POLITICS & POLICY

Motivated to put an end to incessant speculations about Dalai Lama's reincarnation, the Tibetan's supreme spiritual leader, 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, finally issued a declaration on Saturday clarifying that only he has the legitimate authority to decide how and where his reincarnation shall take place.

Suburban rail and tram workers in Greece went on a 24-hour strike on Monday to protest the government's planned austerity measures meant to meet international creditors' requirement for a $10.7 billion bailout loan.

Amidst the ensuing news of economic downturn in most giant economies, one of Asian four tigers, South Korea collaborated with trading partners Japan and China in establishing a Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat aiming for cooperative developments in their respective nations, Korea Times reported.

South Korea has successfully developed its own supersonic cruise missile, Haesong II, senior defense officials announced on Monday.

It seems that Pippa Middleton is truly out of the market after reports surfaced that the Duchess' younger sister has started to move her things inside her boyfriend's house.

The hot new fashion icon was spotted attending a friend's wedding wearing a dress by 'Project D', Danii Minogue's fashion line

The trial of 38 year-old Matthew Johnson, who has been accused of slaying convicted murderer and drug trafficker Carl Williams in HM Barwon prison in Geelong last year, enters its final stage as the jury begins to deliberate on its final verdict beginning on Tuesday.

India's Kerala Region is serious on curbing the ballooning population with the government's approval of the new provision on the Kerala Women's Code, prohibiting couples from bearing more than two children, according to the Times of India.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will allow women to vote and run in the next election. Human Rights Watch says the reforms are significant, but such promises have been made before, and now women still have to wait four years for the announced reforms to take effect.

Thousands of employees of Australia's Customs and Border Protection agency will strike on Tuesday to protest their pay and work conditions.

It looks like Australia will have a "royal" autumn as the Queen prepares to visit the country.The matriarch of the royal family, Queen Elizabeth, is visiting Australia this October with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Afghan authorities said Sunday they have arrested the prime suspect in the murder of former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, head of the High Peace Council.

Chinese journalist for Southern Metropolis Daily, Ji Xuguang was detained last week by authorities for publishing an article involving a former civil servant who kept six women as his sex slaves for two years.

Saudi Arabia announced Sunday that women will be given the vote by 2015, a move that analysts see as the conservative kingdom's attempt to appease the wave of revolt sweeping the Arab world.

The most recent incident of suicide bombing in Indonesia on Sunday left at least 22 people, who just attended the regular worship, seriously injured.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will stay on, at least until her term ends, this according to Australian Labor Party stalwarts who called the whirling speculations about the impending return of Kevin Rudd to the Lodge as mere rubbish coming from the Liberals.

Australian female executives pushed for the government to make costly childcare and nanny services tax deductible. By doing that, there would be more women available for employed, while those already working could have more opportunities for promotion.

Libyan rebels announced Sunday the discovery of a mass grave in Tripoli containing the bodies of 1,700 prisoners allegedly massacred by the Gaddafi regime in 1996.

With another round of global economic crisis looming, there is a growing call for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to cut interest rate to avoid a recession.

The Australian Dollar opened at USD 0.9783 this week, finding support as the markets digest the IMF's policy board's weekend announcement, to act decisively and collectively, "to restore confidence and financial stability, and rekindle global growth".

Payment networks Visa and MasterCard will impose the highest fees for even the smallest debit transaction for cards issued by JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup as allowed by a U.S. law that put caps on such fees.

Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan acknowledged that the debt contagion problem in Europe and the budget deficit problem in the U.S. will affect Australia and Asia, which would make it harder to achieve a budget surplus by 2012-13.

Queen Elizabeth II will be in Australian to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth in late October.

South Korea accounts for the largest number of suicide cases among 34 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development with 28.7 individuals committing suicide for every 100,000 people last year, says the Korean Association for Suicide Prevention (TKASP).

Despite Japan's soaring debts, Prime Miniters Noda's administration has boldly offered additional loans to "Arab Spring" in North Africa and the Middle East for infrastructure projects, which will ensure to yield employment opportunities and emerging industries.

Sales of homes built under development lease arrangements commenced before 27 January 2011 will not pay GST, according to the Australian government. Residential development lease arrangements are used by government to partner with the private sector to supply housing on publicly owned land.

The Duchess of Cambridge is being groomed for her royal duties to prepare her for her future solo appearances.

Australia joined the walk out led by the United States and member states of the European Union on Thursday as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blithely accused ‘western powers’ of arrogance and military adventurism during his United Nations General Assembly speech.

Is there really finality in death? Two days after Troy Davis was executed via lethal injection close to midnight on Wednesday, the controversy surrounding his death still goes on. Can death really give both defendant and accused and all concerned parties the closure they need? Hardly it seems.