one fellow's political coverage, music ramblings and general hijinks across decades under a range of guises at several locations often in a state of awe.
When the World Cup rolls around every four years, it’s the host nation’s government that comes under extreme pressure to protect its own citizens, as well as the millions of tourists and billions of potential tourism income.
In this report, Adam Connors looks at Germany’s security arrangements for the Cup.
Let’s now take a look at another of the countries experiencing their first World Cup, and the Australian community of fans who’ll be following their rise through the ranks.
Ukraine became independent from the former Soviet Union in 1991 after more than 70 years of division between the USSR, Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia.
Continue reading “Australian Ukrainians’ split Cup allegiances”
Today’s biggest international sporting competitions pit country-against-country, nation-versus-nation, and homeland-against-homeland.
We’re talking, of course, about the Olympics, the World Cup, and the Commonwealth Games.
Increasingly though the definition of country, nation and homeland is being spread beyond these once-distinct borders, so that athletes and players can represent two, or even more countries.
Sporting fans in the Caribbean are renowned for being loud and colourful supporters, with stadiums packed with kettle and steelpan drum-banging men and women at West Indies cricket matches around the world.
Football is no different, as Jamaica’s World Cup supporters showed four years ago in Japan and Korea.
But this time around, it’s Trinidad and Tobago’s turn.
Continue reading “Trinidadians prepare for Cup celebrations”
As one Melbourne-based artist has discovered, football is not the only entertainment on offer during Germany 2006.
David Wadelton has made a career of exhibiting his neon-inspired paintings throughout the world.
But for the World Cup, he was approached by the reputed Rosenthal homewares company to produce some keepsake memorabilia and a limited-edition art piece.
The medieval city of Angkor lies at the very heart of Cambodian society. The spires of its temples appear on its flag, and its sculptures inspire thousands of tourists to visit the nation annually.
But do you know how colossal the city of Angkor really is?
In the mid- to late-1990s — as Asia’s new tiger economies boomed — several South East Asian leaders promoted a concept called “Asian values” in explaining an unprecedented economic growth and new prosperity.
While population growth continues to explode in most of the poorer nations on Earth, many of the most affluent nations are facing declining birth rates and a scarcity of young workers to look after the new majority — the elderly.
As Michael Caronna in Tokyo explains to Adam Connors, the Japanese are coming up with novel, technological ways of filling their skills shortage.
Continue reading “Japanese turn to robots in skills shortage”
The uncovering of ancient civilisations — and the study of the rise and fall of their empires — can teach us very valuable lessons about the path that our own modern civilisation has taken.
In the first of a series of stories tracing the way Australians are helping countries around the world in uncovering their heritage, and the incredible civilisations that once dominated whole parts of the Earth, Adam Connors speaks with archaeologist Craig Barker.
Continue reading “Archaeologists dig Greek temple in Cyprus”
It’s been an emotional week for the Australian Defence Force and its 14-hundred personnel in Iraq.
