Features

The Islamic finance industry is soon expected to account for 4 per cent of the global economy. [AFP]

Islamic Banking - Growth and Prospects

20 November 2008

The Islamic banking industry is now worth almost an estimated US1 trillion and is widely considered to be one of the fastest growing sectors in the world of finance.

Canberra has issued revised economic forecasts showing that three-quarters of the government's budget surplus has evaporated. [ABC]

Australia's Financial Crisis

6 November 2008

Australia's budget position has dramatically slipped, as the global financial storm cuts a swathe across the world.

A record number of Americans voted for their 44th president. [Reuters]

Change comes to America

5 November 2008

Barack Obama, the Democratic senator of the state of Illinios, will be the next president of the United States of America.

This sculpture, discovered in a cave during the early 1960s, is one of the earliest known Pacific works of art, made more than 3500 years ago. [Penny McClintock, ABC News]

Gods, ghosts and men - The art of the Pacific

17 October 2008

A new exhibition at Australia's National Gallery of Art aims to make Australia more aware of the rich culture of some of its nearest Pacific neighbours.

The Sustainability 2008 conference examined solutions for more energy efficient and environmentally friendly construction. [Reuters]

Building a sustainable future

7 October 2008

A major international meeting in Melbourne in September brought together more than 2,000 architects and sustainability experts to share research on cleaner, greener buildings.

Students attend an international education expo in Beijing. According to China's education ministry, over 100,000 Chinese go overseas to study every year. [AFP]

The challenges for international students

12 September 2008

Last year the Australian Government granted student visas to over 228,000 international students, competing in the lucrative international education market which has seen strong growth and increased competition in the US, UK and Asia.

Under the pilot scheme, 2,500 short-term working visas will be available for work in Australia's horticultural industry. [AFP]

Australia's Pacific guest worker scheme

9 September 2008

After months of speculation, and years of lobbying, the Australian Prime Minister announced in August 2008, that Australia would be introducing a trial Pacific islands guest worker scheme.

U.S. destroyers remove the crew from the fatally-damaged HMAS Canberra on August 9, 1942. [US Naval Historical Center, Photo 80-G-13488]

The Sinking of HMAS Canberra

11 August 2008

August 9 marks the anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Canberra, the Australian heavy cruiser which participated in the amphibious landings on Guadalcanal which marked the turning point of World War II in the Pacific.

Beijing National Stadium, also known as the 'Bird's Nest' will play host to the Opening and Closing ceremonies, as well as the main track and field events.[Getty Images]

The Road to Beijing 2008

6 August 2008

Beijing hosts the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, from August 8-24.

Prime Minister Hun Sen after casting his vote in the 2008 Cambodian elections. [Radio Australia]

Cambodia Votes 2008

28 July 2008

As Cambodia headed to the polls, Radio Australia's Connect Asia looked at the players and their challenges, including special reports from the Cambodian capital for the launch of the 2008 campaign.

A hawkfish explores branching coral. [Supplied, Chuck Savall]

Why Reefs Matter

24 July 2008

The beautiful underwater landscape of a healthy coral reef is an unforgettable sight.

Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift (L), with his staff, including intelligence officer Lieutenant Colonel Frank B. Goettge (2nd R) enroute to Guadalcanal. [United States National Archives Photo 80-G-17065]

The Lost Patrol

21 July 2008

Sixty-six years after their deaths, efforts are under way to locate the bodies of a patrol of US Marines killed on Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands.

Chongching has been the beneficiary of Beijing's policy of opening up the country's west. [Karon Snowdon, Radio Australia]

China - Beyond the Boomtowns

7 July 2008

In the south west regions of Chongching and Yunan, the glamour of Beijing and Shanghai is 2,000 kilometres away.

Science in the Spotlight

26 June 2008

A special series of Radio Australia reports, where we discover the region's superfoods, the health risks of climate change, and how high-speed internet is revolutionising medicine.

Lights Off - Awareness On

20 June 2008

As a step to raise awareness of global warming, Radio Australia is joining regional broadcasters to invite everyone to turn "Lights Off" for one hour on June 21.

The impact of record global oil prices is being felt worldwide. [Reuters]

Rising fuel prices in Asia-Pacific

4 June 2008

The soaring price of fuel is causing street protests and political unrest around the world, from Indonesia and Bangladesh, to France, Russia and the Balkans.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (R) spent four days in China in April 2008, which included trade talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L). [Reuters]

Australia's China policy under Kevin Rudd

3 June 2008

Australia regards its relationship with China as a good one, so will it get better under a Mandarin speaking Prime Minister?

Australia's treasurer, Wayne Swan, delivers his first Budget as the prime minister, Kevin Rudd, looks on. [AAP]

Australia's Budget: 2008

14 May 2008

Australia's federal treasurer, Wayne Swan, has handed down his first Budget which identifies spending cuts totalling $7.3 billion in 2008-09 and helps set up a forecast surplus of $21.7 billion.

The Food Price Crisis

13 May 2008

The United Nations has described the threat of rising global food prices as a silent tsunami which threatens to push 100 million people into hunger.

The ADB has been providing loans and technical assistance to aid in the economic and social development in Asian and Pacific countries since 1966. [Reuters]

Sceptical response to ADB funding shortage

8 May 2008

The Asian Development Bank is the latest organisation raising the red flag over the global food crisis.

Indonesian President Suharto announces his resignation on 21 May, 1998, following 32 years of power. [AFP]

The Fall of Suharto: A Retrospective

17 April 2008

May 2008 marks ten years since the fall of the late Indonesian president and dictator Suharto.

Indonesia has lost 72 per cent of its forests, despite a crackdown on the flow of timber within Indonesia. [Reuters]

Jakarta demands Malaysia block illegal loggers

10 April 2008

Indonesia's forestry minister, MS Kaban, has accused Malaysian companies of buying illegal timber to fuel the booming furniture industry.

The many flags and posters of Malaysia's political parties cover the landscape leading up to polling day. [Reuters]

Malaysia Decides 2008

8 March 2008

Malaysia's political landscape has seen its biggest shift in decades, with voters giving opposition parties power in five of the country's 13 states.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the historic apology. [Getty]

Apology to Australia's Aborigines

13 February 2008

Eleven years after the Australian Human Rights Commission recommended a formal apology to Australian aborigines, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said 'sorry'.

China on the Global Stage

11 February 2008

China's economic progress in recent years has come with a steady expansion in its cultural and diplomatic influence globally, especially in the developing world.