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The Japanese Government has presented a bill to parliament which would allow 83-year-old Emperor Akihito to retire in the next three years. Last year, he set this process in motion with a rare public address asking the Japanese people to consider a change to the law to allow him to live out his remaining years free from the demands of the role.

US President Donald Trump is leaving his domestic scandals behind to embark upon his first overseas trip. In a break with recent tradition, he won't be visiting the neighbours Canada or Mexico. Instead he's heading first to Saudi Arabia where he'll meet Arab and Muslim leaders and give a speech on Islam. It'll be a keenly watched speech from a president who's attempted to ban travellers from six majority Muslim countries and once called for a total shutdown on Muslim migration to the US.

Small business are being warned to increase their cyber security as record numbers of scammers target Australian companies. The competition watchdog says small businesses with fewer than 20 staff are particularly vulnerable. Businesses are fast becoming victims of computer hacking, fake investment schemes, and buying and selling scams. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of this crime is that, in most cases, it's virtually impossible to track down the criminals or the money they've taken.

FEATURED:

Michael Schaper, Australian Competition and Consumer Competition, deputy chairman

Nigel Phair, Centre for Internet Safety at the University of Canberra, director

Papua New Guinea's Police Commissioner has stood down foreign security contractors he engaged to train police officers for the upcoming APEC summit in Port Moresby. The appointment of the heavily-armed, ex-military contractors has caused community concern and raised questions about whether they're legally allowed to be in the country. The men were hired despite the Australian Federal Police spending $48 million and deploying 50 officers specifically to train and prepare PNG officials ahead of the APEC summit.

Problems with getting a reliable shipping service has prompted a King Island resident to lead a push to secede from Tasmania. The Tasmanian government doesn't want to lose King Island but the Premier of Victoria says King Island would be welcome in his state.

How best to use the fertile soils of WA's Ord Valley is a question scientists and politicians have been trying to answer for decades. At the moment, sandalwood trees dominate the region's landscape. But after a bad couple of months on the markets, the future of the Ord's biggest sandalwood player, Quintis, is in doubt. Already others, including an agave company, are eyeing its land.

South Australia is set to fully fund its own version of the federal government's 'Safe School' program, which expires at the end of June. The anti-bullying program, aimed at supporting same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students came under fire for focussing too heavily on sexuality and gender. In its place, the state based initiative will focus on teacher training and parents will need to give permission for their children to participate.

Assisted dying advocates are hopeful the practice could be legalised in up to three Australian states by the end of the year. Tasmania will debate a bill next week, while New South Wales and Victoria plan introduce legislation later this year. While voluntary euthanasia bills are introduced into Australian parliaments every year, advocates believe momentum is finally on their side.

If you're suffering from a financial squeeze right now, the latest official numbers show you're in good company. The Bureau of Statistics released data on wages growth today and, sure enough, it showed many Australians failed to get a pay rise in the last few months. To make matters worse, wages are now growing slower than the cost of living, effectively squeezing millions of household budgets.

Australia's AAA credit rating is safe for now, as the last of the three major agencies reaffirmed the nation's top investment status. Ratings agency Standard and Poor's has affirmed Australia's AAA credit rating in response to last week's Federal Budget. However, Standard and Poor's says the rating would be lowered without evidence of budget repair within two years.