AUSTRALIA

More overseas-trained doctors are being used to fill the gaps in the health system, in an effort to sustain Australia's doctor-to-population ratio, in which the federal government fast-tracking Medicare provider numbers to 4831 new residents last year.

Royal Dutch Shell of the Netherlands and China's China National Petroleum Corp have announced a 30-year deal to jointly develop and produce natural gas in China's Sichuan basin. The deal announced today by Shell, reveals close ties that the Anglo Dutch major has fostered with China's state-owned oil majors and comes close on the heels of Shell teaming up with PetroChina in sealing the acquisition for Australia's coal seam gas producer Arrow Energy yesterday for A$3.5 billion.

Australia's wheat production is seen under pressure due to the drought in the major wheat growing provinces, said National Australia Bank. Dry conditions in Australia's top grain state represent the major threat to the potential for the country raising wheat production by some 1million tonnes next season, it said.

Australia said on Thursday it had been told by China that the verdict in the trial of four Rio Tinto executives charged with bribery and stealing commercial secrets will be handed down on Monday.

A senior Chinese central banker on Thursday played down the need for an imminent rise in borrowing costs to keep a balance between growth and inflation in the world's third-largest economy.

Rudd government has been called by Aboriginal leaders, to make health improvements for Indigenous Australians, a top priority.

The trial of four Rio Tinto executives ended in Shanghai on Wednesday, with three contesting charges of stealing commercial secrets in a case that has highlighted China's sensitivities over its rich steel sector.

The Minister for Sport Kate Ellis says the Government is devoting $3.3 million to help reduce drownings at coastal danger spots along Australia's coastline.

A device seen as a future of health care in regional Australia, may free nurses from long road trips, and instead beams them into lounge rooms.

With a case of young woman in WA infected with the pandemic virus, Australia has recorded its first major case of swine flu infection for the year.

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama will revel on Tuesday in the passage of landmark healthcare legislation, a hard-fought win that will help shape his legacy and the Democrats' chances of holding power in the Congress.

Asian shares inched back toward recent two-month highs on Tuesday as recovering commodity prices boosted shares of resource firms and as tech stocks drew support from gains in their U.S. peers.

Four Rio Tinto executives faced charges of stealing commercial secrets in China on Tuesday after pleading guilty to taking bribes in a trial that has thrown a spotlight on the country's opaque business practices.

Four Rio Tinto executives, including Australian Stern Hu, face charges of stealing commercial secrets in a Shanghai court on Tuesday after admitting to bribes in iron ore negotiations with China.

lifts pose an injury risk, especially for the elderly, who need to take special care when using them, a research done from Indiana University School of Medicine in the United States.

ALEXANDRIA, VA - A physical therapy exercise and health education program is effective in improving postnatal well-being and reducing the risk for postnatal depression (PND), according to a randomized controlled trial published in the March issue of Physical Therapy, (PTJ) the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

As the clock ticked down to the historic healthcare vote on Sunday and congressional leaders scrambled to get holdout Democratic lawmakers on board, the White House was all-a-Twitter.

Four Rio Tinto executives on trial in China, including Australian Stern Hu, pleaded guilty to taking bribes, while contesting the amounts, lawyers at the hearing said on Monday.

According the first study into Australia's medical oncology workforce, cancer patients are going without treatment or receiving suboptimal treatments because of shortage of medical oncologists that is likely to get worse.

Australia's Arrow Energy Ltd agreed to a fresh takeover offer from Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina, raised by six percent to A$3.4 billion ($3.1 billion) for most of its Australian assets.

After gold, Australia now has shifted its focus on huge deposits of newly found natural gas off its North East coast to earn the post of energy superpower. According to Australia's Resources ministry, projects being ramped up to tap huge undersea fields off the country's northwest could quadruple its exports of liquefied natural gas in the next few years.