassing paralysis” in the Security Council and that he was considering proposals to the 15-member body in the search for a political solution.

The US President is currently undertaking a massive sales pitch for war. We heard on the radio this morning that President Obama was set to front about six different media outlets today to make his case for war with Syria.

China has issued new rules for its netizens' use of the internet, indicating online rumour mongers and those who post libelous comments stand to face defamation charges as well as jail imprisonment of three years maximum time.

As President Obama pushes his case for an attack on Syria over the use of chemical weapons on civilians, Syrian President Basar al-Asaad tells U.S. TV he has no chemical weapons. Secretary of State John Kerry has denied Assad's claims of not having a chemicals weapons stockpile. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked Syria to give up its chemical weapons to international agencies to prevent an attack from the U.S. The new proposal may pause a U.S. led strike on Syria.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar has opened stronger this morning, supported by the stream of strong data out of China.

Bashar al-Assad has warned the Obama government to be prepared for “every” kind of reaction if it decides to launch a military strike against Syria.

The petition drive to legalise marijuana in British Columbia starts on Monday.

Tony Abbott daughters, Bridget, Frances and Louise, were bullied and objectified at various Facebook Pages.

The U.S. has sounded the alarm, giving Syria a one-week deadline ultimatum to turn over all its chemical weapons or otherwise face the wrath of a military strike. As expected, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a counter verbal attack that its government will not take lightly any international intrusion to the country’s civil war. Would doomsday World War 3 occur middle of September 2013?

The countdown to World War 3 may happen soon enough as the US Congress prepares to approve or deny President Barack Obama’s proposal to strike Syria. A video posted on Youtube allegedly produced by the residents of Kafranbel, a village in northern Syria, sent a message for the world to see and called on the United States to strike Syria. Despite the possibility of Syria being Ground Zero of World War 3, the Syrian leader has vehemently denied knowledge of chemical weapons use against opposing ...

Australian Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott had said during the campaign that he would stop the asylum boats from coming to the country's shores. On Monday, he called Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill that the incoming Coalition government commits to maintain the offshore processing system in Manus Island, also called Rape Island by male asylum seekers.

New Zealand can expect to have a closer relationship with Australia following the election of a new government and prime minister, said Australian Finance Minister-elect Joe Hockey.

In a historic win in the recent Australia Elections 2013, Nova Peris has become the first aboriginal woman in the country to become a Parliament member. The former Olympian who also won a gold medal will occupy a place in the Senate as the representative of the Northern Territory with the Australian Labour Party supporting her.

Despite losing to the Coalition's Tony Abbott in Australia's recently concluded Federal Elections, Kevin Rudd and wife, Therese Rein, still found a reason to smile and laugh amidst the crowd of Labour supporters.For a group of Labour supporters who lost to the Opposition, they were not exactly crying because of Mr Rudd's harrowing defeat. It was a night of festivities in Brisbane on election night as what was supposed to be a campaign wake.

Lives of thousands of children are at risk in Syria, warns Australian aid agency Save the Children saying a President of U.N. Security Council, Australia has “a real opportunity” to help protect these children and ensure they have access to the humanitarian aid they need.

If comments are anything to go by, it is evident that the new Liberal National Coalition Tony Abbott government in Australia will not be too upbeat about punishing the Syrian government, like his predecessor Kevin Rudd was.

Now that Tony Abbott is the new Prime Minister of Australia, the relationship between Australia and New Zealand will remain the same, according to Prime Minister John Key. The New Zealand Labour party had a lot to learn from the Australian Labour party's loss to the Coalition in the recent elections. Shane Jones, David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson who are all in the running to succeed David Shearer after his exit as the party leader, should pay attention to what just happened in Australia.

Treasurer Chris Bowen is not interested in serving as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), left vacant after outgoing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd quit from the post following the party's debacle in the Saturday federal election.