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Victorian Premier John Brumby, a Masterchef and dogs catching Frisbees will all be at the Royal Melbourne Show on Thursday as the big event is officially opened.

The sister city relationship with Osaka was the first that Melbourne established.

A strong and beneficial sister port relationship already existed (established in 1974) between the Port of Osaka and the Port of Melbourne.

However, the sister city relationship was not formally established until 24 April 1978 at a ceremony in Osaka attended by the Lord Mayor. The stated aim at the time was to establish 'a people-to-people relationship with the aim of developing mutual friendships and a lasting and understanding relationship'.

how do we foster a sense of community for international students in the short time they are here? And in turn, how do we bridge the often unintentional divide that underpins their experiences?

High-density housing is deliberately geared towards the international student market, at the expense of a broader mix. Orientation programs for international students and local students often run at different times. International students pay the full cost for transport, while domestic students get half-price concessions. And at some institutions, separate queues and counters even exist.

With their proximity to Melbourne and RMIT, they give students few opportunities to venture out of their comfort zone, explore the rest of the city, and perhaps build new connections. Some have few communal spaces - not exactly conducive to interacting with life beyond the campus zone.

Classes are expected to be cancelled at the University of Melbourne on Wednesday as staff walk off the job in protest of continued job cuts. Staff will hold a rally at 1pm (AEST) during a "24 hour strike" action planned by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU). Union members at 16 universities across Australia will join them by launching similar actions at their schools.

The University of Melbourne is in the midst of a massive restructuring as part of its Melbourne Model campaign to align the school with the teaching practices of other institutions. Unions and some students have criticised the plan as it brings with it continued job cuts.

WHAT do most Australians know about Indonesian art? What role do the arts play in the picture they present of contemporary Indonesia? Not much, perhaps.

We heard from a young Indonesian filmmaker about thriving, youthful film communities across Indonesia and among Indonesian students in Melbourne; we shared some of the songs, stories and images collected by an Australian artist from northern Australian and eastern Indonesian communities once linked by ocean trade; we saw gigantic puppets created by young earthquake survivors near Yogyakarta, performing a zany new version of the Ramayana legend under the inspired leadership of Ian Pidd and the Snuff Puppet group.

showcasing Malaysia's cultural and ethnic heritage.

Malaysia's cultural and ethnic heritage.

biggest Malaysian student cultural show

Jia Zhangke and Zhao Liang, had withdrawn their films from the festival in protest at the inclusion of a documentary about Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the World Uygur Congress (WUC), which the Chinese believed to be behind the deadly July 5 riot in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

had attracted more than 4,000 comments. Almost all of the postings were in support of the two directors.

Only a couple said Jia was trying to earn publicity, but they were immediately criticized by others, defending Jia as a talented director who had always been low-key .

The good thing about Melbourne," Alibrando says, "is you've got accessible culture, so even people running for the train can see art without having to actually go to a gallery."

A TRIP to India next week to promote Melbourne as a safe city has turned into a monumental challenge for John Brumby after another racist attack that has attracted fresh headlines and anti-Australian fury across India.

Two Indian men and another two of Indian origin say they were racially taunted and told to ''go back to your country'' before being kicked and punched by attackers who were part of a large birthday celebration at Legends Entertainment Centre. The Indian Government increased pressure on Australia last night over the ''recurring attacks'' on its citizens. It called on authorities to ''take all necessary steps towards the safety and security of Indians''. Indian consular officials in Melbourne were also ordered to investigate.

One of the victims, Sukhdip Singh, 26, had been in Australia just one month. A relative said he had suffered head and facial injuries and wanted to return to India immediately. His uncle, Mukhtiar Singh, 45, also a victim, said Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard's recent assurance to India's Foreign Minister that Australia was safe for Indian students rang hollow. ''I used to say the same thing … now I would say Melbourne is worse than a Third-World country, violence-wise,'' Mr Singh told The Age. Recalling Saturday's incident, he said his nephew was taunted with verbal abuse and racial slurs in the bar before they were later set upon in the car park by about 20 people. ''I have lived here for 22 years,'' Mr Singh said. ''I've got my own business here, my own house, my kids have grown up here. Why should I go back? We all come from somewhere.''

We regret that the Chinese government has felt obliged to take these steps, since the government's position on the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region is clear

AUSTRALIA is likely to abandon its $1 million attempt to take Japan to the international court over whaling after New Zealand gave up its plans to use legal action to stop the annual cull.

using aircraft and ships to gather evidence against Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.

But the New Zealand Government has since discovered "significant difficulties" with taking Japan to the international court and has abandoned the tactic.

Largely regarded as the cultural capital of Australia, Melbourne offers world-class arts and cultural heritage institutions and internationally recognised artists, while imaginative design and architecture abound.

coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee. Can't we celebrate something else? Canberra is the political capital and Sydney is the economic capital and Brisbane is the lifestyle capital and Melbourne, we're the capital of brown boiled bean-juice that gives you morning-breath and loosens your stools with colonic laxativity

And I'd chosen the coffee machine because, as a resident of this city, I felt it was my municipal duty.

A dynamic music program is helping migrants connect to their new home

His experiences as a migrant give him the perspective needed to work with other newcomers."There's a system, and many people get trapped in that system," he says. "They put you in a housing commission flat when you first arrive as a refugee

I was battling a lot of things, like racism and stuff, and hip-hop helped me understand a lot of things about the government, about what happened back in Africa — it gives me more self-confidence to be here. So if I face racism I don't take it personally, I think, 'Maybe I need to educate you about some stuff.' "

CHINESE hackers have attacked the Melbourne International Film Festival website in an intensifying campaign against the screening of a documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer.

The hackers replaced festival information with the Chinese flag and anti-Kadeer slogans

"It is obviously a concerted campaign to get us because we've refused to comply with the Chinese Government's demands."