POLITICS & POLICY

Janet Jackson best known for her role in "The Jacksons" and her relation to the greatest entertainer of all time - Michael Jackson, has chosen to take a load of from the stage and postpone her October 27 Melbourne Concert: Number Ones - Up Close and Personal .

Will Pippa Middleton be the next bride of the family? Boyfriend Alex Loudon is said to be looking for the perfect ring.

Prince Harry locks his target not on the fields of his pilot training in the US but on an American girl in a nightclub. The lucky young woman is reportedly a look-a-like of his brother's wife, Kate Middleton.

Everything Catherine wears sells out in seconds. Now Calvin Klein head shares the same interest of wanting to dress the Duchess of Cambridge.

As the political and economic arbitration intensified in the EU, other nations around the globe remained wary of possible effects of the European crisis.

Heirs to the British crown should be given equal opportunity to ascend to the throne regardless of their gender and religious belief, according to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who also threw her support behind a spirited campaign to revise outdated royal succession rules.

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Deputy Governor Ric Battellino hinted on Tuesday that the Australian central bank may lower the cash rate. He said that the release on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics of the consumer price index (CPI) would be a key for the RBA to determine easing monetary policy.

Thailand's efforts to completely block floodwaters from reaching the capital Bangkok had been unsuccessful as the strong currents broke through barriers at Pin Klao area in Thon Buri that has been keeping the outpouring of the Chao Phraya River.

Overseas travelers arriving and leaving on Thursday face clearance delay at international airports as customs officers will go on strike again for 24 hours over a pay dispute with the government.

The Australian Defence Force Investigation Service is investigating why a sailor aboard HMAS Toowoomba died from a gunshot wound in his cabin while the frigate was docked at Mumbai port in India.

An indictment for war crimes charges greeted Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he arrived in Australia on Monday.

WikiLeaks no longer has money to operate and may shut down by December if cash donations does not come in soon, its founder Julian Assange announced in a press conference in London on Monday.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The AUD has risen to a six-week high overnight on the back of strong gains in commodities and continued optimism on an impending solution for Europe.

U.S. stocks jumped Monday, pushing the Nasdaq Composite into positive territory for the year and the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index to the cusp of it, though stocks moved off session highs in late trade. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 78 points, or 0.7%, to 11889 in late afternoon action. Caterpillar was leading blue chips, gaining 4.8% after the maker of construction and mining equipment reported third-quarter earnings that beat expectations and raised its outlook for the year....

A reading on the Chinese manufacturing sector lifted sharply in the latest month. HSBC´s China Flash PMI rose from 49.9 to 51.1 in October. Any reading above 50 suggests stronger growth in the manufacturing sector.

Tourism Australia and Jetstar entered into a $10-million partnership in an attempt to boost the country's visitor arrivals, particularly those from Japan.

Australia's National Retail Federation foresees a 2.8 percent increase in retail sales in time for the 2011 holiday season notwithstanding the chronic consumer improbability over the stock market, increasing unemployment and economic events in Europe.

Job security in Australia had become more elusive for many workers in the country. According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), casual employment rates doubled in 25 years.

Western Australia topped the list of broker Commonwealth Securities's quarterly State of the States report. WA displaced the Australian Capital Territory in the roster based on highest growth rate.

Resource-related projects are expected to significantly boost the engineering and commercial construction sectors over the 2011/12 and 2012/13 financial years, according to Australia's leading construction companies.

Thai authorities are now battling in two fronts: the immense flooding and residents resisting the government's strategy to divert the rising waters away from Bangkok.

Euro nations may be coming closer towards a resolution of the sovereign debt crisis as more specific solutions may be reached after another EU summit on Wednesday.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The AUD has opened above 1.0300 this morning, as financial markets continued to look for a positive resolution of the European debt crisis, following the weekend's EU emergency summit.

MORNING REPORT (7am AEDT)French President Nicolas Sarkozy has backed down on demands for the European Financial Stability Facility to be able to borrow from the European Central Bank to address the region´s debt crisis. European leaders will meet again on Wednesday evening to finalise a solution to the debt crisis.

With so much at stake for the entire continent, Eurozone nations are working hard to come up with solutions that could at long last resolved the prolonged economic crisis which may lead into another global recession.

The local share market traded virtually sideways today, as investors stayed out of the market ahead of a key meeting of European leaders at the weekend. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) lost 3.4pts by close to 4203.4 while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) fell 3pts to 4141.9.

A day before their weekend summit in Brussels, members of the 17-member euro zone have declared their intentions to hold another round of talks next week to achieve a unified position on the financial disaster threatening the continent.

The Greek Parliament finally gave its concurrence to the widely unpopular austerity measures that may have aggravated the peace and order situation in Athens and the rest of the country.

Sixty-four U.S. Navy men, including 49 assigned aboard the aircraft carrier that buried al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at sea, have been expelled for using, possessing or selling the designer drug called "spice" that mimics the effects of marijuana.