Vittorio Hernandez

Economists said Tuesday that despite the stronger-than-expected international trade and building approvals figures for August, the Reserve Bank of Australia is unlikely to change the current cash rate.

Canadian scientist Ralph Steinman was named on Monday as Nobel Prize awardee for medicine for his pioneering work to help understand how cells fight disease. However, he did not live long enough to receive the award personally.

A faulty signature update for Microsoft Security Essentials and Microsoft Forefront made an error on Friday and classified the Google Chrome executable file for Windows as a malware, specifically a ZeuS Trojan.

Independent MP Rob Oakeshott has sought changes in Australia's general sales tax (GST) ahead of the two-day tax forum which begins Tuesday.

A new study points to celebrities sending explicit sexual photos and text messages on their mobile phones as one of the reasons why Aussie teens send porno images and SMS on their mobile phones.

The National Broadband Network (NBN) was launched in Tasmania on Monday, with 90,000 homes expected to be connected to the network. However, the roll out was overshadowed by reports that the initial launch of the NBN in May cost taxpayers almost $140,000 with only seven initial customers.

Samsung plans to launch an upgraded version of the 7-inch Galaxy Tab in Australia before Christmas, Smarthouse reports.

Gold Coast set a new world record for the most number of bikini-clad women in a parade on Sunday. The Guinness Book of Records was set by 357 women who strutted single file in two-piece beachwear.

A light plane crashed into a Ferris wheel at the Old Bar Beach Festival in Taree, New South Wales on Saturday. Fortunately, no riders were hurt in the accident.

The $50-million class action suit filed by 34,000 ANZ customers has taken a first step forward by starting on Monday hearings in a Melbourne Federal Court.

Whitsunday resident Wayne Fewings reported on Friday that he and his family saw on Saturday rare white humpack whales at the entrance of Cid Harbour in the Whitsunday Passage.

The federal government added 48 drugs Friday to the list covered under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, including treatments for heart disease in infants and children, tubercolosis and cancer.

Former Apple Chief Patent Counsel Richard Lutton told the Sydney Federal Court on Thursday that ex-Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs personally contacted Samsung in 2010 to fix their patent row.

Australia registered on Friday a budget deficit of $46.4 billion (A$47.7 billion) for the year ending June 30, 2011. The gap is 3.4 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Australian newspapers named on Friday the man caught on film having sex on Wednesday with his female partner on the balcony of a Darwin hotel. He is Wade John, former owner of the bankrupt Top End Escapes, a tour operator.

American investment analyst James Dines criticised Australia's natural resources policy, particularly selling large land areas to China.

Japan will seek closer ties with Australia a day after Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard spelled out the country's foreign policy direction that would be geared towards riding on the rise of Asia as an economic power.

Flag carrier Qantas has warned passengers of possible travel difficulties because of the baggage handler and ground staff strike scheduled for Friday. The airline estimated about 8,000 passengers would be affected as the job walk-off would lead to the cancellation of two flights and delays by up to one hour of 39 flights.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will probably not forget this week as she turned golden on Thursday. Before she became 50, opposition leader Tony Abbott called for her to resign over her alleged failure to protect the country's border while there is a movement within Labor to bring back Kevin Rudd to his old post.

A separate but successive customs, quarantine, baggage handlers and ground staff strike is expected to cause havoc in major Australian airports for three days.

Australian police cautioned parents to be more careful when backing off or parking their cars as a third driveway accident occurred on Wednesday which caused the death of a three-year-old boy in Sydney.

Myer Melbourne was named this week as the world's best new department store in the 2011 Oracle World Retail Awards.

Australia wants to position itself to capitalise on the growth of Asian neighbors, particularly China, India and Japan, by reviewing businesses ties with the region.

Australian Resources Minister Martin Ferguson flatly rejected on Wednesday the Greens' proposal to include gold in the proposed mineral resources rent tax (MRRT), SkyNews reports.

Diesel oil spilled into the Brisbane River near the commercial business district. The spill, near Eagle St Pier, was reported at 5:30 a.m. and is estimated to have spread 150 to 200 metres along the river's northern bank.

Australia is the 7th best country in the world to mine, a global survey released on Thursday said. It was a big jump from Australia's 26th place in 2010 in ResourceStocks magazine's annual World Risk Survey.

Australia had extradited to New Zealand alleged fraudster Loizos Michaels who is wanted for multimillion dollar fraud.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) sought on Wednesday for interest rate cuts amid weak home sales.

Justice Mordecai Bromberg found on Wednesday newspaper columnist Andrew Bold guilty of violating Australia's Racial Discrimination Act. Bolt, who writes for Herald Sun and Weekly Times, published two articles on racial identity which have errors in fact, distorted the truth and used inflammatory and provocative language.