POLITICS & POLICY

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) created to look into the safety of the highly disputed $200-million rare earths processing plant of Lynas Corp. in Malaysia has concluded that the facility is safe and has strongly urged for the immediate release of the temporary operating license (TOL) to finally start the plant's delayed operations.

Russian firm Gazprom, also the world's largest extractor of natural gas, is mulling to build a gas pipeline to Japan as part of a memorandum of possible liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects expected to be signed between Russia and Japan next week.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to focus on Australia's domestic affairs instead of issuing unsolicited advices to G20 member nations, specifically to the struggling economies of the eurozone.

Massively knocked down by its own government's ruling to phase out nuclear power, Germany's second-biggest energy supplier, RWE, announced on Monday it will no longer build nuclear power plants, both domestically and overseas.

The ball on the Melinda Taylor affair is now on the International Criminal Court's (ICC) hands as Foreign Minister Bob Carr said on Tuesday that an apology coming from the court could soon win the release of the detained Aussie lawyer and her ICC co-workers.

This week I wrote a post for Forbes.com entitled "3 Reasons Why Card-Carrying Capitalists Should Support Family Leave." To help individuals advocate for Paid Family Leave (which is really Family Leave "Insurance") in their state, Ellen Bravo the Executive Director of Family Values @ Work, a national network of 16 state and local coalitions helping spur the growing movement for family-friendly workplace policies, offered the following get-started tips:

Australian politicians are again playing the blame game just barely two weeks to the collection of the carbon tax on July 1. Coalition Senator George Brandis on Tuesday pointed to the carbon prices as the reason behind Fairfax Media's woes.

As long and as hard as some nations (especially the United States) have fought through the years to achieve and maintain independence, it's mind-boggling to think they would ever voluntarily surrender that sovereignty.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian dollar is unchanged this morning currently trading at USD1.0115 as the offshore markets digested the result of the Greek elections.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index inched ahead Monday after Spanish borrowing costs rose to a record high and Greek political leaders sought to form a pro-bailout coalition following Sunday's election. Stocks bounced from opening lows to waver between slight gains and losses for most of the day. The S&P 500 edged up 1.94 points, or 0.1%, to 1344.78

Tanzania has uncovered new additional reserves of natural gas off its Lindi coast, the country's Minister for Energy and Minerals Sospeter Mohongo announced over the weekend.

Current energy woes have forced the Kingdom of Jordan to decide on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2014, energy officials announced over the weekend.

The Australian sharemarket gained strongly today thanks to a largely positive result from the Greek Presidential elections this weekend. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose 1.9 pct or 76.9 pts to 4183.9.

The Gillard government has pruned to 294 the number of entities that it would collect the carbon tax beginning July 1. The list includes 34 local councils with landfill sites or produce natural gas.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan said on Monday that growth targets and fiscal discipline can actually co-exist amidst the challenges being faced by key global economies, particularly in the eurozone which currently bears the weight of a heavy credit crisis.

More and more non-Chinese rare earths related projects are starting to get off the ground, proof that the world is determined to reduce its dependence on a China for rare earths, as Japan and Vietnam launched over the weekend its very first rare earth research and technology transfer facility.

A Parliamentary committee report on bills proposing the legalisation of gay marriage in Australia said on Monday that a tide supporting its realisation has been spawned and to legally prevent Aussie couples from formalising their union was both "un-defendable and unjust."

Rio Tinto, the world's third-largest mining company, is in talks to acquire the mining rights for uranium, base metals and rare metals of Toro Energy in Namibia, Proactive Investors UK reported.

It won't be long before the controversial rare earths processing plant of Australian miner Lynas Corp. goes full blast in Malaysia even if protesters are sure to mount various objections to challenge its eventual kick-off, after the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) ruled out the appeal of locals against the temporary operating license (TOL) issued in January by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).

A top-ranking official of the Libyan government has hinted that cooperation coming from detained Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor and the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the key for the early resolution of the ongoing diplomatic row.

The country's first female Prime Minister may have attracted the adulation of the international community for her tax programs that aim to reduce the world's collective carbon emission and to filter down the benefits of Australia's ongoing resource boom but her countrymen do not share the same sentiments, the new Galaxy poll said.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The AUD has continued its firm tone from Friday's trading, as it appears a new coalition government will be formed in Greece between the New Democracy Party and PASOK, giving them control of 161 seats in the 301 seat parliament.

Unveiling of the carbon tax policy in 2011 failed to dampen resource exploration spending in Australia. Treasurer Wayne Swan pointed out that mineral exploration spending in the country rose 35 per cent since then.

Risk currencies have gapped higher this morning as projections showed Greece's two largest pro-bailout parties winning enough seats to forge a parliamentary majority. Anti-bailout party Syriza received 26.6% and 71 seats. The euro raced to a high of 1.2747 against the greenback, while the Aussie dollar advanced to 1.01327 against the USD. With the euro taking the election results positively ahead, Asian markets are in for a firm open. As well as listening for political commentary in Greece, i...

Energy stocks led the U.S. market rally as rising optimism that the world's central bankers are primed to stabilize financial markets boosted stocks for a second day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 115.26 points, or 0.9%, to 12767.17 to close near Friday's session highs.

Greens candidate Cathy Olke unveiled an ambitious plan to create community-based solar farms on vacant roofs and lands in Melbourne. The plan is part of her political agenda as she campaigned for the by-election in the city on July 21 after Labor MP Bronwyn Pike resigned.

The Australian sharemarket managed to improve for the second time this shortened trading week. It certainly was quiet over the past four days, partly due to the Greek Presidential elections which will take place this Sunday. Markets were closed on Monday due to the Queen's birthday. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rose 0.4 pct or 17.2 pts to 4107.

Human smuggling suspect Captain Emad could soon see his visa cancelled by local immigration authorities following the announcement made on Friday by the Australian government that the Iraqi national may have violated the Migration Act.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) was fully aware that its delegates could run into hostile situation in Zintan prior to the detention of its team led by Aussie lawyer Melinda Taylor last week.