POLITICS & POLICY

The $6-billion Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold project in Mongolia is on track to meet its initial production targetted to commence in the third quarter of this year with the construction of the mine's first phase reaching 73 percent completion, owner Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. announced on Monday.

Andrew Forrest is in danger of losing the management grip on Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), a mining firm he founded that now holds the distinction as the third biggest exporter of iron ore from Australia.

The dental health of Australians has gotten worse, and $10 billion is needed to fix the system that provides care for the Aussies’ teeth.

The score now is two against zero.First was when the Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti)of Malaysia granted Lynas Corp. a temporary operating licence (TOL) to proceed with the controversial $200 million rare earths processing plant in the province of Kuantan. Now second is the issuance of a preliminary objection by Malaysian government legal representatives against the court action lodged by a group of Kuantan residents that challe...

A Senate inquiry is due to report today on the circumstances surrounding forced adoptions in Australia. The inquiry has taken a year to gather accounts and evidence from hundreds of relinquishing mothers across the country.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard needs to clarify reports suggesting that American authorities appear to have secretly established a case against controversial whistleblower Julian Assange, an Australian national.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: In a quiet session overnight, the Australian Dollar held yesterday's gains as local financial markets await a raft of economic data to be released today and the all-important release of the European Central Bank's second round of Quantitative Easing.

Overnight leads from the U.S. and European markets are to provide a boost to the Australian stock market on Wednesday.

U.S. stocks were slightly higher Tuesday, with the S&P 500 Index extending its advance into a fourth session, after a gauge of consumer sentiment rose to a 12-month high and oil prices fell.

The Mobile World Congress 2012 held in Barcelona, Spain, had a good start as more than 60,000 companies in the telecommunications industry gathered to showcase new technology to the market. One of the most talked about gadgets during the event was the new smartphones launched by different companies.

The Australian sharemarket ended a touch lower today despite a stronger start to trade. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) fell 0.1 pct or 3 pts to 4351.5. The mining, energy and financial sectors ended in the red today, which was enough to drag the XAO into the red.

Sometimes a cookie is just a cookie. Sometimes it's a symbol of all that's wrong with the world.

A controversial video and photos were scattered online through Germany based news websites throughout the night showing the most powerful woman in Europe, Angela Merkel, served by a 21-year-old named Martin while attending the Christian Democratic Union meeting at Demmin, northeast of Germany, last week.

Senior Labor leaders have admitted that the leadership showdown between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd this week drove down a gaping wedge between party members.

Kiwi beneficiaries with children will be compelled to look for work as soon as changes to New Zealand’s welfare are introduced in March. Social Development Minister Paula Bennett announced on Monday that the first stage of National's welfare reforms will get underway next month, Dominion Post reported.

India is determined to promote its nuclear energy program with a planned 20 more nuclear reactors in the pipeline amid escalating protests in the country.

Barely a week after Telstra Corporation submitted its revised structural separation undertaking (SSU), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) gave its approval for the $11 billion deal between NBN Co and the country's dominant telco to go ahead.

Qatar, in an apparent bid to ascertain its position as the world's top exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), is looking to invest into the LNG facilities of Australia, the world's fourth-largest LNG exporter, in what could be seen as a merger of two LNG strongholds.

There are speculations that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who just got a fresh mandate from her party mates in the Monday Australian Labor Party leadership ballot, will initiate a cabinet reshuffle. The revamp reportedly would take into account the stand taken by Labor MPs with cabinet positions in the lopsided poll.

In spite the grim apathy that seemed to shroud most of today's youth, there are still those who get involved and engage in the politics of change. Students from state-run Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) have shaved their heads in protest denouncing an alleged misuse of funds by officers of their student council.

Japanese consumers would be required to reuse and reprocess rare earths metals found in a number of electronic products in a bid to lessen dependence on the precious metals under opending legislation.

The Australian stock market is off to a positive start on Tuesday's trading day, as overnight leads from the European and U.S. stocks markets were taken, though lightly by investors still wary how the recent jump in oil prices will curb potential earnings.

U.S. stocks pushed higher on the heels of firm readings on the domestic economy, putting the Dow industrials on course for the first close above 13000 since May 2008. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which at one point Monday had fallen 100 points, climbed 24 points, or 0.2%, to 13006 in afternoon trade.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The AUD is stronger this morning, currently trading around USD1.0750 after looking markedly weaker during our local trading session yesterday.

The Australian sharmarket lost ground for only the second time in five sessions, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) falling by 0.8 pct or 34.5 pts to 4354.5. The good news is that last week was the best week of 2012 to date with shares improving by 2.7 pct.

The almost complete $200-million rare earths processing plant in Malaysia of Lynas Corp. continues to wrangle protests, even as a nuke expert had said the plant is very much safe.

The national Labor Leadership ballot has revealed Julia Gillard being the winner. She has gained 71 votes compared to Mr. Rudd's 31 votes according to the announcement made by Chris Hayes, party returning officer.

Complicated adjustments and the ongoing Labor leadership row should convince the federal government to give some breather to the financial services industry and delay its scheduled revamp July this year.

Russian-Canadian miner Rusoro Mining's loss has become the Citic Group of China's gain as the Chinese state investment company on Friday sealed with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez an accord to develop the Las Cristinas gold project, along with other oil and mining projects.