Vittorio Hernandez

The Australian share market has closed slightly firmer today, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) adding 12.8 points or 0.2 per cent by close to 5373 points. The market had a volatile session, with the All Ords being down to 5351 points at one time, despite positive offshore gains.

The apparent political motive of the pilot of the missing Malaysian Airline Flight 370 in diverting the Boeing 777 jet is becoming clearer. Malaysian Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim admitted on Tuesday that he is related to Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the captain of the missing jet, through Mr Anwar's son-in-law.

The Australian sharemarket is modestly higher at lunch, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) up by 0.1 per cent. Investors are remaining on the sidelines as the U.S. central bank is halfway through its two-day monthly meeting. Global sharemarkets surged overnight as Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has no plans to seize other areas of Ukraine.

As expected, the Russian Federation will look to absorb Crimea and for it to be fully integrated as early as January 1 2015. Celebrations in Red Square kicked off on the announcement from President Putin that the referendum from the weekend was evidence enough that Crimea 'wants to be run by a stable sovereignty, and that is Russia.'

In US economic data, the consumer price index rose by 0.1% in February to stand 1.1% higher than a year ago. The core rate (excludes food and energy) also rose 0.1% to be up 1.6% on a year ago. Housing starts eased by 0.2% to a 907,000 annual rate in February but permits rose by 7.7%. And net capital inflows to the US totalled $83 billion in January following outflows of US$126.7 billion in December.

Soon, Chicago may have their own version of a young and pretty public servant in the person of former Miss America 2003 Erika Harold who is aiming to represent Illinois' 13th district in the Republican's primary election on Tuesday.

Eight-division title holder Manny Pacquiao had a famous visitor while training for his much anticipated rematch with American boxer Timothy Bradley on April 12.

John Wolfson, the 27-year-old surfer and bodyboarder who collided against a dolphin on Monday, his birthday, is not blaming the mammal for the water sports accident.

As more reports of Android-run gadgets selling at a faster pace than those pricey gadgets manufactured by the Cupertino-based giant come one after the other, tech Web sites reported on Tuesday that a lower-capacity version of the iPhone 5C would sell in Europe, China and Australia at lower prices, ranging from $660 to $779.

From being charged with misogyny by Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, and the target of the country's handbag brigade when he was still the Opposition leader, current Prime Minister Tony Abbott is now considered a feminist by opinion makers.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will announced on Wednesday that the federal government would remove $1-billion worth of red tape in 2014 by changing 10,000 redundant laws.

The Australian sharemarket ended higher for just the second time in seven trading days. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) finished 0.5 per cent firmer to 5360.2, remaining below the 5400.0pt mark but bouncing from a one-month low. All sectors finished higher by the close.

Buyers were able to make an impression on the ASX200 in early trade on Tuesday after the index shed 1.76% in the last 2 days. The improved tone saw every ASX sector trade higher over the course of the morning. The positive momentum was dominated by Materials and Financials, helped by economic news out of the US which revealed a better than expected reading on industrial production which rose by 0.6% in February, above forecasts for a 0.1% gain.

The request by lawyers of convicted MP Craig Thomson would likely invite public criticism and anger. Defence lawyer Greg James argued before the Melbourne Magistrate Court on Tuesday not to jail the former national secretary of the Health Services Union (HSU) despite his being found by the court of misusing the HSU-issued credit cards, including pay prostitutes for sex services rendered.

Some of the weakest political and economic sanctions have been imposed on Russia overnight as Crimea is officially recognised as a sovereign state by the Russian Parliament, with President Putin signing a decree.

n US economic data, industrial production rose by 0.6% in February, above forecasts for a 0.1% gain. The New York Federal Reserve manufacturing index rose from 4.48 to 5.61 in March, near market forecasts. And the National Association of Home Builders index rose from 46 to 47 in March, short of forecasts centred near 50.

U.S. residents are watching what will come next after U.S. President Barack Obama refused to accept the results of the referendum. Mr Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Crimean vote breaches the Ukrainian charter and was made under duress of military action from Russia. Amid the tense political atmosphere, Japanese netizens instead chose to focus on the captivating beauty of the new attorney-general of Crimea, 33-year-old Natalia Poklonskaya.

A 27-year-old Australian surfer hit a dolphin while riding a wave at Bawley Point on the south coast of New South Wales. The accident site is about 250 kilometres south of Sydney.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would not likely follow the footstep of neighbour's Reserve Bank of New Zealand which last week its overnight cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 per cent.

More boxers continue to predict that eight-division title holder Manny Pacquiao will be the victor in his rematch with American pugilist Timothy Bradley on April 12 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Canadian manufacturing giant Bombardier got part of a $5.16-billion contract to supply South Africa with 1,064 locomotives to the country's freight rail system, Transnet Freight Rail.

he Australian share market closed lower on the first trading day of the week, as Crimea concerns continued to weigh on investors' minds. Exit polls on Sunday showed 93 per cent of voters in Crimea chose to secede from Ukraine and re-join Russia in a referendum the West has labelled illegal.

The Australian sharemarket is slightly weaker for the fifth time in six trading sessions. Concerns relating to a referendum on the future of Crimea in Ukraine is keeping investors on edge. The vote is considered by the West to be an illegal undertaking. One of the reasons why markets are a little concerned is that Russia supplies Europe with more than a quarter of its oil and gas import requirements.

The weekends are becoming the 'days of choice' for China to announce major policy changes, with the PBoC announcing the widely touted widening of the trading band on the CNY on Saturday.

In US economic data, producer prices fell by 0.1% in February while core prices (excludes food and energy) fell by 0.2%. Both results were weaker than forecast. Consumer sentiment fell from 81.6 to 79.9 in March, below forecasts near 82.0.

Amid global focus on the aviation industry as the world waits for fresh developments about the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, the aircraft engineers' union at Qantas warned of a possible aviation disaster waiting plans of the Flying Roo.

Two major Chinese tech giants are slated to go public, expecting to raise billions of dollars in capital.

More evidence is cropping up indicating the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 was hijacked by its own pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah. The 53-year-old aviator appeared to have done it as a form of government protest,

The mystery behind the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 deepens further as latest report returns to terrorism, however, the possible suspects are no longer the two Iranian men with stolen passports, but the plane's pilot and the same group behind the 9/11 attack in the U.S.