Rob Lancaster from Canberra, Australia, has been accompanying Rajmohan Gandhi on his Voyage of dialogue and discovery. Their visit to Indonesia coincided with the historic address of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the Australian Parliament, signaling a new phase in the relationship between the two countries.

What will dominate the debate in the build-up to the general election – the economy, the personalities of our would-be leaders, sleaze in Parliament, the environment, the war in Afghanistan, immigration, care for the elderly, crime, education…? There is no shortage of potentially explosive issues.

With a long history of internecine strife and deeply wounded memories of oppression and maltreatment resulting from the Russification policies of the Soviet era, many Ukrainian people live with a bitter legacy of hatred handed down the generations. But Olka Hudz, a young Ukrainian woman is determined to bring change to that.

Have you got Affluenza? Symptoms: too many possessions, an unhealthy obsession with Hello magazine and a marked increase in emotional distress. And if so, what is the cure? asks Cain Ormondroyd.

After more than a year out of Africa, Ann Njeri Ndiangui returned home with fresh insights and renewed hope for her country and her continent.

The 12 January earthquake in Haiti was devastating. Between 50,000 and 100,000 people were killed. International aid was mobilized quickly, though there was much criticism that the aid sent was slow to reach those most in need; the deployment of aid was slowed by the destruction of the country’s infrastructure—already insufficient because of Haiti’s acute poverty. Why was it that the daily reality of Haiti did not cause the same kind of emotional response as the catastrophe which hit the island?

Tensions are running high between Australia and India following a series of attacks on Indians in Australia. This has prompted a heated debate about racism. Mike Brown, an Australian who has spent many years in India, responds.

National political leaders underestimate Americans’ capacity for unselfish choices. The current pandering to the baser instincts of fear and resentment over issues like health care or climate change does an injustice to the generosity and good sense of this country.

The Copenhagen Accord is not enough to save the world from climate catastrophe. Whether we have reached a turning point in our concern for the planet remains to be seen, writes Mike Lowe.

Normally, as someone brought up in a church-going white British family, I would wish all my friends a Merry Christmas. But I have friends who are Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, ‘lapsed Anglican’, agnostic…. In this age of political correctness, should I be careful not to impose my beliefs on anyone else? Happy Holidays, one and all!