POLITICS & POLICY

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has received the public's support for his active role and leadership in the investigation of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 disaster. The results of a News Corp poll revealed 48 per cent of respondents believe Mr Abbott has displayed "more leadership" in response to the MH17 tragedy and his tougher stance on Russia compared to U.S. President Barack Obama.

The north Toronto city on Saturday night had a UFO experience with the social media abuzz with speculations by people spotting strange, flashing lights over the city, reported Guardian LV. North York residents tweeted that they saw colourful lights moving in sky at Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue. The Toronto Police also confirmed having got calls from the public informing of pink, green and white lights in a single diagonal line.

The New Zealand polls became more intense with Georgina Beyer, world’s first transgender MP joining the Mana Party, reports ODT. Beyer was a former MP with the Labour Party. Beyer made news in 1995 when she won the Carterton mayor election with a huge margin.

Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey has hinted of helping Kiwis living and working in Australia. According to reports, Hockey indicated that the Australian government may be open to changes in rules affecting New Zealanders.

Public support for New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and the National part has increased in the recent polls. In survey conducted by One News-Colnar Brunton, 48 per cent backed Mr Key while 52 per cent said they supported the National party.

Hamas has agreed on a 24-hour ceasefire on humanitarian grounds as the Islamic world starts to celebrate Eid al-Fitr on Monday, July 28.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar has slipped below the .9400 level over the weekend as the latest US economic data was slightly better than expected.

It is often said that arranged marriages are more durable than love marriages. But the UK is facing a big problem from thousands of "arranged marriages," which are nothing but a ruse to settle in the country.

The Australian government has decided to bring the 157 Tamil asylum seekers detained at sea on a customs boat back to the mainland. Australia's stretch of six months without asylum seeker boats arriving in the mainland has come to an end as asylum seekers who were held in the Customs Ocean Protector for four weeks will finally be brought to the country.

The Australian government has decided to bring the 157 Tamil asylum seekers detained at sea on a customs boat back to the mainland. Australia's stretch of six months without asylum seeker boats arriving in the mainland has come to an end as asylum seekers who were held in the Customs Ocean Protector for four weeks will finally be brought to the country.

Tension in Ukraine may further increase as Australian Prime Minister deploys armed security forces to the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site. The plane wreckage lies in the territory of pro-Russian separatists. According to political analysts in Berlin and Brussels, the presence of 100 Australian Federal Police in rebel territory may prove to be "dangerous."

Hillary Clinton had reportedly revealed through a magazine interview that Bill Clinton' sex addiction was brought on by a traumatic childhood of physical abuse.

Death sentences in some US states by lethal injection has come under heavy criticism as a barbaric act and the clamour is up for its legal review by the apex court, reports Global Post. The latest trigger is the protests that followed after a convict struggled in agony for almost two hours to breathe his last after the botched execution.

New Zealand will be passing a new legislation shortly to make health and safety a top priority in workplaces, reported NZ Herald. According to leading a employment lawyer Shima Grice, New Zealanders have to study the implications of the new law and prepare themselves to operate within it.

The Labour Party in New Zealand will ensure higher funding to the adult and community education sector, reports NZ Herald. While taking out the education card the Labour party also accused the John Key government of stopping many innovative schemes in education. Certainly the Labour Party is trying to make all the right noises.

Police in Vancouver, Canada raided a medical marijuana store on Thursday for allegedly selling illegal recreational marijuana to the neighbourhood youth. The store was Jim's Weed Lounge.

Britain has warned Israel that the West is getting less sympathetic to the Jewish state and its offensive in Gaza.

The Canadian Government has called for a UN investigation into the reported discoveries of weapons caches at the UN-run schools in the Gaza Strip, reported Global Post. According to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird it was shocking that stockpiles of rockets were found in a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza.

A CNN journalist working in Ukraine was abducted by pro-Russian rebels. It has been more than a couple of days since he is in detention.

Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar kicked higher yesterday after China's flash manufacturing data as reported by HSBC for July rose to 52 from last month's figure of 50.7.

The US administration has gone public with its classified intelligence to nail the claims of innocence aired by Russia about the downing of Malaysian airliner, reports Washington Post. The US officials in a briefing for reporter provided material information rebutting all claims made by Russia to the contrary. The Malaysia Flight tragedy killed 298 civilians

An incident involving airport security by Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has put the John Key Government in New Zealand on the defensive, reports NZ Herald. The minister has offered to quit after being quizzed by the aviation security officials. But the issue has raised concerns on compromises in air security.

Despite the nationalist concerns by the UK political elite, support is welling up from many quarters asking the Scottish not to dither in making a choice for independence, reports the Guardian. A report in Guardian talks about the support offered by top leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru. In an interview its leader Leanne Wood said solidarity through divergence was a better way of showing people outside of Scotland what is possible

Now that it's been discovered that Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughter Maria is living in Holland with her boyfriend, the people of Netherlands are now clamoring for her deportation to her father's country.

At least 32,000 people in Taiwan were left without power supply after typhoon Matmo pummeled the east Asian country. Matmo has likewise made landfall in China, the country's second weather disturbance within a week.

All they wanted was a chance at a better life. But migrants aboard a boat enroute to Europe didn't realize death could come knocking while they pursue their journey. On Wednesday, Italian police arrested at least five men for the alleged deaths of over 100 as panic ensued triggered by poisonous fumes in the overcrowded boat.

In the upcoming US mid -term elections, Hedge funds tycoon Tom Steyer will unleash a $100 million campaign spread in 7 states as an offensive against Republican party candidates, reports CNN. Backed by his environmental advocacy group the green billionaire is planning to go on an all out offensive to stop Republicans from controlling the Senate and key statehouses by November.

Why did MH17 crash? Here are three popular theories circulating the Internet.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights indicated that Israel might have committed "war crimes" during its offensives in the Gaza Strip.