POLITICS & POLICY

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is set to prod China on human rights and to enhance trade with the world's second biggest economy. These are her goals as she talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao in Beijing on Tuesday.

While Armidale in New South Wales will become the first Australian city to enjoy the light-speed benefits of the National Broadband Network any time now, thousands of Australians in the rural areas will continue to endure worse Internet connection services through the years.

It was all sealed up and ready to be delivered but the invitation to the Royal Wedding for the Libyan ambassador based in Britain has stayed at the Palace, and never reached his doorstep.

Four days before the big day at London’s historic Westminster Abbey and no invitations have yet to reach the doorsteps at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and this means that U.S. President Barack Obama and the First Lady are not attending the Royal Wedding.

Australia's proposed $230-million rare earths production facility in the Pahang state in Malaysia needs further environmental assessment, the Malaysian government said.

The continued unrest in Bahrain has prompted Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain to turn down the Royal Wedding invitations sent by the Royal family.

Amid restrictions imposed by more countries on imports of Japanese products, Japan sets out to brief importers abroad on measures to ensure the safety of Japanese farm and fishery items.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says that instead of grabbing jobs away from locals, foreign workers are actually helping grow the economy.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says investment from the revived resource sector is now gaining momentum but it is expected to produce lesser revenue than the last boom it had.

An Air National Guard plane carrying first lady Michelle Obama was instructed to "go around" a military runway on Monday because of a cargo plane on the runway.

Three schoolchildren were hurt when a kindergarten boy brought a loaded gun to his Houston elementary school children, officials said.

Libya's foreign minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi has warned that the British decision to send military advisers to help rebels opposing the rule of strongman Moamar Gaddafi could worsen the war and prolong the chances of peace in the country.

It's a story straight from the fairy tale books. A "commoner" marrying a handsome prince.On April 29, 2011, Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton (born 9 January 1982) will be tying the knots with Prince William of Wales at Westminster Abbey.

BHP Billiton is seeking government approval for a planned expansion of its Port Hedland operations in the Pilbara Region that would would double its current iron ore output in the medium term.

Along with disagreeing statements that rebels who are trying to overthrow Muammar Qaddafi were escaping, a battle fumed around the Libyan cities of Misrata and Ajdabiya.

The European Commission recently unveiled its proposal for minimum levels of fuel taxation for energy products of all European Union member states taking into account the correlation of the fuel's carbon emission and its energy content.

NSW households are battling living costs as daily expenses outpace official inflation figures, the latest quarterly ING DIRECT Financial Wellbeing Index shows.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad formed a new government on Thursday, state news agency SANA said, in a move to appease protesters calling for reforms.

The Congress on Thursday approved a $38-billion spending cut package to prevent a government shutdown, but mass defections in both parties highlighted the difficult fights ahead on spending and debt reduction.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) says it shares the concerns of the Australian Workers Union about the need for adequate compensation to protect existing jobs, but is equally concerned that there be enough investment to create new jobs in clean technology industries.

Twin babies of Denmark's Crown Princess Mary were christened at Holmen's Church in Copenhagen with Mary’s Australian family and friends as godparents. More than 300 well-wishers attended the baptism ceremony which was officiated by Bishop Erik Norman Svendsen.

The United States and her allies, France and Britain have affirmed their resolve to remove Libyan strongman Mommar Gadhafi out of the country ahead of a meeting of top commanders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Berlin who calls for more ground attack aircraft to boost the military offensives against forces loyal to Gadhafi.

The Philippine government on Thursday filed a formal protest before the United Nations over China's so-called "nine-dash line" territorial claim over the entire South China Sea, which includes the disputed Spratly's island chain which is being claimed in whole and in part by six Asian countries.

The global economy would soon be heavily influenced by the movements in the economies of China and India, Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens said in a speech in New York on Wednesday night.

Volatile commodities that directly affect global prices will be one of the key topics to be discussed by leaders of emerging nations comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa at the start of the BRICS summit in Hainan, China

Electricity price rises will lead to different dollar changes in electricity bills for households depending on the amount of electricity that the household uses, and the specific price that applies to a customer, according to NSW'S pricing body.

The Federal, New South Wales and former Victorian Government’s have been funnelling taxpayer funds into organisations which have actively sought increases in the price of electricity, petrol, water and gas, reveals a report released today by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA).

Japan cut the outlook for its economy on Wednesday for the first time in six months, saying last month's devastating quake and tsunami would hurt growth, with no sign yet when the nuclear crisis they triggered might be brought under control.

Australia’s access to dependable gasoline source is in threat as its oil refining capacity continues to decline.