POLITICS & POLICY

AFTERNOON REPORT (4.30pm AEST)The local share market came under more selling pressure today, falling to 13 month lows as investors fretted over the health of the global economy and as a fall in tourism arrivals showed our strong dollar is continuing to have a negative impact on parts of our economy. Key US jobs data due out tomorrow night also kept many out of the market, with institutional buyers not willing to commit until it's clear how many jobs the world's biggest economy added i...

The President of the United States of America had a star-studded birthday dinner at the Aragon Entertainment Centre in his hometown of Chicago on Wednesday night as celebrities serenaded him on his big day..

NSW households wanting to cut down on their electricity bills using solar will be left in limbo for almost a year according to documents released today.

Australia has earned the new title "Next Golden State" for all the right reasons. However, is the mining sector boom benefiting all or just a few?

Madeline Pulver, who spent 10 hours trapped with a bomb chained to her neck is well and in good spirits but she is "tired and sore," said her father, William.

The Senate has passed the executive remuneration reforms, and ready or not public companies are now subject to new rules.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA) is revising labelling requirements for agricultural and veterinary (agvet) chemicals.

A security firm has discovered the largest series of cyber attacks to date with a single server hacking more than 70 corporations and government organizations including the United Nations.

Australia's services sectors offering accommodation, cafes & restaurants, transport & storage, property & business and personal & recreational service have recorded gains in July, according to the latest services index survey from the Australia Industry Group in collaboration with the Commonwealth Bank.

Zimbabwe needs an extra $73 million (44.8 million pounds) in humanitarian aid this year, mainly due to increased food needs for vulnerable groups despite improvements in the agriculture sector, United Nations agencies said on Tuesday.

More than 70 per cent of Federal Member for Brisbane Teresa Gambaro’s electorate support full marriage equality, the Liberal MP announced.

One of Norway's largest retailers, Coop Norway announced last week that they will pull 51 games and toy brands from their stores after the Oslo and Utoya shootings killed 77 people in a government building and a youth camp.

Australia's Reserve Bank has opted to hold interest rates for another month, which will extend more relief to the economy now treading a soft patch to full recovery.

Master Builders Australia, the peak body for the building and construction industry is urging the government to work with all stakeholders and facilitate reform of illogical developer charges, improve land release strategies and streamline the approvals process to remove impediments affecting the supply of housing.

Australia’s minerals industry is expected to pay a record $23.4 billion in taxes and royalties to Federal and State Governments in 2010-2011, according to new research.

Although the singer's will to adopt a Carribean girl is an act of goodwill, fans and readers seem to think that the singer could have made a "horrible mother" if the adoption was pushed through.

Higher consumer prices in the last three months were posted in Australia and this has been indicated in the July inflation index compiled by TD Securities Inc. and the Melbourne Institute released in Sydney on Monday.

Personally, I never understood what got people so excited about Barack Obama. But back in 2008 people were positively gooey about him, and one of the lesser reasons was "cybersecurity". Obama "got it". He understood the deadly seriousness of this business.

In what is shaping up to become the nation's largest-ever municipal insolvency, Jefferson County, Ala., officials recently hired a major law firm to tackle the county's approaching Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing. A federally-mandated sewer upgrade project plunged the county into severe debt back in the 1990s from which it has since been unable to recover.

The Australian Census will count same-sex couples who are married for the first time ever on Census night.

Australia’s second mainland National Broadband Network (NBN) site has been switched on this morning, with residents in the Kiama Downs and Minnamurra, south of Sydney, set to experience superfast fibre broadband.

AFTERNOON REPORT (4.30pm AEST)Ongoing concerns about the US debt crisis saw markets around the Asian region heavily sold off again today. Investors remain concerned that even if US lawmakers come to an agreement over the raising of the debt ceiling, the US could still have its AAA credit rating downgraded. Japan's Nikkei index eased by 1.6pct today while the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) fell 73.4pts or 1.6pct to 4539.2 while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) eased by 73.6pts or 1.6pct to 4463.8....

World-leading solar researchers and industry members in Australia are collaborating to develop new ways of generating zero-emissions electricity using a printing machine to produce solar cells.

Owners and managers in Australia are warned of cyber security risks and are advised to take the necessary measure to protect their businesses from hacking.

As the law enforcement crackdown against hacktivist groups Anonymous and LulzSec continued, British law enforcement on Wednesday announced the apprehension of "Topiary," a 19-year-old man from the Shetland Islands north of Scotland who has served as the spokesperson for the group.

In a followup article to the Front Page Project Rebellion article, Ben Hurley from the Australian Financial Review has published a new story on an ongoing investigation by the ACCC into the activities of RealEstate.com.au and to a lesser extent Domain.com.au.

Obamacare opponents in Ohio collect enough signatures to get constitutional amendment on fall ballot

In his rambling, 1,500-page manifesto, Norwegian shooter Anders Behring Brejvik said he used the video games "Modern Warfare 2" and "World of Warcraft" as training methods.

Industry groups in Australia have expressed concern as the value of the local currency surges pass the usual parity against the U.S. dollar. Is the rising Australian dollar a blessing or a curse to the domestic economy?