2000

"Charity Begins at Home" or so the old axiom goes. But does it really? For the many homeless of Britain it begins where they live - on the street.

Different countries have different traditions when it comes to charity. Christmas is a time when attention is particularly focused on the notion of philanthropy. In Poland on Christmas Eve many households leave a place set at the table for the lonely or those without a family of their own. How often does the seat get filled? Who can say?

Post-Y2K, the world is asking itself: Was the Y2K bug a hoax, a way for computer companies to make some money? Or was it a real problem that was solved with a great deal of time, money and effort?

Thinking of a trip Down Under? Find out what you really need to know.

If you arrive in Sydney any time in September this year, you'll be in good company. The world's attention will be focused squarely on the Olympic City, which is expecting around 120,000 visitors for the Olympic Games on 15 September - 1 October. The pace will not slow down much in October, with the Paralympics also running in Sydney on 18 - 29 October. All in all, this is shaping up as a very big year for Australia.

Mad about sport

Theft is a word associated with things like bank robberies, burglary, muggings and even fraud, but what would you think if you woke up one day, looked out of the window and found that someone had stolen the entire pavement of your street? That' s what residents of London and other large cities across Britain wake up to with increasing frequency and the reason, believe it or not, is the ever-growing popularity of gardening. See the connection? Or are you completely confused? Let me explain.

Beginning with the start of the year 2000 baseball season, the Copernicus Society of America has initiated a local effort in the Philadelphia area to collect a total of 2,000 new and used baseball gloves for underprivileged Little Leaguers around the world. "Pitch in a glove for Little League" encourages individuals to donate a brand new baseball glove or search in their basement, attic, closet or garage at home to find a glove to give to the effort.

Crazy American Supermarkets? Or maybe just the Americans who shop in them. American food shopping habits are a little different from the rest of the world, though where they shop is catching on in Poland as well. Be warned!

In Ridley Scott's epic new film Gladiator, the brutality of the ancient Roman 'Games' is vividly brought to life. Here's a look at the gladiator in both fact and fiction.

Ancient Rome's Colosseum has witnessed much in the last two millennia, from the slaying of early Christians to the more civilized European Convention on Human Rights. Half a century since it was declared, Rome celebrates the anniversary of this history-making document which in the last 50 years has sought to secure the rights and freedoms of every European, East and West.

One of the most famous men of the twentieth century, it can be said with confidence that the world would not be the place it is today without Sir Winston Churchill.