Vittorio Hernandez

The global pullback looks to be starting; European markets are moving back from five year highs, the S&P continues to shift away from its intraday all-time high as the DOW continues to shift sideways.

It was International Men's Day on Tuesday, Nov 19, but few Brit males were aware there was such a day.

Due to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's continued refusal to apologise for the phone tapping on several Indonesian officials, Jakarta is downgrading its relationship with Canberra, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Tuesday night.

The OECD cut its global growth forecasts for this year and next as emerging-market economies including India and Brazil cool. The world economy was expected to expand by 2.7pct this year and 3.6pct next year, instead of the 3.1pct and 4pct predicted in May. Australian economy growth was expected at a sub-trend pace of 2.5pct and 2.6pct in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

The Australian share market closed lower again today, despite the US Dow Jones Index hitting a record high overnight.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key signed on Tuesday five deals with Thai companies as part of his 2-day business visit to the Southeast Asian nation. He led a delegation made up of 22 Kiwi companies.

Samsung scored yet another court victory against competitor Apple when a U.S. federal appeals court upheld on Monday the decision of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denying Apple's request to ban sale of Samsung phones in the U.S.

Despite another record high on the US Dow Jones Index overnight, the Australian share market is once again being sold off.

Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi is questioning why a one-year lease for a Canberra house with a rental of $3,000 a week was signed before the September election which saw Tony Abbott became prime minister.

A newspaper for migrants in New Zealand encouraged Filipinos to donate to a fund for victims of super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines. However, Filipino Migrant News made a list of preferred agencies that excluded government institutions.

Chaos marked the Monday meeting of the Toronto city council as the Ford brothers engaged the crowd in a shouting match. The verbal battle was preceded by the filming of the public gallery which those present objected to.

It was a very interesting trading session in the US, with the S&P and the Dow jumping over key psychological marks of 1800 and 16,000 points respectively (both record highs).

In US economic news, the NAHB housing market index held steady at 54 in November, down a little off its recent September quarter peak, but clearly still indicative of a increasingly strong housing market. Net long-term TIC flows returned to positive inflow in September of $25.49b. There was a net inflow of $27.8b. into treasury securities

National Security Administration whistle blower Edward Snowden claimed that Australia's intelligence agency had tried to spy for 15 days in August 2009 on the personal phone calls of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Despite improving gradually as the day wore on, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) still finished 0.3 per cent lower by market close. At its worst, the XAO was down by 0.78 per cent (at around 10.30am AEDT). All sectors eased, with the financials and energy stocks amongst the biggest drags.

Defrocked Victorian Catholic paedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale admitted on Monday morning to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court through a videolink from his cell to 14 more sexual abuses of children.

A law is being proposed in New South Wales, Australia, in which mothers who are drug or alcohol addicts could lose custody of their babies.

After releasing a vague and slightly disappointing communique last week, the end of the Third Plenum has seen the release of a 60 point plan that will see the largest sweeping reforms in China in over three decades.

Souvenir shops inside the Vatican City must have lost sales on Sunday since Pope Francis gave away that day 20,000 rosaries to pilgrims in St Peter's Square.

Typhoon-battered Philippines have felt the impact of super storm Haiyan (Yolanda) as the 315-kph Category 5 Hurricane-equivalent massively destroyed homes, crops and infrastructure in the central part of the country, particularly provinces located in the Visayas.

In US economic news, industrial production fell by 0.1pct in October, short of forecasts for a gain of 0.2pct. The Empire State manufacturing index fell from +1.52 to minus 2.21 in November.

It doesn't pay to be on the opposite side of Anderson Cooper of CNN, two celebrities found out this week. MSNBC decided not to air on Sunday night the Up Late, the new talk show hosted by actor Alec Baldwin who was criticised by Mr Cooper for his anti-gay rants. On the same day, rumours circulated in Manila that ABS-CBN newsreader Korina Sanchez was allegedly suspended for one week by the broadcast station for her criticism of the CNN reporter's story on the conspicuous absence of governme...

In the early part of 2013, outrage was sparked by reports that Tesco and other British grocery stores were selling hamburger patties with was 29 per cent made of horsemeat. Over the weekend, a similar public uproar was recorded over the suggestion of Princess Anne of Britain for the country to consider eating horsemeat.

Fans of one of the biggest music groups in the 1970s would be happy to know that Swedish group ABBA is considering a reunion to celebrate 4 decades of their win in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 when they performed Waterloo.

Fresh from his "battle" with Filipina newsreader Korina Sanchez, CNN reporter Anderson Cooper scored another win, this time versus actor Alec Baldwin.

Kris Aquino, the loquacious sister of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, has lamented the slow delivery of relief goods to victims of super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

RockLive launched Shots of Me, a selfie photo sharing application in iOS. The venture was mainly funded by embattled Canadian pop star Justin Bieber who lately has been allergic to paparazzis after he was caught kicked out of a Brazilian sex den.

British doctors from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) are putting their foot down on government funding through the National Health Service (NHS) of designer vagina surgery.

Former Playboy model Brandi Brandt is back in Australia to face cocaine conspiracy charges filed against her. She was extradited on Friday from Los Angeles.