Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr announced on Wednesday the launch of a Comprehensive Aid Policy Framework that will serve as guide to the growth of Canberra's foreign aid budget over the next four years. The launch is timely because of the increase of Australia's foreign aid budget to $7.7 billion in 2015-16 from the current $4.9 billion.
One-time tax-related charges instituted in the first three months of the year have affected the profit of Canadian miner Kinross Gold Corp., falling by as much as 57 per cent in the first quarter.
Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Aussie has opened lower across the board this morning following a drop in the Euro, Oil and Stock markets as worries intensify over Greece.
Ahead of the open, we are calling the Aussie market down 0.8% at 4281. This leaves the market back where it was at the beginning of April, with the next key support at 4250. What are the factors that could trigger this slide?
The Dow industrials fell a fifth straight day as jitters over political uncertainty in Greece outweighed a rise in U.S. small-business confidence. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 76.44 points, or 0.6%, to 12932.09, extending its retreat from last week's four-year closing high
The Australian sharemarket improved slightly today, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) rising by 0.3 pct or 14.3 pts to 4375.9. Stocks were up by as much as 0.6 pct, but pulled back following some worse than expected economic data issued after 1.5 hours of trade. Yesterday was the biggest daily pullback for the local market in almost five months.
Australia has its first female chief executive in Prime Minister Julia Gillard and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton remains hopeful that America will soon elect its first woman head of state.
Australia will realise a modest budget surplus next year and enjoy at the same time a lifestyle that remains at par with major economies across the globe, Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan said on Tuesday.
Yesterday, what a day on the market, the Australian share market slumped to a 3-week low, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) falling 97.8 points to 4361 points, its biggest one day slide since mid-December 2011. Markets in the Asian region also finishing in the red, the Japanese Nikkei 225 index off 2.7% to 9,119 and Hang Seng index ended 2.6% lower.
Nepal was plagued,last May 6, 2012 by a sudden flash flood where dozens of villagers were killed and rendered homeless.
Former Labor MP Craig Thomson had illegally used up about $500,000 of Health Services Union (HSU) funds, according to the Fair Work Australia (FWA) report, which should be enough reason for him to cease from any active participation in the Parliament.
The three large Australian banks - ANZ, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Westpac - are no longer pursuing their application with Fair Work Australia (FWA) to remove weekend penalty rates.
Now that Japan is totally without nuclear power, having shut down its last working nuclear reactor over the weekend, producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) ought to brace themselves as the country shifts to import more of the said commodity to fuel its energy needs.
In a brief break from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) overnight cash rate cut of 50 basis points, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) was again in the headlines not for the less than 50 basis points cut it made on variable mortgage rates but for the resignation of one of the lender's key officials.
Bell FX Currency Outlook: The AUD is almost a cent higher from this time yesterday, currently trading around USD1.0210, as markets digest the results from the elections in Europe over the weekend.
The Dow industrials lost ground for the fourth session in a row amid concerns that elections in France and Greece could impede Europe's ability to deal with its sovereign debt problems.
The Australian sharemarket slumped to a 3-week low, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) falling by 2.2 pct or 97.8 pts to 4361.6. The local market had its worst single day since mid-December last year. Most sectors fell by at least 1.5 pct, while energy and mining stocks plummeted by more than 3 pct.
Senior ministers in the Gillard administration had warned on Monday that the carbon tax is killing the government. Their warning includes suggestions to change the sales pitch for the tax and to redesign the pricing.
Because of the strong pressure Australian banks are facing to pass in full the 50 basis points overnight cash rate made by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on Tuesday, ANZ Bank Chief Executive Mike Smith complained on Sunday of the barriers that make it harder for companies to do business in Australia.
A new remote sensing satellite has been hurtled into space by China, the world's second-largest economy, on Sunday.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has ramped up efforts by her government to convince the Australian public that the 'Labor way' of managing the national economy would in the long-run prove beneficial to the greater majority.
On Friday night the global markets were hit by concern and weak commodity prices. The Australian markets ended weaker with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 35 points to 4,459 points.
Treasurer Wayne Swan will announce on Tuesday several budget measures that will help small Australian businesses cope with the impact of the strong currency and consumer caution. Among the measures that Mr Swan will announce is a loss carry-back provision which would allow local firms to claw back overpaid cost of tax in any financial year.
Bell FX Currency Outlook: A disappointing non-farm payroll number from the US for April saw major equity markets move lower on Friday and take the Australia dollar with it to the mid 1.0100 level this morning.
U.K.'s Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has called on Germany to play a more active role in global military affairs.
A flat reading from the U.S. jobs market sank stocks and plunged the Nasdaq to its biggest single-session drop since November. Stocks shot lower at the open and remained pinned down for the duration of Friday's trading.
The Australian market fell for the second straight day today, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down 0.8 pct or 35.1 pts to 4459.4. Despite the losses, local shares still ended around 0.5 pct higher for the week.
Ahead of the budget surplus that Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she will adhere to in the May 8 budget presentation, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) painted a subdued pace of the domestic economy for much of 2012 on its quarterly policy advisory.
Canadian miner Gabriel Resources Ltd., whose Rosia Montana gold mine project in Romania continues to get delayed due to the absence of a key environmental permit, said Romania stands to lose some $30 billion in earnings as the project gets stalled.
For years now, almost all the countries in the world have an army of its own, which is committed to protecting the national interests of the country against enemies.
