Vittorio Hernandez

The entitlement mentality is something that many politicians share globally, whether they are in the U.S. Congress, Japanese Diet or Australian Parliament. They would fight tooth and nail to continue enjoying freebies - at the expense of taxpayers' money - despite moves to curb their excesses. One good example is in Australia where former federal MPs have threatened to pursue a High Court challenge if the federal government would remove their lifetime "gold pass' travel perks. These co...

With 2015 just less than two months away, now is the time to look for next year's calendar. Unlike the previous years when the choice was usually narrowed down between French or British sportsmen, for the coming year, Orthodox priests present a third alternative.

Move over, buffed French rugby team members known for their naked Dieux Du Stade annual calendar. You have two stiff competitors for the 2015 calendar scene. One of them just happen to be holy men, Orthodox priests who have shed off their habits and undies as well to battle homophobia.

In the US, consumer credit rose by US$15.92 billion in September, above forecasts tipping a US$15.1bn gain. The Employment Trends index rose from 121.7 to 123.09 in October.

Australian shares have kicked off the trading week a little softer; wiping out all of last week's improvements. The ASX 200 index fell by 0.5 per cent or 31pts to 5518.4.

Sellers have applied their weight to the share market on Monday, discriminating little between the various sectors. Mining and energy stocks however have escaped the attention that has seen financials lead the way lower after Westpac (WBC) went ex-dividend, shedding more than 3.5% in the process. The softer tone is a reflection of a similar experience to that of US stocks on Friday after jobs data missed expectations. Figures from The US Bureau of Labour Statistics showed that non-farm payrolls ...

The already divided Christian faith is expected to be further broken into two or more school of thoughts over the civil status of Jesus Christ with the release of a new book titled The Lost Gospel. Based on a 1,450-year-old manuscript found in the British Library, the book claims it is the fifth Gospel.

I remain tepid about November trade, having seen the US markets returning to record all-time highs and more talk on the Street is that we're heading for 8% to 10% gains over the next 12 months.

Amid assessments by various boxing observers that Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao is slipping at a rate faster than rival Floyd Mayweather Jr, some experts still pick the eight-division title holder as the likely winner of the Nov 22 bout at the Cotai Arena in Macau versus American boxer Chris Algieri.

When mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) holds it stockholders annual meeting in February 2015, the firm is hopeful it could bring a smile to shareholders on hearing news of higher dividends when it announced full-year results. The confidence comes from higher revenue due to sticking to plans to boost output despite lower iron ore prices in the international market.

The $1 billion agreement between China and Australia that would result in the export of 1 million cattle to the Asian giant would also boost the Aussie economy by $1.8 billion. The deal is expected to be officially finalised on Monday by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Summit hosted by Beijing.

In the US, non-farm payrolls (employment) rose by 214,000 in October, short of forecasts tipping a 231,000 gain. Unemployment fell to a 6-year low of 5.8%. Average earnings rose by 0.1%. The labour force participation rate rose from 62.7% to 62.8%.

With just two more weeks left before Manny Pacquiao meets Chris Algieri at the Cotai Arena in Macau, more boxing experts are foreseeing a win by the Filipino champion who would likely give the American boxer his first career loss.

Four young Islamic terrorists planned to assassinate Queen Elizabeth by stabbing her at the Royal British Legion Festival, a military party held in Royal Albert Hall. The event is scheduled on Saturday, Nov 8.

What is it about American boxer Floyd Mayweather that male rappers who are the current partners of women who have issues with him still respect Money May?

The Forsyth County Housing and Community Development released on Thursday an almost 10-minute video of the home of Pazuzu Illah Algarad, a Satanist, which showed extremely stomach-churning footage of a house filled with litter, animal waste and pentagram-covered walls filled with depictions of the devil.

The Australian sharemarket has recovered yesterday's losses, with all ten sectors finishing firmer. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) gained 0.78 per cent or 42 points to 5,522, while the S&P/ASX 200 Index (XJO) climbed 0.78 per cent or 43 points to 5,549. The market was boosted by strong gains in the materials and energy sectors and even the financial sector managed to shrug off early losses to finish the day in positive territory. Over the course of the week the ASX 200 has gained 0.4%, markin...

Local shares started the last session of the week on the front foot following encouraging gains for US and European markets over night. The ASX opened with a small loss, down 6 points before trading with a gain of 33 points at the best levels of the morning. The early optimism reflected gains seen overseas which were driven by the hope of more central bank led action to promote economic growth. The European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the bank's governing council was unanimous in...

Naked beachgoers in three Canary Islands panicked with the arrival of a migrant boat from Africa at the Gran Canaria beach. It wasn't so much the island being a stepping stone from people escaping from the continent's poverty but the fact that some of the 19 migrants have complained of Ebola-like symptoms.

It was a busy night for global markets, as investors digested a raft of releases and events from Europe and the US. In Europe, the BoE and ECB both kept policy unchanged. However, the latter's press conference drew significant attention, as the central bank said it expects its balance sheet to move towards 2012 levels. Essentially, this implies the balance sheet is set to increase by around a trillion euros. At the same time, the ECB reinforced its commitment to using other unconventional pol...

The Adelaide District Court sentenced on Thursday 38-year-old Mark Lee Duncan, a former soldier, six and a half years prison term for raping a resident of Richmond in February 2012. What was ironic about the case was the victim though it was her boyfriend who was making love to her, not a total stranger.

Chris Leadbetter visited his very sick 76-year-old grandfather, Bob Large, at the hospital. Thinking it would be one of their last few days together, the 20-year-old took out his mobile phone and snapped a photo of his grandpa who was being administered the last rite in preparation for his imminent death.

A "naked" image of Dr Phil McGraw was flashed on TV when Dr Phil appeared on Wednesday at Conan to discuss the Fappening. It wasn't a real nude photo but part of the light banter between the guest and the host - writer, comedian and performer Conan O'Brien - who tackled the nude hacked and leaked images of celebrities.

It was not only the image of Vietnamese tourist Pham Van Thoai down on his knees and begging the staff of a Singaporean mobile phone store to refund his money, but also the subsequent public support for the factory worker seen as a victim of unscrupulous iPhone sellers.

In the US, jobless claim fell by 10,000 to 278,000 last week. The Labour Department also reported that hourly compensation increased at a 2.3 per cent rate in the September quarter. Labour productivity rose at a 0.3 per cent rate in the September quarter after a decline of 0.5 per cent in the June quarter.

The local sharemarket continued its downward slide this afternoon, closing firmly in the red. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) lost 0.32 per cent or 17pts to 5,475, while the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.29 per cent or 16 pts to 5,501. The market was weighed down by falls in the mining and financial sectors. Volumes saw 1.9 billion shares exchanged worth $5.3 billion. 386 stocks ended higher, 571 closed lower and 321 were unchanged.

After several sessions where a weaker tone had prevailed locally, early trade on Thursday saw buyers re-emerge to assert themselves once again in the Australian sharemarket. The improved tone was a reflection of the gains seen in Europe and the US overnight. In Europe the FTSEurofirst 300 index rose by 1.7%, the UK FTSE gained 1.3% and the German Dax lifted by 1.6% as investors showed no anxiety ahead of the European Central Bank meeting on Thursday which is seen as bringing news of fresh stimul...

Another person just lost her life because of selfies. Sylwia Rajchel, a 23-year-old nursing student from Poland plunged to her death while taking her selfie on the ledge of the Puente de Triana bridge in Seville, Spain.

S&P moved to a record all-time high overnight, as the US midterms delivered their expected outcome.