Mark Bromilow says he needs a strong nerve as he sets about building a cultural bridge between Australia and Brazil. [...] Ahead of next year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Australia has targeted Brazil for the major cultural festival aimed at promoting links and collaboration between the two largest nations and economies in the southern hemisphere.

Scotland could have a significant presence in the cultural events surrounding the Olympics in Brazil next year as well as Tokyo in 2020, The National can reveal. Culture chiefs from both countries confirmed Scotland could play a part in the events after they paid fact-finding visits to the Edinburgh festivals.

When consumers think about brands, they often think about products. But people and nations are brands too. In fact, some of the world’s most successful business and political leaders have clear personal brands- think of Professor Wangari Maathai, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. They had strong personal brands, which reflected their philosophies and beliefs and aligned strongly with their values. Their brands enhanced their leadership status in the society.

The choice between Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan is the centerpiece of the weeklong meetings in the Malaysian capital. The executive board and later the full IOC membership will also receive status updates on preparations for next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Israel to send its largest ever sport delegation to the first European Games in Baku Azerbaijan, June 12-18. While months of fighting by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) to suspend Israel from international soccer competitions with FIFA has ended, Israeli diplomats have warned that the next battle is near, the Olympics, Israeli news site Ynet reported.

The Games are at a crossroads and a historic meeting is being held this week in Monte Carlo to map a viable future.