POLITICS & POLICY

Nothwithstanding US President Barack Obama announcement on Wednesday that thousands of troops will proceed with its planned 30,000- pullout, which is en route to an exit by 2014, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has remained firm that she will make sure diggers posted in Afghanistan will complete their mission.

Company software developer AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, has warned Australians of the persisting personal identity theft as more scams might develop and are being created for the tax return season starting on 1 July.

Telstra (ASX: TLS) and NBN Company's definitive agreement spells a historic day for Australia's telecommunications industry, independent consultancy group Ovum said Thursday..

The government's ban on exit fees will remain in place for 1 July, after a motion to overturn the ban in the Senate failed to pass yesterday.

Amid warnings from experts that global warming is likely to exceed an agreed 2C threshold if carbon emissions continue at the current rate, climate talks in Bonn ended Friday with no substantive movement on the issue of binding carbon targets.

A former Willoughby City Council building inspector and development officer council could face criminal charges for exploiting his official functions to favour various business owners in the Chatswood area in return for cash, gifts, free meals, and free massages and sexual services.

Nobel laureate and Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, will deliver her first ever address to members of the U.S. Congress this week.

The "lulz" for LulzSec may be about to end as worldwide authorities begin a push to apprehend those responsible.

What legacy will Vivek Kundra, the first Federal Government CIO, leave when he goes to academia?

First Lady Michelle Obama has been greeted with criticism as she began her weeklong visit to Africa Monday. Obama is joined by daughters Malia and Sasha and her mother Marian Robinson.

Druids, spiritualists, and tourists flock to the location of the historical Stonehenge to celebrate the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, and the rest of "Bad Teacher" cast gather for the movie's premiere in New York.

Malaysia's appointed independent panel investigating the environmental impact of the Australian rare earths plant in the country has completed its work and is set to issue its findings by end of the month.

$1,300 per resident. Close to $1,300 (US$1,400) per resident above 17 in Australia were lost to gambling last year, the highest in the world, according to global gaming-industry consultants H2 Gambling Capital. Singapore, which recently built two mega casinos, was next on about US$1150. But as to wealth, Singapore has the highest concentration of millionaire households, with 15.5 percent of all households having at least $1 million, compared to only 1% in Australia.

The Australian government will provide more than three quarters of a billion dollars to help build two of the largest solar power stations in the world.

Independents Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon have presented bills to phase out the live export trade over the next three years.

The vaunted mining boom may have largely fueled up the national economy yet in the case of the Northern Territory, its residential construction industry appeared to have absorbed the negative impacts of the two-wind growth.

Most Australians are in favour of the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to stimulate economic growth in Northern Australia, new research shows.

The Libya Relief Fund is appealing governments and generous individuals to provide aid and relief those affected by the humanitarian disaster in Libya and at the same time launched a campaign to raise awareness of the human and social crisis unfolding in Libya and educate the general public on the nature of the conflict.

Airports and seaports around Australia could effectively close next month as the Commonwealth public servant pay dispute with the federal government continues to worsen.

The O’Farrell Government’s move to rebate payroll tax for new jobs is expected to boost NSW employment.

National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB) says it will continue to waive the mortgage early exit fee because it is good for business.

Sleeping out amidst the rough biting cold on Thursday was one experience that Australia's opposition leader Mr Tony Abbott will not forget for a long time.

Al-Qaeda's longtime No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has succeeded the slain Osama bin Laden as head of the terrorist network, according to a statement by the group on Thursday.

The string of hacking incidents around the world that targeted global firms such as Sony and Lockheed Martin may have prompted Aussie government agencies and private companies to step up their online security protocol but such is not the case, according to the latest Auditor General report.

The price of staple foods such as corn, already at an all time high, could more than double in the next 20 years according to a new report released today by international humanitarian organization Oxfam. Up to half of this rise is due to climate change and the world's poorest people, who spend up to 80 percent of their income on food, will be hardest hit.

Hedge funds and other foreign speculators are increasing price volatility and supply insecurity in the global food system, according to a series of investigative reports released today by the Oakland Institute. The reports are based on the actual materials from these land deals and include investigation of investors, purchase contracts, business plans and maps never released before now.

Nepal is now landmine-free after the last of its landmines was detonated Tuesday.

Australia's Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens has hinted on further benchmark rate adjustments to soften the impact of inflation rates as the economy will continue to accelerate with the mining industry boom.