Sharon Olalia

A former Willoughby City Council building inspector and development officer council could face criminal charges for exploiting his official functions to favour various business owners in the Chatswood area in return for cash, gifts, free meals, and free massages and sexual services.

The ash from Chilean volcano, Cordon Caulle that has been affecting flights in and out of Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra is expected to clear today, with many operators anticipated to resume services gradually throughout the day.

Export earnings from the rural and mineral resources sectors are expected to reach a record of $256 billion in 2011-12, according to the Australian commodities-June quarter 2011 report, released by ABARES today.

Japan has won back the crown to having the fastest supercomputer in the whole planet. A Japanese supercomputer capable of performing more than 8 quadrillion calculations per second (petaflop/s) is the new number one system in the world, putting Japan back in the top spot for the first time since the Earth Simulator was dethroned in November 2004, according to the latest edition of the TOP500 List of the world's top supercomputers.

Australians are still paying too much in bank fees, with banks raking in over $4 billion in 2010 from bank fees on household accounts alone, according to financial comparison website RateCity.

Telco giant Telstra (ASX: TLS) launched today its Telstra Ultimate Mobile Wi-Fi – a battery-powered device that shares Next G mobile broadband connectivity with up to five devices simultaneously.

A large number of flights to and from Adelaide, Canberra and Sydney are expected to be cancelled today.

The Australian government will provide more than three quarters of a billion dollars to help build two of the largest solar power stations in the world.

NASA has released images featuring a star being a gobbled up by a black hole.

Independents Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon have presented bills to phase out the live export trade over the next three years.

Most Australians are in favour of the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to stimulate economic growth in Northern Australia, new research shows.

Video game developer Sega Corp apparently became the latest victim of a network breach as the hacking free for all continues.

Airports and seaports around Australia could effectively close next month as the Commonwealth public servant pay dispute with the federal government continues to worsen.

New research suggests the great Australian dream of owning a large, detached house no longer exists.

Data from the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, is giving NASA scientists important clues to the origin of Mercury and its geological history, and helping them better understand its dynamic interior and exterior processes.

The O’Farrell Government’s move to rebate payroll tax for new jobs is expected to boost NSW employment.

National Broadband Network (NBN) CEO Mike Quigley has been the victim of a Coalition smear campaign that has cost Australian taxpayers’ huge money, the Minister for Broadband, Communication and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said on Friday.

National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB) says it will continue to waive the mortgage early exit fee because it is good for business.

Astronomers found the first direct evidence that massive black holes were common in the early universe using the deepest X-ray image ever taken.

The aggregate fee income of banks in Australia was unchanged in 2010, according to the Reserve Bank, which has conducted a survey on bank fees each year since 1997.

National property values fell by 2.1 percent during the first quarter of 2011 made worse by weak results from January and February, an inaugural report from Commonwealth Bank and RP Data has revealed.

Australian flights resumed today, with the dense, low level ash cloud that affected flights in and out of Perth Airport overnight (15 June) now cleared.

A tight commercial market and a lack of affordability for premium office space has driven small businesses and micro businesses out of the CBD in at least three cities.

Export earnings from Australia’s energy and mineral commodities saw a 10 per cent slump in the March quarter of 2011 compared with the December quarter of 2010, according to new data released today.

The total lunar eclipse expected to occur early morning on June 16 and last around 100 minutes for residents of Western Australia could be more interesting than previously tipped.

People around the globe are changing what they eat because of the rising cost of food, according to a new global survey released today by international aid agency Oxfam.

Apple is officially selling unlocked iPhone 4 in the United States, which means consumers can now purchase the device and use it with any cellular network they wish.

The proposed carbon tax will cripple Australia’s coal industry forcing jobs offshore and closing many existing coal mines according to free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. Coal, used to generate electricity or manufacture steel, is a barometer for the economy.

Ash from Chile’s Puyehue volcano continues to disrupt Australian air travel.