Pope Francis World’s Most Influential Leader on Twitter Beating U.S. President Obama, Other World Leaders [INFOGRAPHIC]
A Twiplomacy study has reported that Pope Francis is now the world's most influential leader on popular micro-blogging site Twitter. His Twitter account @Pontifex has the highest number of retweets with an average of 11,100 retweets in Spanish and 8,200 retweets in English. Despite being beaten by Pope Francis in average number of retweets, President Obama still has the most number of Twitter followers with 33.5 million. Pope Francis has 7.2 million followers spread across his Twitter account....
Kevin Rudd Boosts Australian Live Music Industry with $560,000 Investment, Appoints Local Artists as Music Ambassadors [VIDEO]
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may have drawn some criticism on his asylum seeker deal with Papua New Guinea but he has gained the support of the local music industry when he announced that Labor government will allot funds worth $560,000 to establish a National Office for Live Music in three years.
Facebook Inc. Bounces Back with Mobile Ad Revenues, CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Net Worth Now $16.8 Billion
Facebook Inc.'s shares rose to new heights in more than a year as news of its astounding revenues in mobile ads is regarded as the turning point for comeback of the social networking giant in the stock market.
Coalition Versus Australian Labor Party: Whose Budget Plans Can Australia Trust?
The Federal Opposition has doubted the economic update to be released by the government's Treasury and Finance Departments after the election has been called. Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey said the Australian Labor government is planning to release pre-emptive budget of its own to influence that statement.
Women Can Look Forward to Less Pap Smears to Prevent Cervical Cancer [VIDEO]
A new study shows Australian women need not have more Pap smears than necessary. Women in Australia have always been subjected to the test every two years, but researchers have found that one Pap smear in every three years is enough.
Man Kidnaps Baby in Sydney, Assaults Teenage Mother
Police found an abandoned car allegedly used to kidnap a baby boy from his home in western part of Sydney. The vehicle was discovered in Bargo with no sign of the abductor or the child.
Crocodile Bites Trainer's Head in Thailand Animal Farm [VIDEOS]
A shocking video captured a crocodile trainer in Thailand who was bitten on the head by one the giant reptiles in front of tourists.
Tuberculosis Epidemic in Queensland Feared, Official Wants Borders Near PNG Closed
Papua New Guineans are being barred from entering Torres Strait Islands over fears of a deadly epidemic which has already killed one.
Premature Kiwi Baby Stuck in China, Donations for Flight to New Zealand Needed
An Auckland couple, Greg and Amy Hewgill, was in transit through Shanghai in July 19 after a European holiday when Amy began having labour pains after just 27 weeks of pregnancy. Baby Lily struggles to fight an infection due to her underdeveloped internal organs. The Chinese government issued her a birth certificate. Amy, Lily's mother, was born in the United States while husband Greg was a native of Canada. Both of them have dual citizenship.
Papua New Guinea PM Peter O'Neill Lashes Out at Tony Abbott Over 'Nonsense" Claims on Asylum Seekers Deal
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has only scathing remarks regarding Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s accusations. Mr. Abott had attacked Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for telling Mr. O’Neill that he has the power to decide where the foreign aid budget will be spent.
House Prices in Australia on the Rise, Shows Signs of Recovery
House prices in Australia rose to a three-year high in the June quarter, climbing by 2.8 per cent. Compared with 2012's data for the month of June, current house prices rose 5.4 per cent in one year. According to the quarterly report of the Australian Property Monitors (APM), this level of growth has not been seen since March 2010.
Royal Baby Buzz: PR Lessons for Australia's SMEs [SEE PHOTOS]
The royal baby of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is barely a day old but he's already creating a buzz in the media and PR world.
Australia Lags Behind Developed Countries with Average Internet Speed of 4.7 Mbps, South Korea Rules with 14.2 Mbps
According to Akamai's quarterly "State of the Internet" report, Australia's average Internet speed is now at 4.7 Mbps. The connection speed is up by 2.1 per cent from the last quarter of 2012. On a global scale, the connection speed rose to an average of 3.1 Mbps or a 4 per cent increase.
Sorry Tiger Woods, Russel Brand, Sex Addiction Not a Real Brain Disorder [VIDEO]
A new study by researchers from the University of California Los Angeles suggested that sex addiction should not be treated as a disorder. The new brain study was published in the Socioaffective Neuroscience and Psychology, a scientific journal. Researchers recorded the brain responses of 39 men and 13 women to pornography.
Peabody Energy's Revenues Down Despite Cutting More Jobs
The revenues and earnings of Peabody Energy in Australia dropped dramatically in June due to high operating costs and weak coal prices. The coal mining company has already tried to implement cost-cutting measures but to no avail.
Tony Abbott Launches Verbal Assault Against Kevin Rudd Over PNG Asylum Seekers Deal
Tony Abbott told Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to move fast and send asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea. The Opposition leader criticised Kevin Rudd for letting Papua New Guinea control its budget for aid.
Australia's Largest Aquatic Reptile Found in Gippsland [PHOTOS]
Scientists have discovered a fossilized tooth of the biggest and oldest aquatic reptile in Australia in Gippsland.
Australian Doctors Propose National Ban on Teen Cosmetic Surgery [VIDEOS]
Doctors in Australia are seeking a ban on cosmetic surgery for minors or teenagers under the age of 18. The Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia pushed for stricter and government-regulated guidelines to be put in place to prevent cosmetic surgeons from performing procedures like lip augmentation and liposuction on minors.
World Health Organisation Asks India to Ban Deadly Pesticide That Killed 23 Schoolchildren [VIDEO]
The World Health Organisation (WHO) described the pesticide that poisoned and killed 23 schoolchildren in India last week as a chemical having “high acute toxicity”.
Wellington Earthquake: City Gets Back on Its Feet, Businesses Stay Open [VIDEOS]
The recent Wellington earthquakes damaged 35 of the city’s CBD buildings but city mayor Celia Wade-Brown asserts that Wellington will be open for business on Tuesday, July 23.
ANZ, National Australia Bank Least Favourite Among Business Clients
National Australia Bank and ANZ were the least popular banks in Australia, according to business customers. A satisfaction survey among business customers of the big four banks in Australia showed that NAB and ANZ garnered the lowest satisfaction rating below Commonwealth and Westpac for the past 12 months.
Brisbane: World's Most Expensive City for Business Travellers
For business travellers, Brisbane is the most expensive city in the world with Sydney, Perth and Melbourne also in the top 10 list of a study by Concur, an expense management group.
Study Finds Young Australian Men are Prone to Suicide
One in ten young men in Australia was prone to suicide in 2012, according to a mental health study. Researcher Jane Burns revealed the results of a report on Monday as a reflection of the nation's mental health system failing young men.
Wellington Earthquakes: Bigger Aftershocks Possible, Residents Advised to Prepare [VIDEO]
The Wellington earthquake could have brought a lot of damage but the possibility of bigger aftershocks remains high according to scientists.
11-Year-Old Girl Escapes Parents, Child Marriage [VIDEO]
A YouTube clip of 11-year-old girl from Yemen, Nada Al-Ahdal, became viral after a Reddit user posted the link on the popular Web site. In the video, the young girl described the reason why she was running away from home, leaving her parents behind to stay with her uncle.
Paypal: Plastic Credit Cards Will Become Obsolete in 5 Years
Paypal says the use of physical credit cards will soon die out by 2018, thanks to rising number of Australians using their smartphones for purchasing almost virtually anything, according to a senior executive of the digital payment service company.
Australian Student Designs First 'RoboCop' Helmet of the Future for Police Officers
Police officers in motorcycles may soon find themselves owning a RoboCop helmet, thanks to Aussie student Alfred Boyadgis. Mr. Boyadkis is a 23-year-old student who designed a high-tech helmet for motorcycle cops. The "RoboCop" helmet displays information in the visor and combines various technologies currently available at arm's length.
Ex-Employee Stole $600,000 from Reserve Bank of Australia
The Reserve Bank of Australia has been duped by its former employee who swindled $600,000. It was apparently an inside job. The former facilities manager of the Reserve Bank, Megha Mizerni, had pleaded guilty to the charge of obtaining property by deception. Mizerni is currently waiting for the sentence to be given by the County Court of Victoria.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, James Cameron Supports New Zealand Proposal for Antarctic Marine Reserve
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has expressed his support behind the joint New Zealand-US proposal to apply fishing restrictions in some areas of Antarctic waters. Despite the joint efforts, Ukraine and Russia have blocked the proposal, raising fears that the plan could be shot down.
19 of 23 Dead Indian Children Buried in School as Reminder of Government Negligence
Out of 23 children who died in India due to food poisoning from their free lunches in a Bihar school, 19 have been buried in and around the school grounds. The parents of the dead children said they wanted their children buried in the school grounds as a reminder of the state's negligence in setting proper guidelines in the national food program.
