POLITICS & POLICY

The 2013 Lyrids Meteor Shower was at its best peak from April 21 to the early morning hours of April 22. Viewers who were not able to experience the spectacle can still catch the rare phenomenon with NASA’s live stream coverage shared on Space.com beginning at 8:30 p.m. EDT (0030 GMT).

At 9:57 p.m. of Tuesday, April 23, Australia's 23 millionth resident, a male child, will likely be born to a 31-year-old mother and 33-year-old father who are residents of Western Sydney.

US stocks moved higher amid mixed earnings reports, bouncing back after last week's losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 19.66 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 14,567.17. The broad-based S&P 500 added 7.25 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 1,562.50. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 27.50 points, or 0.86 per cent, to 3,233.55.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is slightly lower this morning as traders remain cautious ahead of some Chinese manufacturing data due to be release today.

Rescue workers feared more dead bodies lie under the rocks that toppled over from the concrete structures that got destroyed during Saturday's magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Sichuan province. At least 207 have been confirmed dead as of Sunday, while the number of injured have reached more than 11,800.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar had a quiet night on Friday after the volatile movements of last week and opens this morning below 1.0300.

Stocks rose Friday, trimming the biggest weekly loss of the year for the Dow, as continued strength in defensive corners of the market offset a selloff in International Business Machines shares.

The 2013 Lyrids Meteor Shower is at its peak between Sunday night and the early hours of Monday morning but viewers can still see the spectacle until April 25. The bright moon may be an obstacle for the sky watchers but there are still some tips on how to best view the celestial display.

The gay community has an unlikely new icon in the form of a New Zealand politician. The video of Maurice Williamson's articulately delivered speech supporting gay marriage in the country has become viral on the Internet.

Japan has been shaken anew by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, located in Kuril Islands off the country's northern part.

With Shenzhen and Shanghai already slated to commence their respective carbon emissions trading in June, China is now mulling to draft its own national legislation on climate change.

Australian rare earths mining firm Lynas Corp remained confident demand for its rare earths will eventually pick up in the medium term as it announced it had been able to produce a full suite of rare earths products in the first quarter of 2013.

Stocks continued their slide after a full slate of uninspiring corporate earnings reports provided little to compel investors to step in and buy shares.

A study by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has warned that the world's coastline beaches could experience swelling and intense levels and heights of pounding ocean waves due to climate change.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar remains under pressure this morning and continues to trade below USD 1.0300 after a volatile week.

On Wednesday night, a fertilizer plant explosion shook Texas killing 70 people and the hundreds of injured victims were immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment. This is another tragic incident after the horrifying Boston Marathon explosion that occurred last Monday.

Investors struggled through a third straight day of volatility Wednesday, as weak economic data from Europe and disappointing domestic earnings reports prompted a pullback in U.S. stocks, the euro and oil prices.

Despite having China as its topmost trading partner, Australia's ambition to have a free trade agreement (FTA) signed with its fellow Asian country continued to get derailed, even after almost a decade-long negotiations. This time, the talks got hindered on China's insistence that Australia lift its foreign investment restrictions on state-owned enterprises.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is under pressure this morning and has traded below USD 1.0300 after a volatile overnight session in the northern hemisphere. The US dollar, on the other hand, got a boost

The Boston Marathon held last Monday was supposed to be a fun event for 29-year-old Krystle Campbell of Arlington, Massachusetts but the heinous bombing incident that occurred took her precious life. Officials confirmed to the public that Krystle Campbell was one of the three Boston Marathon bombing fatalities causing her family and friends to mourn their tragic loss even through social media.

Until April 16, 2013, Tuesday, there were only two rights that gays in New Zealand did not enjoy - the right to adopt children as a couple and the right to marry. The next day, the country's Parliament passed the Marriage Equality law that granted same-sex couples the right to marry, leaving only the right to adopt children as a couple as the only one right still denied them.

An interesting job vacancy ad was posted in Weibo, China's counterpart of Twitter. The ad announced that a third-party security company in Beijing called Anquan is looking for a Chief Pornography Identification Officer.

Despite the continued global uncertainty, the impact of the high dollar, coupled with challenging conditions faced by some sectors on the home front, the Australian economy will nevertheless grow solidly by 3.0 per cent in 2013 and 3.3 per cent in 2014, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Brazil has vowed to strengthen and intensity its security measures and tactics in light of the heinous Boston Marathon bombings on Tuesday which has so far claimed three lives and injured more than 170. Brazil is set to play host to two major global events this year, and then each next year and on 2016.

Shares of global iron ore mining giant BHP Billiton spiked by 25 cents, or 0.78 per cent, higher at $32.40 at 1035 AEST on Wednesday morning as it announced it will be maintaining its annual production guidance for the year.

A strong but shallow 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the northern coast of Papua New Guinea on Wednesday morning, but scientists immediately quelled off concerns of a possible tsunami aftermath in the Pacific.

The Boston Marathon explosion sparked different reactions among social media users who learned about the Apr. 15 tragedy. Several calls for prayers were posted almost instantly. Some users looked for who or what to blame. Others did the least they can, like spreading messages and images that could help keep one's faith in humanity.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian dollar is higher, as overseas share markets bounce back from heavy losses yesterday.

Elsewhere around the world, investors are panicking over the continued falling prices of gold, considered the best safe haven tool to counter inflation. But not in India where the price slump of the yellow metal has been more than welcomed, if not wonderfully embraced.