Milang-Goolwa Freshwater Classic Yacht Race

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By Neena Bhandari

It is seldom that an argument triggers a boat race, but this is precisely what happened in December 1966.

Two Goolwa greats, the late Bill Appleby and the late Bill Ballard, set sail on their yachts from Goolwa to Milang to settle their argument about who had the fastest boat.

Their yachts almost matched the timing, but soon other boats joined in the competition. The numbers soared to 584 yachts in 1986, making it the largest individual freshwater classic yacht race in the country.

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The Jungle Book: In Australia’s oldest rainforest

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Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Cairns (Queensland, Australia), 09.10.2015 (Khaleej Times): Nestled between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range of mountains on a long narrow coastal strip is the city of Cairns, the gateway to two UNESCO World Heritage sites – the Great Barrier Reef and the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest on earth.

This cosmopolitan city’s close proximity to Asia has made it an international tourist hub. It is worth a stopover either on the way in or out of Australia. The city centre lined with mangroves and mudflats, and the Esplanade, stretching along the city’s foreshore, have plenty to do for the young and old from children’s playgrounds to designated exercise and barbeques areas. The Esplanade Lagoon is a good place to cool off from the steamy heat of the Tropics.

From here, tours to the Reef and the Rainforest abound. One can choose from the itineraries on offer or custom make a tour to suit one’s needs. Most operators pick up and drop off from main hotels.

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Pacific Island countries want a world without nuclear weapons

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By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 22.07.2015 (IDN- InDepthNews) – As political conflicts magnify in the Middle East and North Africa with the spectre of brutal violence from terrorist organisations like ISIS, and the Ukraine crisis reignites the Cold War between the United States, its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies and Russia; it is imperative that nuclear-armed and non-nuclear states together work for total elimination of nuclear weapons.

The risk of use of nuclear weapons, by deliberation or accident, leading to total annihilation looms large more than ever before.

Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island countries have been at the forefront of global efforts to implement the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which represents the only binding multilateral commitment to the goal of complete disarmament by the nuclear-weapon states. But the Ninth Review Conference of the NPT, from April 27 to May 22, which has three main pillars – non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy – overwhelmingly reflected the views and interests of the nuclear-armed states and some of their nuclear-dependent allies.

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