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Gone are the days of packing half of your belongings in bags to take on holidays with you. Gone are the days of bringing bags of souveniers home with you from your dream holiday or business trip.  A survey by USA Today of airline fees shows that some carriers have hit or surpassed the $400 mark for international passengers travelling with overweight baggage. For example, Continental is

Come along and be inspired by viewing one of the current exhibitions at the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre. These exhibitions will be on show up until the   23 October 2011 Eutick Memorial Still Life Award 2010This is a touring exhibition from the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery. The Eutick Memorial Still Life Award (EMSLA) 2010 is an exhibition of still life  art works. The EMSLA is fast

Some say that Northern Spain's most exciting city is Bilbao which is an urban phoenix that as late as the mid-Nineties was mainly just an industrial city in decay. But less than 20 years on, chic restaurants and dramatic architectural statements dot its centre. The opening of its artistic totem – the Museo Guggenheim in 1997 was the catalyst for this regeneration. This week saw the launch of its

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David Scowsill David Scowsill, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has called on governments to make travel easier. He recently said that governments must speed up the introduction of visa waiver and trusted traveller programmes. He said the “aggravation factor” for travellers has increased too much since the terrorist attack on the USA on 9/11. “The enhanced security

The CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope is celebrating it's 50th Anniversary in this year in 2011   It will hold Open Days event on the 8 and 9 October from 9am to 4pm. This will be a rare opportunity to take free tours inside and learn about it's role in astronomy over the past 50 years. The Open Days showcase the achievements of the Observatory as a world-leading astronomical telescope as well as its

With the September school holidays coming up in Australia, many parents are pondering what to do for entertainment for their children. For families living in or near Sydney, NSW, Australia, part of the answer may be the Sydney Children’s Festival produced by CarriageWorks in association with The Daily Telegraph newspaper. The Children’s Festival will run from 26 September to 8 October

Intex Shanghai Shanghai is a very accessible city for international visitors. As one of the international metropolitan cities, Shanghai is readily accessible by sea, land and air. It is connected with more than 400 cities in the world by air links and ocean shipping routes. Shanghai is a very safe city, conveniently laid out and is a compact destination with one of the world's easiest and

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Octoberfest Munich The 178th Oktoberfest opened in Munich, Germany, on Saturday 17th September with the arrival of the tent patrons in a parade through Munich. The traditional tapping of the first keg of beer was done by Munich's mayor, Christian Ude, shouting "O'zapft is!" ("It's tapped!"). The Bavarian festival takes place over 17 days, and some 6 million people are expected to attend. Last

The Art & About festival has its launch this Friday night, 23 September, in Martin Place, Sydney, NSW Australia from 5-9pm. This will be a huge, free 10th birthday party and you were invited to be part of the celebrations This will be the party of the year, with performances from Paul Mac (DJ set), Paris Wells, Ben Walsh, Women of Soul and FourPlay. There’s also a bar, food and the announcement

The world’s first gold jewellery car was unveiled in Mumbai on Monday by Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata. The car incorporates beautiful designs, made with the precious stones of different colours, set on the gold and silver body of the car. The Tata Nano is an innovatively designed car made with the idea of bringing affordable cars to the Indian masses across rural and small-town India. The car

Many music festivals have weird and wonderful names. The most unusual one I have heard of is the local Hunter "Fat As Butter Festival 2011" "Fat As Butter" is returning this year to The Foreshore, Newcastle, NSW Australia for 2011. Drawing on a proud history and close ties with the local Newcastle community, the Fat As Butter Festival has become a focal point for music and entertainment in the

Dame Kiri Te Kawana Concerts in vineyards are usually todays rock stars and blasts from the past. Something a little more refined is the Good Weekend Opera in the Vineyards. This will be a special night of opera, food and wine.under the stars on the banks of the Hunter River. The star of the night will be legendary opera diva Dame Kiri Te Kawana, who will be supported by Phillip Rhodes (

The 13th Shanghai International Arts Festival will take place from 18 October to 18 November, featuring more than 50 stage performances from home and abroad of music, dance, and drama The performing arts fair, arts forum, mass activities, and exhibitions will also be held during the festival. "Grand Dance Drama Goddess And  The Dreamer" presented by Zhengzhou Song & Dance Theatre opens the

The Central Festival Pattaya Beach exhibited a collection of photographs taken by HRH Princess Sirindhorn to reflect her interactions with Thailand’s people, animals and nature. Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and Dumrong Thongsom, deputy director of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, opened the Sept. 2-9 exhibit at the beachfront mall. It was co-sponsored by owner Central Pattana Public

This month marked the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Austrian Airline Ansett. On September 14 Australia's second biggest airline went into administration. The airline's collapse a decade ago left 15,000 employees out of work and out of pocket, and while some have made a new life, others have never recovered from the fall of the Australian national icon. 10 years on from one of the most

The Sunday Times Travel Magazine in the UK named Sri Lanka the ‘Best value for money destination for 2011’ in  its annual awards this year.The Sunday Times Travel Magazine is the Travel news arm the Sunday Times UK. The editor Ed Grenby, describes the magazine as taking pride in being “fun, glamorous, and gorgeous” and writes of its readership as “Our readers – real people who take real holidays

Artists and Performers from near and afar are invited to take part in the Muswellbrook Creative Arts Fair to be held on Saturday 1st October at Muswellbrook Pothouse. There will be displays, sales and demos from local artists. Creative arts will include pottery, dance, woodwork and much more. The spring raku firing will be hosted by The Muswellbrook Ceramic Group. Pots and glazes will be

IT&CMA and CTW will celebrate  the 10th year of this international business event  in Thailand  this year. Asia’s Only Doublebill Event In MICE and Corporate Travel will be held from 4 to 6 October 2011 at Bangkok Convention Center, CentralWorld, Bangkok.  Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) will bring together MICE suppliers and buyers in a

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Leila Lopes crowned by Jimena Navarrete Miss Angola, business student Leila Lopes of Angola, was crowned Miss Universe 2011 on September 12, 2011. This was the 60th anniversary of the Miss Universe pageant and was held in the Credicard Hall in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The former Miss Universe Jimena Navarrete from Mexico crowned her successor.at the end of this event. Miss Universe was

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Westfield has opened what some say is the largest shopping mall in Europe at Stratford City. It was officially opened its doors to the public in east London on Tuesday 13th September 2011.  It is 9 million square feet in size. On its three floors it houses more than 300 shops, 70 dining places, a 17 screen cinema, UK’s largest casino, three hotels, a bowling alley, a permanent art gallery,

Come along and and enjoy an awesome BBQ lunch and support the Scone Public School at the same time. The BBQ will be held outside Coles Supermarket in Scone , NSW, Australia, Saturday 17th September. Delicious BBQ food and drinks will be on sale from 10am till 1pm. Proceeds will be used to purchase new sports equipment for the school.

Sandy Hollow will celebrate its 150th with a special Ball in September.  Local and visiting people will don their finest attire and dance the night away at the ball. People are invited to dress up in clothes from any decade and compete for the best dressed title.Local music  band Kyda Rock will provide the music  during the night whilst people  catch up with old friends and make new ones.This is

With the conflict and curfews of the 1990s now behind it, Colombia's capital is bursting with creativity, clubs and great cuisine"This is not a hairdressers," says a sign on the wall of a place called La Peluquería (The Hairdressers). A woman is most definitely holding clippers to a client's head, as she stands in front of a retro dryer. "This is not a cultural centre, or a museum, or a gallery,

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Upper Hunter’s Margan Restaurant at Broke has been ranked in the top 10 of NSW’s best regional restaurants in the prestigious 2012 Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Awards. Member for Upper Hunter and Minister for Tourism, Hospitality, Gaming and Racing and the Arts, George Souris, congratulated Margan, saying it was a tremendous achievement to be

More than 20 experts from all over the world  came to Cebu as guest speakers at the recent Philippine Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions/Events Conference (MICECON) to help boost this sector of the country’s tourism industry to its utmost potential. The experts shared their knowledge and skills during MICECON 2011 with some 350 participants from the MICE sector, which contributes

The Third Scone Short Film Festival will be a great night out to see a wonderful collection of featured short movies. It is being presented by Scone Films and the evening will commence with drinks and finger food, followed by a diverse program of eleven quality Australian short films. Meet their film guests and chat after the films over coffee & slices. “The festival has all essential elements –

  st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Sam Stosur has won the US Open after beating Serena Williams 6-2,6-3 in the final on Monday morning Australian time. This is the first time an Australian has won the grand slam in a decade, and the first Australian woman to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong won Wimbledon in 1980. She is also just the second Australian woman in the Open Era to win

The China International Travel Mart (CITM) is the largest professional travel mart in Asia. It has drawn the attention of people in the tourism industry worldwide. As an annual event, it is held in Shanghai and Kunming alternately.                 Kunming International Convention & Exhibition Center CITM 2011 will be held in Kunming, China from Oct 27 - 30, 2011 at the Kunming International

Newcastle's largest health and lifestyle expo is coming up in October! The health and lifestyle industry will present all it has to offer at the Activate Expo 2011. It is a chance for the public to seek, learn and discover everything they will need in order to lead a healthier lifestyle. The theme of the Expo is "Kickstart your new lifestyle". The Activate Expo is organised into 7 categories

There were 11,178,275 international visitors to Thailand in the period January – July 2011. This was up 26.52 percent over the same period of 2010. Visitors from East Asia totalled 5,936,796 (market share: 53.11% of total arrivals), Europe 3,014,207 (29.96% of total arrivals), the Americas 567,733 (5.08% of total arrivals), South Asia 701,685 (6.28% of total arrivals), Oceania 506,417 (4.53% of

There is joy to be found from seeing one rose bush in full bloom. At the Annual Rose Spectacular to be staged at the Hunter Valley Gardens you will be full of joy as you view more than 35,000 roses comprising 125 different varieties. The total size of the Rose Garden is 1.5 acres with a centre garden of 50 meters in diameter. The rose bushes are featured in a corkscrew landscape design.

The Newark Liberty International Airport recently became the first New York-area airport in the USA to install body scanning technology that will replace a system that was harshly criticized for invading travellers' privacy by displaying naked images. Transportation Security Administration officials unveiled the software at the airport where more than 8 million passengers boarded planes last

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }   st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } The "Fantastic Fairy Family Fun Day" will be a fun and exciting opportunity for families to spend a day out in the park while dressing up as fairies, pixies or any other magical thing. There will be entertainment, stalls, fairy floss, games and a whole host of other activities for children and parents to do on the 24th September

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } The theme of the International Supermodel Contest is: “Expanding international cultural and fashion development, and meeting worldwide demands, based on the beauty resources across the world.” The Supermodel of Asia Pacific International Modelling Contest positions itself as the first fashion and cultural exchange project in Thailand to promote the overall

The opportunity to win a trip to Finland to compete in the World Wife Carrying Titles is coming up soon at CountryFest in Singleton, NSW Australia The feature event of CountryFest is the Australian Wife Carrying Championship. This is a fun event in which a man carries a woman along an obstacle course. Even though it is called “Wife Carrying”, people do not have to be married to enter, just as

Overseas tourists are invited to explore the  fascinating,  mysterious and historical  city of  Kyoto  in Japan. Here people will catch a glimpse of a Maiko's daily life as well as inside of a machiya townhouse.Local artists and machiya owners present the "Kiyomizu Machiya Walking Tour" every second and fourth Wednesdays. A local Kyoto resident will be your guide, with guide services provided in

  st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Dog lovers will be able to see champion dogs perform an amazing range of skills at the Agility Dog Grand Prix 2011.  Dogs entered in the Grand Prix are very special as they are highly trained animals that will perform a range of different disciplines. These include agility tests, jumping tests, games and challenge events. Spectators will be able to sit

When conference organisers think about holding an international event, they often just think of large countries. Holland may be small in size, but that also makes it a very compact country, offering more possibilities per square kilometre than can be found in larger countries elsewhere in the world! There are various reasons why Holland is such a fantastic destination for conferences, conventions

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Team Penning provides entertainment for all ages as spectators can watch a team of 3 riders skilfully separate their designated three head of cattle from the mob and place them in a yard. The designated cattle are identified by wearing a coloured collar around their neck. This is a timed event and the team that gets its three head in the yard quickest wins! The

In the little village of Smolichano in Bulgaria, huddled in the Osogovo mountain, you will come across The Monastery St.Pravedni Yoakim and Anna. This is about 20 km away from the village of Nevestino, the administrative center of the municipality of Nevestino. The Monastery is one of the most impressing landmarks of the municipality. It was founded in 1895 over the remnants of the medieval

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Have you ever wanted to go bird watching? Don’t miss the chance this Saturday when you will be accompanied by people who will be able to tell you what the birds are that you see. Friends, family and community members are all welcome. As an extra bonus, breakfast will be provided for everyone. The bird watching session is on Saturday 10 September starting at 8am

Moon Cakes The Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for family reunions much like the American Thanksgiving Day. Besides that, it is also a harvest festival in China. The Mid-Autumn Day is celebrated every year on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month according to Chinese calendar. This year Mid-Autumn Day falls on September 12, which is a statutory holiday. Together with the Saturday (September 10)

Newcastle Knights Playing golf for a good cause is always fun, The "Black Coal Cup Charity Golf Day" raises much needed funds to keep the Westpac Rescue Helicopter service in the air. In the ten years that the annual Black Coal Cup has been running, more than $1 million has been raised. Muswellbrook Golf Club The Golf Day, an 18 hole 4 person ambrose with a shotgun start, is already booked

Brazil is the largest country in Latin America. It occupies almost half (47.3%) of South America, and has a total area of 8,547,403.5sq km. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world after Canada, the Russian Federation, China and the United States. Brazil is a single and continuous landmass, except for a small number of islands,. The Equator crosses through the Northern region, near

The 2011 Annual Merriwa Springtime Show will be action packed for all the family! Featured attractions include the Demolition Derby, Young Farmer Competition, Hunter Mutual “Merriwa’s Got Talent”, Woodchopping, Cross Country Mahindra Ute Muster, Steer Rides, Campdrafting, Triple Crown (ute-quad-horse), MacCallum Inglis “Olympic” games, BIG DOG, and Griego the Magician There will also be

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Looking for a great night out in the Upper Hunter? Then come along to the Creative and Performing Arts Showcase being presented by the talented students of Muswellbrook High School, Muswellbrook, NSW Australia. The Showcase will be held in the School Auditorium in King St, Muswellbrook on Tuesday 6 September from 6.30pm to 8pm. The reasonably priced tickets can be purchased from the school office

The 7-day Lhasa Shoton Festival 2011 kicked off on Monday August 29 and will finish on Sunday 4 September 4. This festival was put on on the list of China Intangible Cultural Heritage in May 2006. The annual traditional Shoton Festival is the second most important festival, only ranking after the Tibetan New Year. The Shoton Festival is held in Lhasa, the capital city of southwest China's Tibet

The Official Opening of the Scone Art Prize Exhibition will take place on Friday 9th September.and announcements of prize winners will be made during the evening. This will be a great opportunity to be one of the first to see the large display of high quality art works from local Upper Hunter artists. The venue will open at 6.00pm for viewing with canapés and complimentary drinks served on