Preciosa Dumlao

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 chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday that Japan's damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant is "static" but remains "unstable" with just an improvised cooling system.

NATO forces led by France and Britain have pledge more air strikes to put more pressure against beleaguered Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi as it called on rebel leaders to press harder to take advantage of the air power support.

The Philippine High Court on Wednesday has affirmed a 2007 ruling of an anti-graft court that the 20 percent share of the country's largest and most profitable conglomerate San Miguel Corp., belongs to Eduardo Cojuangco, an uncle of President Benigno Aquino and a key ally of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Microsoft and Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) have finalized an agreement to infuse digital capabilities into the Japanese auto maker's cars hosted in the Internet "cloud."

The Guinness World Records congratulates marathoner, American Gladys Burril for her recent record recognition as the 'Oldest Female to Complete a Marathon' aged 92 years, 19 days.

Australia's construction industry remained in the red in February, although the rate of contraction eased, with the Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI) in conjunction with the Housing Industry Association, up 4.4 points to 44.6 (readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity).

Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Heather Ridout said on Thursday that the proposed reduction in the company tax rate is an integral part of the mining tax package and should not be used as a bargaining chip by the Greens.

The strong Australian dollar together with weak domestic demand, rising overseas competition and the increasing cost of raw materials pushed the manufacturing sector back into the red in March according to the latest Australian Industry Group - PwC Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI). The seasonally adjusted index fell 3.2 points to 47.9 bringing it below the 50 points level separating expansion from contraction.

Australian industry lobby group Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) has filed an appeal with Fair Work Australia to overturn a decision which is creating uncertainty and risk for employers who have reached agreement with their employees over the terms of an enterprise agreement, Ai Group Chief Executive Heather Ridout said today.

The Australian Industry Group, an umbrella organisation of Australian industries, on Thursday called to Fair Work Australia (FWA) to voice its opposition to the approval of six further enterprise agreements which replicate the terms of an Electrical Trades Union (ETU) pattern agreement for the electrical contracting industry in Victoria.

Researchers at the University of Adelaide and James Cook University have developed a new index to help conservationists better understand how close species are to extinction. The index is called SAFE (Species Ability to Forestall Extinction).

Australian Customs and Border Protection and Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service have charged a 49-year-old Hong Kong for allegedly trying to smuggled some 8.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Some 25 kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value of $4.5 million were seized by Customs and Border Protection officers.

A video of two babies engaged in enthusiastic conversation in a kitchen went viral in video-sharing site YouTube and has been watched by more than 2.2 million viewers since it was uploaded on Valentine's Day.

Research and consultancy firm Gartner, Inc. said that most consumers are turn off from buying electric vehicles on concerns about pricing, usability and cost savings requirements. This, despite an overwhelming positive response towards fully battery-operated electric vehicles (EVs).

Heart disease, including heart attack, is the leading cause of death amongst Australian women and yet three-quarters of women don't know this fact. This highlights the need to raise awareness about heart health as a serious health issue for women.

The annual Oxfam Trailwalker Melbourne Event has attracted some 700 teams of four walk or run 100km in Australian bush in a bid to raise $3 million for international aid agency Oxfam Australia's work to help people in poverty.

A study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies has shown that Australian children growing up in major cities do better in terms of their physical development and educational outcomes than children living in regional and remote areas.

Google has announced the launch of Google Fiber in Kansas City to provide users there with Internet access more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have today. The response was overwhelming-nearly 1,100 cities felt the need for speed-and we were thrilled by the enthusiasm we saw across the country for better and faster web connections.

The Australian Government has introduced new rules to keep the country's mature age workforce in recognition of their skills and experience. The regulations are part of the government's commitment to find new ways to support mature age workers to remain in the workforce and continue to contribute to the economy.

Mobile phone giant Nokia has filed another found of complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) against Apple, alleging that the company infringes additional Nokia patents in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, tablets and computers.

The Japanese government on Wednesday raised "maximum alert" after radioactive water has been found and plutonium was detected in the soil around areas near a crippled nuclear power plant.

A nuclear expert on Wednesday said that the world, especially Japan needs nuclear power despite the ongoing crisis. Professor George Dracoulis said that Japan relies on nuclear power for about 30% of its electricity.

Australia's Houses of Parliament on Wednesday approved two bills setting out the regulatory framework for the National Broadband Network. The move was quickly welcomed by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.

An Australian company has developed a stem cell treatment which is helping to relieve pain and suffering in small and large animals all around the world.

Westpac Online Investing, has slashed brokerage rates to bring it in line with larger rivals Commsec and E*Trade in a bid to double its market share by mid-2013according to a report by the Australian Financial Review.

Business to business lending fell in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, according to an analysis of trade credit trends by Dun & Bradstreet. The study also found that deteriorating terms make executives nervous about extending credit to their customers. The trend is likely to act as a drag on Australia's economic performance and present as a considerable headwind for the global recovery.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have found that one in three young women or 32.9 percent experience post-sex blues. The study was conducted amongst 200 young women who admitted that post sex blues is not a sexual behaviour commonly discussed.