POLITICS & POLICY

For a third straight month, business owners in Australia have been down by pessimism as the Australian dollar reached new highs, an indicative report by the National Australia Bank (NAB) said.

Where internet access is deliberately restricted by authorities, the U.S. hopes to provide succour through its reported $2 million ‘internet in a suitcase’ plan that will roll out online emergency lines to nationals under extreme duress from their own governments.

Thousands of mining jobs from New South Wales and Queensland are likely to feel the pressure of the federal government’s proposed carbon tax, according to a new survey released on Tuesday by the Australian Coal Association (ACA).

Claiming that the mining tax being pushed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard is discriminatory, Fortescue Minerals Group (FMG) chief executive Andrew Forrest said on Tuesday that he is prepared to challenge the measure’s legality in the Australian High Court.

Broadway stars, singers, musicians, and celebrities gather for the 65th Tony Awards in New York City arriving in glamorous ensembles.

Barely recovering from the devastating earthquakes in February, Christchurch City in New Zealand has again encountered consecutive earthquakes today measuring magnitude 6 and 5.5.

Even as Germany, Japan, Switzerland and other nations move to abandon existing and planned nuclear reactors, the United States is on a path to see at best only a small handful of already planned, government-backed reactor projects proceed, a group of experts said today.

One year after hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa continues to celebrate the lasting legacy of one of the most successful World Cup events in history.

The Australian livestock industry may get a reprieve from the financial debacle posed by the six-month-cattle ban to Indonesia by tapping into the $5-million contingency fund of the Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), said Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig.

Parents wanting to take advantage of fortnightly child care rebate (CCR) payments should do so before end of Friday June 17 or miss out for 12 month, advised Queensland’s peak child care body, Childcare Queensland.

Geelong tobacconists and sex shops are raking in the profits for synthetic cannabis but the State Government is looking to rain on their parade. The synthetic drug which is potentially 10 times stronger than regular cannabis is legal but the State Government wants the drug banned.

A new challenger for the top post of the influential International Monetary Fund has come in the person of South African former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel was reported to be challenging France's Christine Lagarde for the top post in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), reports said.

There is now no stopping the Australian government from implementing the economy-wide carbon tax that aims to lower greenhouse emissions. The Gillard administration even got the support of independent MP Tony Windsor after the Productivity Commission report.

Government authorities have decided to get involved in the investigation of some alleged misgivings of the MTAA Superannuation Fund management that can result to millions of losses for Australians investing their hard-earned incomes.

OneVoice activists spread thousands of Palestinian flags and flyers with the headline, "Self-determination and statehood is a right and duty," throughout the West Bank this week, backing a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines.

The Reserve Bank of Australia mulls over capping hefty credit card fees amid claims that consumers are being gouged for excessive charges. The central bank has launched a review of credit card surcharging, highlighting concerns that some establishments are using fees as a means of increasing profits, instead of covering the cost of the transaction

The security breach at Citigroup Inc., which lost personal information of 210,000 credit card customers to hackers, is just the latest of a string of cyber attacks on high-profile companies.

Australia needs to brace for higher electricity rates and transport costs as soon as the government implements the carbon tax. This is one of the key results of the independent study made by the designated independent team the Productivity Commission.

Australia's government led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard did not promise to give the local cattle industry any compensation for the recent implementation of a live export ban to Indonesia, which will last for six months.

Negotiations is running out of time to launch a binding successor to Kyoto Protocol before it expires by the end of 2012.

Treasurer Wayne Swan is set to release today the Productivity Commission's report on international climate regimes at noon in Brisbane. Mr Swan will try to justify to opposing industry that seven of Australia's top-10 trading partners have adopted major policies to reduce pollution. The coal and gas industries have continue to oppose the carbon tax legislation further arguing the report should look at the measures taken by Australia's competitors.

The Reserve Bank's decision to hold off plans for an upward rate adjustment in the past few months had impact well on Australia's consumers, who are now more spend-thrifts and conscious on what to spend on.

NASA astronaut Mike Fossum, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa launched to the International Space Station at 3:12 p.m. CDT Tuesday (2:12 a.m. local time, Wednesday) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

An international coalition of scientists and activists launches a common platform for ending the AIDS epidemic. Thirty years into the epidemic, as world leaders come together at the United Nations to recommit to a global AIDS response, the broad-based international coalition issued a statement calling for world leaders to support a rational, evidence-based approach to responding to AIDS. The group also calls for additional signatories to the declaration.

With Memorial Day comes various events that signify the start of summer. These range from the first cook-out to opening the swimming pool to planning summer vacations. It also means the beginning of the summer driving season and higher gas prices are having an impact. Half of Americans who own a vehicle (51%) say they have cut back on products and/or services in order to pay the increased price of gasoline. As might be expected, those with lower household income are more impacted.

Acknowledging the uncertain movement of global fuel prices, Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan said on Tuesday that government remains undecided on the inclusion of the petrol and transport industries to the planned carbon pricing.

The Federal Government has suspended Australia's live cattle trade to Indonesia effective immediately for up to six months after a nationwide outpouring of rage at the airing of footage showing cattle being brutalised and tortured on ABC’s Four Corners.

Weak trading sessions in the US and European markets will likely rebound in local trading on Tuesday. Investors at the Australian Stock market would likely be on the sidelines as there would be some reluctance ahead of the RBA interest rate pronouncement at 2:30PM AEST.

Australia's Reserve Bank has maintained its benchmark interest rate for a sixth straight meeting as signs of slower domestic economic expansion dims with the slowdown in the U.S. and China.