AUSTRALIA

Asian shares struggled to keep modest gains on Tuesday and the dollar gave ground as investors trimmed long positions ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting expected to repeat a pledge to keep rates low for a long time.

(Updates to note senators' news conference on Tuesday)

President Barack Obama faced growing congressional pressure on Monday to get tough with China over its currency practices, one day after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao brushed off accusations that Beijing was undervaluing its currency for an unfair trade advantage.

Noted global investing advisor Marc Faber says people need to accumulate some gold every month as the yellow metal is the best bet against plunging currencies. He said since gold is the only 'currency and commodity' that can withstand economic turmoils and large fiscal deficits of nations, it is imperative that people continue to buy gold. Gold is the best and soundest investment in the world, he said.

Venezuela is not planning to censor the Web or to shut down social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, officials said on Monday, after President Hugo Chavez called for regulation of the Internet.

President Barack Obama faced growing congressional pressure on Monday to get tough with China over its currency practices, one day after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao brushed off accusations that Beijing was undervaluing its currency for an unfair trade advantage.

Australians politicians must act quickly to combat the rise of obesity and its life-threatening disease consequences, and the global climate changes' great threats to health, based on a letter published in the Medical Journal of Australia, a publication of the Australian Medical Association.

Australia's Arrow Energy is set to reject as too low a $3 billion joint takeover offer from Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina

Alice in Wonderland raced to a $430 million haul at the worldwide box office on Sunday, while Matt Damon's new Iraq war conspiracy thriller Green Zone was one of the year's first big flops.

China's steelmakers should not try draw their government into iron ore price talks with Australian miners, Australia's trade minister said on Monday, as the mills struggle to pin back soaring raw material prices.

Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean on Monday welcomed a report that China had cleared Rio Tinto and the Australian government of blame for the collapse of a $19.5 billion tie-up between Chinalco.

Officials from eight nations including the United States began talks on a transpacific trade deal on Monday in a move Australia said could add momentum to stalled World Trade Organization talks.

China has cleared Rio Tinto and the Australian government of blame for the collapse of a $19.5 billion tie-up between Chinalco and Rio Tinto last June, an Australian newspaper reported from Beijing on Monday.

A study of the eye health across 30 Aboriginal communities, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found an improvement in vision loss and blindness as compared to 30 years earlier. The most common Indigenous vision loss causes were unoperated cataracts, diabetes, uncorrected refractive errors or trachoma.

The ban on the technology that offers allows parent to have the sex of their children, predetermined using IVF will be open for review by Australia's health watchdog. According to the Herald Sun reports, the National Health and Medical Research Council is ready to launch a review of the ban amid criticism from Australian fertility doctors.

The recent damning report card released by the Indigenous doctors suggests that the Northern Territory intervention, which is focused on improving physical health, will likely be outweighed by its negative impact of psychological health, spirituality and cultural integrity.

Charmaine Dragun's unusual behaviour a few days prior her death was observed in symptoms seen in people altering the doses of anti-depressant medications and could trigger suicide, an inquest into her death has been told.

Norwegian fertilizer group Yara International ASA shied away from raising its offer for Terra Industries Inc to top a rival bid, boosting its shares on Friday but scuppering U.S. expansion plans.

Australia's competition watchdog has delayed rulings on the $12 billion takeover tussle for AXA Asia Pacific by National Australia Bank and AMP Ltd.

Australia’s higher education system could become an international example, says expert

Wall Street was supposed to become the capital of a global carbon trading market worth a trillion dollars a year but now many who thought green trading desks would be the next big thing are fearing the pink slip.