POLITICS & POLICY

Australian Election 2013 Recap: The Brisbane debate reveals a talkative Kevin Rudd and Touch Tony Abbott

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar fell to a fresh three-year low, after US Federal Reserve policy-makers spoke of tapering in the July FOMC minutes, by suggesting "it might soon be time to slow somewhat the pace" of asset purchases.

The U.S. government, on Tuesday, condemned the military-backed interim government in Egypt for the detention of Mohammed Badie, the 70-year-old spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood terming it “certainly not the standard that the Egyptian people expect of their government.”

In a achievement that carries strategic significance for Indian defence forces, the Indian Air Force (IAF), on Tuesday, landed a C-130J "Super Hercules" tactical airlift aircraft at the rudimentary airstrip in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) in eastern Ladakh in the Himalayan range.

It is an epic war and will be studied for generations - media for freedom versus governments for security – the Snowden saga continues. On Tuesday, even as David Miranda sued Britain over his detention, UK defended its action saying that the government and the police have a duty to protect the public and national security.

An intruder, high on drugs, broke into German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official aircraft on July 25 and partied on it for hours, in his underwear, before being apprehended. The incident happened last month, but has come into focus after a police report was leaked to German media.

Local Canadians lose have become gains for the nationals of the Philippines and India who are looking out for jobs. Retailer Sears Canada has announced it will shed some 245 jobs locally, of which some will be outsourced overseas.

A New Zealand citizen was reportedly abducted and tortured for five days in July 2013 after he travelled to China to check on his elderly parents. Nick Wang, 52-year old Chinese native and a former Chinese newspaper editor in New Zealand, has apparently displeased the Chinese Embassy since his media reports were about Chinese authorities.

Unless the governments of the world find immediate solutions to curb their respective fossil fuel consumptions and carbon emissions, the global populace might as well retire to an impending plausible scenario of rising sea levels by year 2100 to as much as three feet high.

Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, who recently quit as Egypt's interim vice president and left the country in the face of deadly crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood supporters by military-led government, will face charges for "breaching national trust".

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar weakened yesterday to the low 0.9000's but has opened this morning slightly higher after a lackluster trading session offshore.

New Zealand's GCSB Bill or the Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill will be passed into law despite the objections of the Opposition. A viral video of the prime minister in a post-cabinet press conference has triggered reactions in social media. Mr Key was poised to answer questions regarding the passage of the GCSB bill. One journalist practically interrogated the prime minister and specifically pointed out Mr Key's disagreement with expert de...

Authorities from both government and private sectors from the Philippines have brought forces together as they race to contain the oil spill damage in Cebu which has already greatly affected the sources of livelihood in the province.

Australian Election 2013: Australian Electoral Commission announces that telephone voting is now available for blind and low vision voters

At least 19 areas in the Philippines' Luzon region have been put in a state of calamity following the onslaught of rains and floods brought by a Storm Trami-intensified southwest monsoon.

The Controversy Related to Cruz’s Birth Continues

Australia, on Tuesday issued a warning to its activists groups taking part in the Freedom Flotilla to Indonesia’s Papuan province. In a statement issued from Jakarta, Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr termed the protestors as “fringe activists”.

Here are some helpful tips on how you can help not just your loved ones from emergency situations but also your furry babies.

As the election date nears, the fight between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott gets uglier. Kevin Rudd has defended the Australian Labour Party’s new ad campaign that showed Tony Abbott and a message that said, “If he wins, you lose.”Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called Labour's negative ads as "outlandish" and "low politics".

Human rights groups in Australia have demanded that the U.N. expand its investigation scope to include Australia’s role in the deadly U.S. drone strikes. At a time when the country is gearing up for elections, this news could come as a major embarrassment for the government and stir up discussion on Australia’s role in the killing innocent civilians.

The Indian media seems to be gleefully lapping up every mention about controversial Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. This time a comment by former Australian High Commissioner to India John McCarthy has drawn all the attention.

The trial of two former Australian Defence Force Academy cadets for filming having sex with women cadets, and broadcasting it over chat service Skype started on Monday with the two pleading not guilty to charges of using a carriage service in an offensive manner.

A two-nation solution is the best way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Dr. Ruth Calderon, Israeli academic and politician, member of Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, for the new Yesh Atid party.

Tropical storm Maring (international name: Trami) may already be pressing the panic buttons of most residents in the Philippine capital of Metro Manila, but state weather forecasters continued to pacify the Filipino populace that the rains it dumped was still far off compared from those dumped by the fatal 2009 typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana).

Syrian refugees stream into Iraq.

As thousands of Syrians fled their conflict-ridden homeland into northern Iraq, a long-awaited team of chemical weapon investigators from the United Nations led by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom reached Damascus on Sunday.

Imam Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti who was arrested for falsely implicating Rimsha Masih, a 14-year old mentally-challenged Christian girl of burning pages of the Quran in Aug 2012 has been acquitted by a trial court on Saturday for lack of evidence.

If all goes well for him, ousted Egyptian autocrat, Hosni Mubarak could walk free from prison by the end of the week. This after an Egyptian court trying the former president cleared him of corruption charges on Monday.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key downplayed growing concerns on the latest milk scare causing China to issue another import ban but this time on Westland Milk Products. The Prime Minister said the latest milk scare news has come to New Zealand at the worst possible moment with the government's inquiry on Fonterra, the country's dairy giant that caused an international uproar over botulism fears.