Hundreds of thousands of people have greeted the Pope on his official arrival for World Youth Day in the Australian city, Sydney. The pontiff has praised the Australian government for apologizing to the country's indigenous people for past injustices. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

After 20 years of sell-out tours throughout Europe and South America, this rambunctious Balkan ten piece gypsy-punk-rock band and multi-award winning filmmaker, Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra will raise the roof of the Concert Hall for one night only, 29 June 2008, on their first ever tour of Australia.

The unexpected sell-out hit of the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe was the wickedly twisted debut production from 1927, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

Following on from her extended sold-out Sydney show, Hymne a Piaf, French songbird Caroline Nin returns to The Studio to tell the story of her idol in song.

May 2008 was a month of lower activity levels across equities (by value) and derivatives markets compared to the previous corresponding period (pcp) on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), despite overall cash market trading volumes continuing to increase.

Sydney Opera House is delighted to present the inaugural season of the Australian premiere tour of Matthew Bourne’s production, Edward Scissorhands, for an exclusive three week season through 14 June 2008.

All is not what it seems in the next installment from Sydney’s most motivated, clever and moving dance company. Watch and learn as The Fondue Set gets blown apart into tiny pieces and reformed with the help of award-winning UK director Wendy Houstoun from 4 to 8 June.

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) welcomes the conclusion in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) Review of Settlement Practices for Australian Equities, released today, that current settlement practices have served the Australian equity market well over a number of years.

Australian shares have edged out listed property and outperformed residential property as the investment providing the best 'real' returns for local investors over the past two decades, according to this year's Russell/ASX Long-Term Investing Report. To be launched in Sydney today, this year's Report also factors in superannuation tax considerations, reinforcing the positive impact of a lower tax regime on investment returns over the long-term.

April 2008 was a month of lower activity levels across equities and derivatives, despite cash market trading volumes continuing to increase, due to ongoing market volatility and uncertainty. Throughout the month Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) systems – including trading, clearing and settlement, and company announcements – operated normally.

Standard & Poor’s Index Services (S&P) and the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) today released a consultation paper seeking market feedback on a proposal to make Foreign Exempt companies listed on ASX eligible for index inclusion.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales has acquired an important 17th century painting Mars and the Vestal Virgin by Jacques Blanchard, who was one of the most important Parisian painters of his time.