PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has announced a $392 million plan to modernise the health system, including allowing patients to access Medicare rebates for online consultations.
THE head of a taskforce investigating alleged rorting of the $16.2 billion schools stimulus program will begin by focusing on cases exposed in The Australian.
Oil giant Saudi Arabia and Vietnam inked pacts late Saturday that will pave the way for increased cooperation in the oil and gas sectors, including possible Saudi investment in Vietnamese refineries.
The United States and Russia have signed a landmark disarmament treaty they hope will herald better bilateral ties and raise pressure on countries seeking nuclear weapons to renounce such ambitions.
THE federal government's nation-building health and education funds are being swiftly depleted, with only 40 per cent of the initial $11.5 billion in endowments retained after their first year of operation.
