POLITICS & POLICY

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has nothing but contempt for the "alarmist" scientific reports on global warming and climate change in a speech before an audience of climate change skeptics in London, England.

Brazil’s government on Monday admitted that its top intelligence agency spied on diplomatic targets from countries including the U.S., Iran and Russia. Brazil’s Institutional Security Cabinet, however, clarified that the spying operation conducted a decade ago, were relatively basic and “in absolute compliance” with the country’s legislation.

Japan has launched its largest 70 megawatt (MW) capable solar power plant, two years after radiation problems have gone overboard at the Fukushima power plant which was crippled by a tsunami in March 2011, following a magnitude 9 earthquake.

They might just be kids but there is no mistaking that these young children provide the most honest and truthful reactions and opinions to just about any subject matter presented to them under the sun. In the latest installment from the Kids React series, American filmmakers Benny and Rafi Fine delved on gay equality and same-sex marriage. The reactions they got from the kids were, basically, overwhelmingly positive.

Burmese opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will visit Australia from Nov 27 to Dec 2. This will be her first visit to Australia. She will attend a host of public events in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne and also hold meetings with the Burmese community in Australia.

A 14-year-old girl buried family members in the Saharan desert when they died of thirst. Her family, along with over 100 others, was on their way to Algeria.

The New Zealand Parliament has passed a new law, requiring telecommunication companies to allow intelligence agencies to access their subscriber's emails, calls and texts. Under the Telecommunications Interceptions and Security Capability Bill, companies will need to consult with the spy agency doing the eavesdropping.

The families of ADF fallen soldiers went to Afghanistan for a very emotional journey to remember their loved ones.

Indonesia is threatening to cut cooperation with Australia in areas such as people smuggling and disruption of terrorist attack as a reaction to reports that Canberra cooperated with Washington to conduct spying operations in its Southeast Asian neighbour.

The controversial gay marriage law of the ACT Parliament will be challenged in Australia's High Court in less than a week before the first same sex wedding ceremonies are set to take place. The federal government has contested the ACT law and a two-day hearing was scheduled on Dec 3 and 4, according to Chief Justice Robert French.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's rhetoric of blasting Chinese drones should these cross over the former's boundaries has upped the anxiety levels between two countries. A retired Chinese military commander has warned Japan ought to be prepared executing and defending should its rhetorics escalate to war.

A YouTube video was posted to threaten Campbell Newman, Premier of Queensland. The video that was posted on a weekend has now become a viral video and the police are investigating into the matter. The message has been issued as an objection to Campbell Newman’s “bikie laws,” which are believed to be targeting unlawful motorcycle gangs.

The New Zealand Parliament is set to introduce a bill to put an end to cyber bullying of groups like Roast Busters. Authorities investigating the group said Roast Busters has bragged of having sex with drunk and young girls since 2011. After doing the deeds, the group will then post the names on a Facebook page and shame them.

Luigi Wewege insists that he has not been in a relationship with Bevan Chuang, the former mistress of Auckland mayor Len Brown. The political adviser to failed mayoral candidate John Palino is adamant that his only fault was to pass on information about the mayor's two-year affair.

New Zealand Prime Minister John key has called the actions of the group Roast Busters "extremely disturbing and disgusting behaviour," while one of its alleged co-founder has posted his apology to their victims online.

Lending credence to the argument that the U.S. and Europe allowed the situation in Syria to deteriorate, Turkey's President Abdullah Gul said Syria is dying and threatens to become an "Afghanistan on the shores of the Mediterranean."

In response to reports that Australia is helping the U.S. spy, a group called Anonymous Indonesia said it had hacked over 100 Web sites in Australia and defaced it by placing the message "Stop Spying on Indonesia."

A rare solar 'hybrid' eclipse spanning four global continents has stunned millions of people around the world.

On Tuesday afternoon, the race to conquer the space gets all the more exciting as India gears to blast into space its probe rocket Mangal­yaan.

Hakimullah Mehsud, the chief leader of the Pakistani Taliban, has been killed by a U.S. drone attack in North Waziristan on Friday November 1

Cambodian Khmer Rouge's last two surviving leaders Nuon Chea, the regime's number two leader and Khieu Samphan, its head of state, defended themselves denying charges of crimes against humanity and distanced themselves from the deaths under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. A verdict in the case which began two years ago is expected in early 2014.

Pakistan has announced that it has begun talks with the Pakistan Taliban in an effort to find a peaceful solution to end the years of violence that has plagued the country. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif revealed this at a meeting with British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in London on Thursday. Mr. Sharif, however, did not give any further details of the discussions and neither did he reveal what was on the agenda.

Syria no longer has the capability to produce chemical weapons, at least as far as their disclosed facilities are concerned. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) tasked with the job of destroying Syria’s chemical weapon stockpile has said that it has overseen the destruction of equipment used for producing, mixing and filling chemical weapons. This achievement comes a day before the Nov 1 deadline.

Following allegation that Australia used its embassy in Jakarta and consulate in Bali to run spying operations across South-East Asia, Indonesia has summoned the Australian ambassador Greg Moriarty demanding answers.

AEC apologises for the 1,375 votes missing that can never be found for Western Australia

Fairfax Media has reported that Australian embassies were being utilized by U.S. to spy Asian nations through a spy program dubbed as "Stateroom."

A 10-year-old fifth-grade primary schoolboy in China has jumped to his death in what seemed to be his last stand of obedience to his strict teacher after failing to deliver a required task.

Russia, which hosted the G20 summit in September, is reported to have included bugging devices in the basket of gifts that was given to world leaders. These bugging devices gifted by Russia include USB sticks infected with Trojan horses and recharge cables.

Japan's biggest banks are currently embroiled in a nasty investigation after one of its ranks admitted bankrolling the illegal activities of the country's yakuza organised crime gangs.