Erik Pineda

Monsoon rains in South Asia have suffered considerable cut backs over the past four decades, according to new research findings released on Thursday, which put much of the blame to aerosol particles spewed by human activities.

A superannuation umbrella group demanded on Thursday the sweeping ouster of the incumbent News Corp board led by Rupert Murdoch and his sons, charging that all six directors, were guilty of gross oversight in relation to the UK phone hacking scandal that made headlines in July.

Tablet computers powered by Google’s Android mobile operating system are making headway in the domestic market, according to analytic firm International Data Corporation (IDC), which also reported that Apple still rules the market for the second quarter of the current year.

Arch West was the man behind the crispy and tangy Doritos, which last year alone generated worldwide sales of up to $5 billion.

The looming Asian century, in which countries like China and India are expected to dominate global events, comes with its share of issues and opportunities, according to Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

A new study recently published by science journal PLoS ONE has indicated that shark population in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef may be witnessing a sharp decline due to unregulated fishing activities in the area.

Two newspaper articles published in 2009 and written by nationally-syndicated columnist Andrew Bolt were found reeking with discriminatory contents against the Australian aborigines, according to a ruling issued on Wednesday by a Federal Court.

Another hurdle has been crossed on the looming takeover of Australia’s number one brewery firm, Foster’s Group, as the country’s competition regulator indicated on Wednesday that SABMiller’s $10.7 billion buyout plan poses no competitive constraints.

Australians appear to be reluctant in acquiring new properties for now as a new industry survey showed mere moderate gains in the real estate sector in August, posting sales improvement of only 1.1 percent in the month.

Current global and domestic economic conditions call for a slide on Australia’s interest rate, according to the latest business sentiment indicator published on Wednesday by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).

The corporate world is still a generally hostile environment for women advancement, according to a new report, which also showed that majority of workplace set ups subconsciously reserve leadership roles to men.

Blame it on the jet lag but Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd further fuelled speculations of a Labor leadership struggle when he quipped upon his return from Washington that he is a “very happy little vegemite being Prime Minister.”

Touted as the fastest broadband access available, Telstra announced on Monday the availability of its 4G long-term evolution (LTE) mobile network that the company said will be deployed to eight central business districts (CBDs) and 30 regional metropolitan centres nationwide.

Rio Tinto reportedly plans to restructure its Australian operations and foremost to the new strategy is the divestiture of the global miner’s aluminum assets.

Saudi Arabia announced Sunday that women will be given the vote by 2015, a move that analysts see as the conservative kingdom's attempt to appease the wave of revolt sweeping the Arab world.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will stay on, at least until her term ends, this according to Australian Labor Party stalwarts who called the whirling speculations about the impending return of Kevin Rudd to the Lodge as mere rubbish coming from the Liberals.

Australia joined the walk out led by the United States and member states of the European Union on Thursday as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blithely accused ‘western powers’ of arrogance and military adventurism during his United Nations General Assembly speech.

Unlike its American counterpart, the Australian economy has been characterised by fiscal policies that fostered resiliency and stability, which according to Standards and Poor’s, led to an overall healthy financial environment in the country, notwithstanding the presence of global pressures.

Lumped together the pay checks collected by the top executives of BHP Billiton, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Coles for financial year 2010-2011 alone and you’ll get more than $43 million, which is more than enough for an average Australian to last a lifetime.

The federal government stamped its environmental approval on the Chevron-led Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) project that experts said would lead to billion-dollars of investments but could disrupt the marine eco-system off the coast of Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Four years after Australia’ competition watchdog labelled its search results as confusing and misleading, giant internet firm Google won the nod of the court, which declared on Thursday that the company hardly violated any provisions in the country’s consumer law.

Koalas uniquely represent Australia but their dwindling numbers over the past decade prompted the Senate on Thursday to call on authorities to implement nationwide measures that would significantly cut down unnecessary deaths of the huggable marsupial.

Half the fleet of trains servicing the Melbourne railway network are travelling with defective passenger doors, according to an assessment report issued on Monday by Transport Safety Victoria.

Australian households are rationalising their expenditures, prioritising essential services and doing without goods, leading to what a central bank official called "very subdued trading conditions in many parts of the retail sector."

Shakers and movers of the tech industry climbed their way to the dominant position of America’s wealthiest for the year 2011, with perennial frontrunner Microsoft Corporation co-founder Bill Gates heading the list again with his estimated net worth of some $59 billion.

Australia will call on America and Europe to act quickly and decisively in order to revise the downgraded outlook issued on Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on both economic regions.

Mining giant BHP Billiton spent close to $19 million in financial year 2010-2011 for executive salaries, which Chairman John Buchanan described as investments geared to reap more company earnings in the future.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts a not-so-rosy prospect for the global economy by the end of the current year, a trend that the lending institution said would only be sustained until the closing months of 2012.

The world’s shortest woman is an American college student, according to a statement furnished to media outlets by Guinness World Records on Tuesday.