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Section: Australia

  • AUSTRALIA

    The false nationalism of Anzac Day and football

    • Ruby J. Murray
    • 24 April 2009
    31 Comments

    The hype surrounding the AFL's annual Anzac Day match has reached near-sacred heights. Asking what it means to have football played on Anzac Day is as risky as wondering why the Digger is the most powerful expression of Australian identity.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Beginning of the end for US Cuban embargo

    • Antonio Castillo
    • 22 April 2009
    4 Comments

    The Fifth Summit of the Americas will be remembered for Obama's pledge to 'seek a new beginning with Cuba'. He could be the statesman to end the Cuban embargo, the foreign policy blunder that has caused much pain to Cuba and its people.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Howard asylum seeker policy must remain history

    • Michael Mullins
    • 20 April 2009
    9 Comments

    The military misadventures of nations including Australia contribute greatly to the motivation of asylum seekers. Australian immigration policy must de-emphasise border protection in favour of being a 'good international citizen'.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Gallipoli Diggers and the 'forgotten' holocaust

    • Nick Toscano
    • 20 April 2009
    43 Comments

    Although it was a military disaster, the battle of Gallipoli was a defining moment in Australia's history. But that same battle also marked a nation's destruction: a campaign was underway to exterminate the Armenian race.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Joel's junkets

    • John Warhurst
    • 14 April 2009
    3 Comments

    The undeclared acceptance by Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, while he was in Opposition, of two free trips to China, has raised eyebrows. In politics, such 'free lunches' bring dangers of bias and corruption, but also legitimate benefits.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    On Roos 'Chookgate' and footy's duty of care

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 09 April 2009
    9 Comments

    North Melbourne's demeaning chicken sex video is just the latest of the 'boys behaving badly' stories that regularly beset footy. In professional sports, young people no longer simply play for clubs. They are entrusted to them.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Indonesia veering towards extremism

    • Peter Kirkwood
    • 07 April 2009
    9 Comments

    This week's Indonesian presidential election ought to concern Australians more than it does. If Muslim radicals gain significant influence, we will have a huge hostile neighbour just to our north.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Poor nations could lead recovery

    • Michael Mullins
    • 06 April 2009
    1 Comment

    The G20 Summit took first steps towards stimulating the economies of developing countries. The Economist says growth in these nations could rebound quickly, as households are not weighed down by crushing debts typical in America and Europe.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Pakistan is not doomed

    • Kimberley Layton
    • 03 April 2009
    1 Comment

    In due course the Taliban problem will be confronted and hopefully resolved, but not before the internal political situation stabilises. Patience is a virtue in Pakistan. The situation is not improving quickly, but it does seem to be improving.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Rehabilitating Stalin

    • Ben Coleridge
    • 31 March 2009
    4 Comments

    The Russian language has two words for whisperer: one who whispers behind others' backs, and one who whispers for fear of being heard. Government forces wish emphasise Stalin's achievements as the builder of the country's glorious Soviet past.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    El Salvador: rise of the left

    • Rodrigo AcuÑa
    • 24 March 2009
    1 Comment

    US Republicans lobbied President Obama to impose hardships on Salvadorians livingin the US should the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front win last week's election. When the left did triumph, he did the opposite and congratulated the new leader.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Eyewitness to Pakistan turmoil

    • Reuben Brand
    • 23 March 2009
    5 Comments

    The streets of Rawalpindi were now relatively empty, an eerie feeling in a usually bustling city. After slipping past police checkpoints I noticed the city was not completely still. Groups of men roamed the streets, patiently waiting for the call to action.

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