Lawyers

• GDP Forecast, Australia Sets To Dodge Recession

  With low current account deficit level, it is almost certain that Australia is entering a time of recession. However, infrastructure and household spending, as well as higher exports, seem to give hope to the contraction.

• China to allow all couples two children to counter aging population

  China will ease family planning restrictions to allow all couples to have two children after decades of a strict one-child policy, the ruling Communist Party said on Thursday, a move aimed at alleviating demographic strains on the economy.

• South African police fire stun grenades as students march on parliament

  South African riot police fired stun grenades on Wednesday at hundreds of protesting students who stormed the parliament precinct in Cape Town to try to disrupt the reading of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene's interim budget.

• Ghana strike ends but election campaign to test IMF deal further

  Ghana faced down the first major challenge to an IMF austerity program on Monday when doctors suspended a three-week strike but a bigger test of President John Mahama's commitment will come next year as he fights for reelection.

• India's push to save its cows starves Bangladesh of beef

  Some 30,000 Indian soldiers guarding the border with Bangladesh have a new mandate under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government this year - stop cattle from crossing illegally into the Muslim-majority neighbour.

• Indonesia to call off search for victims in deadly military plane crash

  Indonesian authorities will call off a two-day search for victims on Thursday after a military transport plane crashed into a residential area in Sumatra, killing around 140 people, the military said.

• Hong Kong issues 'red alert' against South Korea travel due to MERS

  Hong Kong issued a "red alert" advisory on Tuesday against non-essential travel to South Korea, where eight new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) were reported, bringing the total to 95 with seven fatalities.

• Renewed Russia fears bolster Komorowski in Poland's presidential race

  Buoyed by his strong defense background and Poles' renewed fear of Russia stoked by the Ukraine crisis, Bronislaw Komorowski looks likely to win the first round of Poland's presidential election on Sunday.

• Lithuania to increase military spending to counter Russian threat

  Lithuania, spooked by Russian military assertiveness, outlined plans on Friday to raise defense spending by a third in 2016, contributing the highest share of its economy to defense since it joined NATO in 2004.

• UK's Cameron to object to EU budget plans at leaders' summit -source

  Prime Minister David Cameron plans to use a meeting of European leaders this week to lobby against European Union requests for member states to stump up more money, a British government source said.