Canada to Apologize to Indigenous Groups

Staff / Truthdig Jun 11, 2008 Following a similar move by Australia earlier this year, Canada's prime minister will offer a formal apology to the country's indigenous peoples for the state's unjust treatment of them, most notably the forced enrollment of more than 100,000 native students in state-funded Christian boarding schools aimed at assimilating them into white society. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mugabe Ripped for Food Trip

Staff / Truthdig Jun 2, 2008 Zimbabwe's president plans to stop by Rome for a food summit sponsored by the United Nations, a fact that Australia's foreign minister finds "frankly obscene." He's not alone in his disdain for Robert Mugabe, who has transformed Zimbabwe from one of Africa's bread baskets into a place of chronic hunger. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Defining Moment for Climate Change

Staff / Truthdig May 11, 2008 Even for Americans, constitutionally convinced that there will always be a second act, and a third, and a do-over after that, and, if necessary, a little public repentance and forgiveness and a Brand New Start -- even for us, the world looks a little Terminal right now. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Australian Gov’t to Apologize to Aborigines

Staff / Truthdig Jan 30, 2008 Even though imperialism clearly isn't a thing of the past as a global phenomenon, the Australian government is preparing to verbally own up to a painful chapter from its own national history by formally apologizing to Aborigines for past attempts at "civilizing" their people via forced assimilation initiatives that spanned more than five decades. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Liberals’ Lesson Down Under

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Nov 27, 2007 Kevin Rudd, Australia's new prime minister, combines iron discipline with a puckish sense of humor, political toughness with a reflective spiritual side, and a youthful disposition with an old pro's skill at divining where a majority lies. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Shakeup Down Under

Staff / Truthdig Nov 26, 2007 While we Americans were gorging ourselves on turkey and dressing, Australians were busy voting out their Prime Minister John Howard, who has been one of President Bush's closest allies. His successor, Kevin Rudd, has pledged to sign the Kyoto climate treaty, withdraw from Iraq and apologize to aborigines for Australia's past abuses. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Paying More and Dying Sooner

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Nov 13, 2007 Not only are Rudy Giuliani's figures about prostate cancer survival rates in the United States and Britain wildly misleading, but he's also wrong on his general point: that a single-payer system, of the kind that Republicans call "socialized" medicine, inevitably would deliver inferior care. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Bush Rewrites History

Paul Zanetti, Australia Oct 18, 2007 Dig deeper

U.N. Throws Native People a Bone

Staff / Truthdig Sep 14, 2007 After 22 years of debate and opposition (not to mention centuries of exploitation and genocide), the United Nations has finally approved the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a nonbinding treaty meant to promote the human, territory and resource rights of native people around the world. Only four nations voted against the measure: the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Surf Conditions: Extra Frothy

Staff / Truthdig Aug 29, 2007 The word "seafoam" might call to mind a posh shade of light green that would color, say, select Restoration Hardware or J. Crew products. However, for seaside dwellers along a stretch of Australian coastline in New South Wales, the term quite literally describes the frothy substance that completely covered their beaches after a nearby storm stirred up the Pacific. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Politics Down Under

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Aug 22, 2007 One of George Bush's staunchest allies in the war is facing stiff competition at home. Australian Prime Minister John Howard is currently losing in the polls to a dynamic opponent in a political battle that could foreshadow the American election. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Australia Has Had Enough of Kangaroos

Staff / Truthdig May 16, 2007 The Australian military says it intends to kill some 3,000 kangaroos, citing a population boom that threatens several endangered species. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )