POLITICS & POLICY

Political analysts responded to negative speculations with reassurances. Japan is not set to be an imperialist under Landslide Winner Prime Minister Shinzo Abe based on personality and political strategies.

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, arrived in Pakistan to talk with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. This is Mr Kerry's first time in Pakistan as the Secretary of State while Mr Nawaz was also only elected recently. Talks on economic issues and the tension-filled drone attacks are on the top of the agenda.

The Labor election campaign is getting a big boost following the appointment of Kevin Rudd's sons to the campaign team and the hiring of three ex-Obama staff. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has given both of his sons key election roles in a move that has raised eyebrows within the Australian Labor Party’s campaign team. After news of Mr. Rudd's intention of flying the U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign team to Australia broke out, the Coalition has immediately criticised the...

Sexy and titillating magazines Playboy and Penthouse apparently no longer sell at US military exchanges, that's why the Army and Air Force branches of the US Department of Defense have decided to ditch them off from the newsstands.

As per PM Kevin Rudd’s asylum seeker policy, the first boat from Christmas Islands arrived at PNG’s Manus Island

Chinese students beating the September deadline school of opening in Canada are in luck. Albeit a slow and torturous process, the Canadian embassy in China was reported to remain issuing student visas.

The Philippine legislature is set to propose a bill that would require residential owners and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) to insure their homes and structures against earthquakes.

Bell FX Currency Outlook The Australian Dollar has fallen below USD 0.9000 after good US economic data and a Federal Reserve announcement pulled the currency in opposite directions.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s youngest son joined the Australian Labor Party’s Digital campaign team.

Like pregnant asylum seekers in Australia who will still be sent to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea for processing despite the risk of exposure to malaria, gay asylum seekers would similarly not be spared from being resettled in the place now notoriously referred to as Rape Island.

Four days, that was how long Daniel Chong had to endure in jail before he was released, albeit no charges were set against him. Today, he receives $1m for each of the day he suffered, totaling $4M in damages.

When Everyone Demands a Piece of Land

The Independent Commission Against Corruption have recommended criminal charges against two former high-profile ministers of the Australian Labor Party. In an explosive inquiry in Sydney going on for months now, the commission has found that Eddie Obeid, a former powerful minister in the New South Wales state and Ian Macdonald, former state resources minister, were guilty of corruption on a coal-mining deal.

Make or Break. People in Italy are on their toes awaiting the final verdict of its High Court on the long-running tax fraud case involving former prime minister and billionaire tycoon Silvio Berlusconi.

Who would have thought that reforming prisoners detained at the Guantanamo detention camp in Cuba, instead of a copy of the Quran, has been asking for copies of the scandalously wicked Fifty Shades of Grey series to while their time.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar tumbled more a one cent yesterday after remarks by RBA Governor Stevens on the inflation outlook for Australia and the scope for further reductions in the cash rate.

Even though Bill and Hillary Clinton had a very public sex scandal when the U.S. president then had a headline-hugging affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, the former first couple rejects any comparison with Ms Clinton's former aide Huma Abedin and her husband, disgraced New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner.

Manufacturers of Russian vodkas stand to suffer potential losses after the global LGBT movement has unilaterally decided to ban the type of alcoholic drinks from gay bars in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's crackdown against the sector in his home country.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) officially released the dazzling image of the 2013 Comet ISON that Hubble Space Telescope was able to capture last April 30, 2013. The image shows Comet ISON speeding its way close to planet Earth with a visible tail and spectacular background.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is trading lower this morning as the market plays it safe ahead of the US Federal Reserve meeting later this week.

New Zealand Defence Force officials are now denying responsibility for accusations of spying and calling journalist subversive.

As expected, eight division title holder Manny Pacquiao's announcement over the weekend of a plan to run for the presidency of the Philippines drew flak.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. sent a letter to Russia, affirming that Edward Snowden would not be given a death sentence if he tries to enter the U.S. Mr. Holder Jr. also said that a passport would be issued right away so that he could fly back to the U.S. Russian President Vladimir V. Putin had said that the U.S. had gotten itself into an awkward shape, where Mr. Snowden had become immobile.

Just like any other family man, Invercargill taxi driver Tariq Humayun was just there to work for a day's honest living. But he never expected that the guy he would pick up from the central city would quell him so bad he's now almost close to the brink of thinking that Kiwis probably all are racists.

Italy’s first black minister Cecile Kyenge has been subjected to another racial attack on Friday when an unknown assailant threw bananas at her during a rally in Cervia. The incident is the latest of the several harassments the Minister of Integration has endured since she was appointed in April.

Ji Yingnan, a 26-year-old woman apparently jilted by her lover who is a Chinese government official just got even. Not only has she bravely identified her former lover, Fan Yue, a deputy director at China's State Administration of Archives, she has also revealed their relationship and the kind of lifestyle they had when they were still together.

Aussie voters are becoming impatient as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd does dilly-dallying over election dates

NSW Coalition leads the recent Newspoll over NSW Australian Labor Party while Galaxy Poll says Rudd still more popular than Abbott

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may have drawn some criticism on his asylum seeker deal with Papua New Guinea but he has gained the support of the local music industry when he announced that Labor government will allot funds worth $560,000 to establish a National Office for Live Music in three years.