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Heads of state and of government headed the celebrations beginning at Normandy for the 6th June, 60th anniversary commemorations of D Day.
The military code-name for the great amphibious operation became a signal for a decades-long campaign, to roll back despotism and untruth.
American leadership played a part, then, and today in the person of President Barak Obama. … Read More »
The twentieth anniversary of the shootings at and around Tienanmen square (4.6.09) is being greeted with refreshed horror worldwide, and a certain arrogance in Beijing – where the archived news has been officially called “groundless allegations”.
In this commentary Lee Duffield recalls the moment as seen from another public square, in Europe; and he reprises the information that came out, about the reality of a “Tienanmen Solution” much feared in Eastern Europe, just months after the tragedy in China. … Read More »
The European Union has contributed $554 million to help rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip.
European, US and Arab donors met at a conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt on Monday (2.3.09), pulling together a €3.6 billion (AU$7.1 billion, dcerates.com, 3.3.09) assistance package…
The drama of the breaking down of the Berlin Wall is so often replayed on television screens it might seem a short time ago; but already, it will be 20 years on, in November.
A new book (released 3.2.09) by EUAustralia Editor Lee Duffield goes back over the days of transformation in Europe, seen from the perspective of media correspondents who were there. … Read More »
The death toll from the bushfires currently plaguing the Australian state of Victoria has officially risen to 201.
The fires have destroyed four major Australian towns and are among the deadliest fires in the last century and a half on world record.
Comparable to such devastating fires as those in Greece, China, France and the US, EU Australia looks back at some of the worst fires to hit our planet. … Read More »
The world has been having a season of Charles Darwin retrospectives with the recent 200th anniversary of his birth.
Later this year will see the 150th anniversary of his most famous publication “The Origin of the Species”, his revolutionary book that set out to answer burning questions about how vast numbers of species existed on Earth… … Read More »
Survivors of the German raider Kormoran, which infamously sunk HMAS Sydney, are helping Australian naval officials put together the pieces of the puzzle of what occurred 67 years ago early in World War II.
One of the 23 crew members, Heinz Christoph Messerschmidt recently gave his account to former Supreme Court Judge Terence Cole and two Australian Naval Reserve Lieutenants from the Defence legal branch…