POLITICS & POLICY

In an unexpected move, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced on Wednesday the federal election date months ahead of the actual date. Australians will cast their votes on Sept 14.

Adele Hall, wife of Hallmark chairman, dies at 81, leaving a legacy of philanthropy, volunteerism, and kind acts.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will face the National Press Club on Wednesday presenting crucial structural revisions that hopefully will lead to federal savings, the bulk of which to fund programs that are in line with Labor’s core values.

Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) has been receiving phone calls from startled residents of Cotulla, Texas who reported numerous UFO sightings in the area. The organization claims that their experts can solve the mystery surrounding the unidentified flying objects recently caught on camera.

“Tampon Girl” Giovanna Plowman may be enjoying her sudden fame but the Buffalo teenager is somehow willing to share the spotlight with Dino Bruscia. He is another New York City teenager who created internet uproar months ago with a video of himself eating his own poop mixed with ice cream.

Google Maps have recently released an update containing a detailed map of the isolated country, North Korea. The update was released three weeks after the visit of Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, to Pyongyang.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is higher after international investors welcomed news of a surge in domestic business confidence.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 68 points, or 0.5%, to 13950 in midafternoon trading Tuesday, on pace to close at the highest level since October 2007. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose seven points, or 0.5%, to 1507. Blue chips headed toward a five-year high as Pfizer topped earnings expectations and investors shrugged off sluggish consumer-confidence data.

If your goal as a leader is to be an authoritarian and rule over people rather than represent them and govern on their behalf, then you're probably a student of one of the most popular and oft-taught political principles throughout the ages: the use of fear.

David Cameron, Prime Minister of Britain, promised the UK membership of the European Union following an extensive reform which would include an in and out referendum, provided his party is re-elected as the government in the 2015 general elections. However, some European leaders disagree with Cameron's pledge to renegotiate membership terms.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: Australian dollar tumbles to lowest level in a month as markets consolidate.

There are many applications that can be used in Facebook including games, horoscopes, inspirational quotes and other useful info. The Useful Info app delivers trivial information about health, touching stories, food, technology, quotes, and politics. One of the finds of that app featured a political icon that would put other politicians to shame for their lavish lifestyle. He is Jose Alberto Mujica Cordano, the current president of Uruguay since 2010. He is an entry in Useful Info Facebook app w...

An Australian Industry (AI) Group study of the impact of the carbon tax on the energy cost of doing business indicated it is lesser than anticipated. The analysis seems to support the contention by Treasurer Wayne Swan that the tax also did not lead to runaway prices, contrary to the scare campaign initiated by the Opposition against the measure.

With no clear cut and defining rules for engagement, debt collectors have managed to infiltrate Facebook and other social media channels in their pursuit to settle unpaid financial obligations of errant debtors. But as contact cases escalated over the years, consumers now point the method has tantamount to online harassment.

With no clear cut and defining rules for engagement, debt collectors have managed to infiltrate Facebook and other social media channels in their pursuit to settle unpaid financial obligations of errant debtors. But as contact cases escalated over the years, consumers now point the method has tantamount to online harassment.

Since Australia is a multi-cultural country, it would not be surprising that Aussies would celebrate their national day in different ways. While Australia Day is Jan 26, since it is a Saturday, the country would observe it on Monday, Jan 28 which is a public holiday.

Labour and the Coalition have pushed the campaign buttons early in 2013, analysts said. Prime Minister Julia Gillard is consolidating her power-base within the ruling party while Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has instructed Liberal MPs to spread words about the party platform.

Rainfall poured down by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald has brought flowing to the eastern state of Queensland, Australia, where so far 20 have been rescued.

Teachers in Australia's Victoria have threatened to go on strike on Valentine's Day if their demands remained unmet by the state government.

The “Django Unchained” film’s slave toy collectibles were supposed to bring more success to the Weinstein Company. Criticism from the African-American groups caused the company to discontinue selling the Django toys particularly on the virtual marketplace eBay.

If Gina Rinehart is Australia's richest person, and once the world's richest woman, her counterpart in Angola is Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of the country's president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Forbes reported on Wednesday that Ms dos Santos's wealth breached the one billionth mark, making her Angola's first woman billionaire.

U.S. federal regulations will soon prohibit the ‘unlocking’ of mobile devices without the expressed permission of service providers. The new rule exempts ‘jailbreaking’ of smartphones, a popular hobby among advance gadget owners.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: Australian dollar softens despite positive Chinese data.

A broad rally in major indexes lost steam Thursday afternoon, as a disappointing earnings report from Apple weighed on technology shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 19 points, or 0.1%, to 13798. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index lost three points, or 0.2%, to 1491.

U.S. female soldiers could see combat deployment soon following reports that Pentagon has decided to lift the ban of sending women to active fighting zones, with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta set to announce details of the new policy on Thursday.

Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 inched 0.5 per cent at 0347 GMT at 4813.1, boosted by news from its major trading partner China which was reported to have yielded a growth in its purchasing managers index for the month of January.

"Made in Australia." "Australia made." "Manufactured in Australia." "Australian owned." Just some of the food labels Aussies routinely encounter in the groceries and supermarkets. While some people may not even give a damn on these labels, but to Australian consumer group Choice, it is important that Aussies know exactly from where the food they just picked and will eat later, came from.

Australia, known for its huge minerals and metals resources, is seeking partners to develop the massive shale oil, believed to be worth more than $20 trillion, that one of its miners discovered in South Australia, which could essentially propel the country Down Under to become one of the most important global players in the oil sector.

After 19 years, U.S. military women soldiers wanting to engage in direct frontline combat as their ultimate service and sacrifice to their country will now become a reality as the Pentagon on Wednesday terminated its ban on women serving in front-line combat roles.