Aborigines cleanse opening ceremony

Aborigines cleansed the opening ceremony by waving smoke from burning grass over leaders as they arrived. Local Noongar Aborigines welcomed the leaders to their traditional homeland.

In a stark reminder of the clash of cultures, Aborigines refer to British white settlement of Australia as the invasion.

Smaller countries within the group, many at risk from the effects of global warming, are pressing for a strong statement ahead of next month’s international summit of climate change in the South African city of Durban.

There have also been calls on leaders to help end the practice of child brides. Twelve of the 20 countries with the highest rates of child brides are in the Commonwealth.

And health advocates say laws in 41 Commonwealth states making homosexuality a crime breached human rights, hindering the fight against HIV-AIDS. Commonwealth states represent 60 per cent of the world’s HIV-AIDS population.