POLITICS & POLICY

The British Royal Navy has announced its plan to deploy a warship made from plastic to avoid triggering mines. The HMS Ramsey is scheduled to set to the gulf from its base at Faslane, it was reported.

At least 10 people were killed and dozens more injured when two successive earthquakes hit southeast Spain on Wednesday. The quake also damaged buildings and destroyed vehicles, in what officials described as one of the strongest quakes to hit the country in 50 years and inflicting the highest number of deaths.

A New Zealand court has ordered Australian airlines Qantas to pay fines worth NZ$6.5 million for fault of price fixing, records showed.

The tiny island nation of Samoa off the Pacific is catapulting itself 24 hours into the future on December.

"Till death do us part."And to prove just that, two Chinese couple held their wedding inside a cemetery to declare their intention to be together until death.

A six-year-old boy from Croatia dubbed "magnetic boy," is attracting curiosity from his family and friends because of his - you guessed it right - magnetic attraction.

Osama bin Laden's journal was seized during the May 2 dramatic US raid that ended his life.

The adult sons of Osama bin Laden have lashed out at U.S. President Obama, accusing the United States of violating its basic legal principles by killing an unarmed man and disposing of his body in the sea.

In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis and three days after a top official announced Japan’s commitment to atomic power for its energy policy, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government will rethink its plan to increase reliance on nuclear power.

About 100 residents from the village of Kawauchi, Japan were allowed to return home briefly on Tuesday to gather belongings left behind when they were asked to evacuate after the massive earthquake and tsunami damaged the nuclear reactors of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant last March 11.

Critics and business leaders have been disappointed with the proposed federal budget of Australia unveiled last night for fiscal year 2011-2012.

A Chinese Kung Fu expert is carving a career with the use of his skills in the ancient Chinese martial art to hurl playing cards like throwing knives.

According to the latest U.S. monthly job report, the percentage of employed African-American men fell to its lowest level since records began in 1972. The figure belie expectations that the election of the first African-American in the White House could boost the blacks chances of getting jobs.

According to an online monitoring service, a statement believed to be authored by Osama bin Laden’s fourth eldest son, Omar bin Laden, condemned the al Qaeda leader's killing as "criminal" and said his father’s burial at sea had disgraced the family.

A federal budget that will help yield a faster 4 percent economic growth in the coming financial year and a smaller deficit of A$22.6 billion from an estimated $49.4 billion in the current year has been presented by Treasurer Wayne Swan to the Australian Parliament

This year’s Federal Budget has left aged care in limbo, according to the peak body for Australia’s not-for-profit aged care service providers.

Australia's Treasurer Wayne Swan said the aim of authorities to cut the federal budget in order to return to a surplus by the next fiscal year will be good to tame the country's rising inflation.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s second-in-command, gained support from a linked militant group In Iraq and swore more attacks in vengeance for Osama bin Laden’s death.

Two traffic officers from Los Angeles are facing the ax after they appeared in a porn video while on the job.

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich will announce Wednesday he is running for president of the United States in 2012. The former Georgia congressman will make the official announcement by Facebook and Twitter, according to spokesman Rick Tyler.

A day after Japan announced its commitment to atomic power for its energy policy, the UK’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC) announced that nuclear power will remain the cheapest way for the UK to grow its low-carbon energy supply for at least a decade.

Families, essential service personnel and lower income earners will be the victims of rumoured moves by the Australian Government to introduce a vendor tax and cut negative gearing on investment properties. Media reporting suggests the moves could be part of Tuesday’s Federal Budget.

The Senate’s second interim report into milk pricing has acknowledged the customer benefit of lower milk prices - and that such benefits should not be dismissed lightly.

Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard have agreed to enter into a new bilateral arrangement as part of the Regional Cooperation Framework agreed to at the recent Bali Process Ministerial Conference in Bali on 30 March 2011.

In an attempt to restore fiscal balance, the Australian government plans to cut its spending to cope with the recent rise in the Australian currency, Treasurer Wayne Swan said today.

More timely tax assistance will be offered to 6.5 million Australian taxpayers on lower incomes to help encourage work and provide some modest help with cost of living pressures.

Navies across the world are adding aircraft carriers to their fleet, refurbishing old ones and adding new inventories even as some experts have questioned the cost and the relevance of aircraft carriers in the changing military warfare.

The administration of Prime Minister Julia Gillard unveils on Tuesday its first annual budget amid consumer fears of accelerating inflation and business concerns about a strong currency.

American President Barack Obama said on Sunday that "finally getting" the world's most notorious terrorists Osama bin Laden was the top priority and far outweighs the risks, that eventually made him give the go signal to the commando raid.