POLITICS & POLICY

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian dollar has started the day's trade above 1.0400 after a brief dip on Friday night into the high 1.0300's.

Despite the denial by a prostitute that she had sex with embattled MP Craig Thomson, the lawmaker representing Dobell continues to be hounded by public perception that he had extramarital affair with women engaged in the flesh trade.

The damages caused by the floods in Queensland in January this year that was brought about by an ex-cyclone will surpass that of the same flooding tragedy the Australian state experienced in 2011, where millions of dollars will be needed in order to rebuild the state.

In Florida, residents were recently stunned with strange unidentified flying objects in the dark sky hovering over the waters of Cape Coral. The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), whose mission is to monitor and study UFO activities, was quick to solve the mystery in the area.

The number of hospital admissions related to respiratory complaints has risen in China and may continue to rise as the country's residents continue to experience yet again another toxic smog pollution which is seen could be exacerbated by a prevailing cold front.

Today is not only the first day of February but is also the day set by the UNESCO as deadline for the Australian government to submit its actions as to how it plans to preserve and protect the Great Barrier Reef, or otherwise risk losing its World Heritage status. The Australian federal government had said it was able to meet the deadline, but the question still floats - were its submitted to do actions really enough to save and salvage the great reef?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average seesawed within a narrow range, though carrying a slight negative bias, after the FOMC was slightly less dovish in its policy statement.

The lawyer of disgraced independent MP Craig Thomson disclosed on Friday that the lawmaker was strip searched by New South Wales police after his arrest on Thursday.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian dollar is trading higher, rebounding following several days of weakness

Australian rare earths miner Lynas Corporation Limited (ASX:LYC) has announced it is ready to come up with its first product samples by February, even as it has yet to win over one more pending legal battle concerning its Malaysian plant facility.

Mensa International, a non-profit international organization for people with very high scores in IQ tests, has just recruited into its roster a three-year-old tot as its newest member.

With Iran having hurtled into space its first space monkey, South Korea announcing the satellite it blasted on Wednesday is now successfully transmitting data and North Korea which seven weeks ago likewise did the same, it is no wonder that Asia is now slowly transforming to become the world's epicentre of space competition.

New South Wales police arrested on Thursday embattled MP Craig Thomson over 150 fraud charges the independent lawmaker is facing over his alleged mishandling of Health Services Union (HSU) funds.

Access to natural gas by about 1,000 homes and businesses across Bundaberg have been cut off after Envestra Limited announced a portion of its natural gas pipeline servicing the area had been damaged.

Cash-strapped Zimbabwe is appealing for donations from the international community to support the requirements for the country's electoral spending as its finance minister revealed this week the South African nation only has $US217 left in its coffers.

Dangerous man absconded in Brisbane area hands himself to authorities.

The teenager who sang at Barack Obama's inauguration last week was shot dead at Vivian Gordon Harsh Park.

Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student and majorette at King College Prep High School and who attended the Obama inaugural in early January was shot dead on Tuesday.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The local unit fell to a low just above 1.0400 against the Greenback as concerns over a potential rate cut next week have started to creep in.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average seesawed within a narrow range, though carrying a slight negative bias, after the FOMC was slightly less dovish in its policy statement. The Fed concluded its latest two-day meeting by keeping rates unchanged and continuing its bond-buying efforts amid a mixed picture of economic growth.

On the same day that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced Sept 14 as the day for the country's federal election, a major business group challenged politicians to focus on six key issues.

Australian supermarket companies such as Wesfarmers vowed not to increase their prices in the face of the floods that have affected Queensland over the past few days. But the supermarket giant however did admit that the delivery of food and other supplies from warehouse to target areas could become a challenge.

It won't be long before fresh air starts getting to be a luxury item in China. In fact, a Chinese entrepreneur had already thought of canning fresh air, similar to sodas in cans, and selling them to his fellowmen as heavy smog again griped China for the second time this month.

If Neil Armstrong, the first person who stepped on the moon on that historic July 21, 1969, was still alive today, he would probably feel glad that his "one giant leap for mankind" has been bolstered no less than by man's primate ancestor, as Iran on Monday launched into space a monkey as part of its space plan programs. The monkey has successfully returned back to Earth.

A potable water shortage is now the main problem faced by residents at Brisbane after brown, muddy floodwater seeped into the city's largest treatment plant.

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.