POLITICS & POLICY

Declines in energy stocks helped push major benchmarks lower, a soft patch that follows the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index's longest stretch of weekly gains since August.

Australian dollar continues its losses arising from Asian markets closed for the Lunar new year holidays.

Organizers of the annual 'Cool Summer' music festival have been forced to cancel the event as bushfires continue in Victoria, particularly in the area around Mt Hotham where the local music festival was supposed to be held.

U.S. stocks rallied broadly Friday, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index to a five-year high, as Wall Street braced for a blizzard. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 48.92 points, or 0.35%, to 13992.97, erasing the previous day's decline of 42 points. In intraday trading, the Dow industrials briefly rose above the 14000 level for the first time since Tuesday.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The recent negative tone of the Australian Dollar was lifted after better than expected trade data from Germany, the US and China pushed the currency above 1.0300.

On January 1, 2011, Australian employees who had a child birth, were assured of 18 weeks of paid parental leave of at least $570 per week wage. The law covered both mother and father of the infant and was extended to full-time, part-time, seasonal, self employed and contractual workers.

With Australia's federal election fast approaching, the Opposition would have another campaign material to use against the Gillard government in its attempt to wrest power from Labor. It is the controversial carbon tax which was imposed by the administration in July 2012.

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has assured Australian stakeholders and consumers that there would be no hike in insurance premiums even as it faces some $674 million worth of claims from victims affected by the recent floods and fire disasters that hit at least three various states of the country.

What could have otherwise been a routine, perhaps boring visit of a state official, no less than by incoming Premier Li Keqiang, in China's poor areas became a source of amused and giddy laughs when a bare bottomed Chinese boy stole the limelight during the interview video that was flashed all over the country.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar fell to USD 1.0273, its lowest level in more than three months, after comments from European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi caused stock markets to decline.

Major stock benchmarks pared sharp losses but remained solidly in the red Thursday, weighed down by growth-sensitive sectors amid worries on Europe and underwhelming data on the U.S. economy.

At least six people have died and thousands more were displaced by the tsunami that struck the Solomon Islands on Wednesday, just a few hours after it experienced a powerful 8.0 magnitude undersea earthquake.

In what could be a final sign of desperation to remove the presence of the rare earths processing plant of Lynas in Kuantan, Malaysia, Wong Tack, one of its strong opponents and president of the Himpunan Hijau, has allegedly threatened to burn it down.

The salvaging operations on the stranded minesweeper USS Guardian off the Tubbataha Reef in the Philippines has started on Wednesday, with the crane ship Smit Borneo finally allowed to sink its anchor into the Sulu Sea.

More details on the alleged use of Health Services Union (HSU) funds by embattled MP Craig Thomson came out on Wednesday when he showed up to face the 154 charges filed before a Melbourne court.

Real life Canadian astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield is all giddy to make a milestone in the history of space science as he converses for the first time via a scheduled space chat rendezvous with fellow Canadian and actor William Shatner, more known as Star Trek's 'Captain Kirk,' yet another prominent icon in the global movie and television history.

U.S stocks pulled back as the energy and technology sectors struggled. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 31 points, or 0.2%, to 13949 Wednesday afternoon, after sliding as many as 66 points in the opening minutes of trading.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: Australian Dollar breaks support as weak Retail Sales weighs on the currency.

At least three villages in the Solomon Islands are believed to have experienced damages and casualties brought by a 0.9m high tsunami that was triggered by an 8.0 magnitude undersea earthquake that struck the islands earlier in the day on Wednesday.

Five more charges were filed on Wednesday against embattled independent MP Craig Emerson when he appeared together with his wife, Zoe Arnold, before the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Nations in the South Pacific, including the Philippines and New Zealand, have been advised by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) to brace for a possible tsunami occurrence following the powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the Solomon Islands on Wednesday.

The name Lynsi Torres suddenly popped up on the social media sites identified as the youngest female billionaire in the United States. With little information known on Lynsi Torres, people are now curious and dying to find out who is this successful businesswoman.

Same-sex marriage has finally passed its first round in the senate with a 400-175 vote.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar has regained some lost ground overnight as the market digested the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision to leave the cash rate unchanged yesterday at 3.00%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped toward its first triple-digit drop this year, as weakness in technology stocks helped derail a five-week rally for the blue chips

Embattled independent MP Craig Thomson disclosed on Tuesday that he was strip searched twice, not once. He provided more details of the experience which he described as humiliating and over the top.

As expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) adopted a wait-and-see attitude and kept on Tuesday the overnight cash rate at 3 per cent. The central bank made the decision after release of economic data from the U.S. and China which showed some improvement.

If for any consolation to those affected by the recent floods of ex-cyclone Oswald, the flooding disaster would have been far more catastrophic had it not been for the dry spell that Australia experienced in late 2012, according to the weather bureau.

Japan and Jamaica on Monday have formally launched a pilot project to test the commercial viability of the island's bauxite waste, more known as red mud, for possible rare earth elements.