Briefing

BY THE NUMBERS

Aboriginal Apology Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a historic formal apology to the nation's Aborigines for a long history of injustices on Feb. 13.

THE HISTORY Up until about 1970, an estimated 100,000 young Aborigines were forced to leave their families under brutal assimilation policies.

STILL UNRESOLVED Aboriginal leaders have lobbied for $880 million in reparations, but Rudd's apology makes no mention of compensation.

HOW IT BREAKS DOWN In his 360-word apology, Rudd said "sorry" three times. An official commission deemed the assimilation policy genocide in 1997. Today the life expectancy of Aborigines is still 17 years shorter than other Australians. The test will be whether Rudd's powerful symbolism leads to real change.

ECONOMY

Gift-Card Crisis The canaries in the coal mine of the next recession may well be gift cards. Usually they provide a post-Christmas bounce for stores, but this year, say big retailers like Wal-Mart, cash-crunched consumers are either saving their holiday gift cards or spending them on necessities like toiletries and school supplies instead of luxuries like iPods and DVDs.

WEAK SALES January retail sales this year were the lowest in nearly four decades for that month. Gift-card sales were up 17% last year across the U.S., but about $7.8 billion worth (about 8% of all gift cards) have gone unused.

WHY THIS MATTERS Retailers don't make money on gift cards until the cards are redeemed. When purchased, they're recorded as a liability--essentially an interest-free loan. Worse yet for retailers, in some states, if a card is not redeemed after a few years, its value is considered unclaimed property and is required to be turned over to the government.

NEGOTIATIONS

Who Won the Writers' Strike? On Feb. 13, screen- and TV writers resumed work after a long strike that cost the Los Angeles County economy some $3.2 billion. Unions tentatively agreed to a three-year contract that, among other things, gives writers a piece of the profits from new media like Internet streams and downloads.

WHAT'S NEXT Seems like a Guild victory, but the strike could hurt in the long run. After a 100-day hiatus, studios may be more ready for life without writers.

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

Cash for Capture The State Department is so confident that some unnamed Southeast Asian terrorists will be nabbed "in the near future" that its new budget asks for an extra $6 million to pay for their capture via its Rewards for Justice tips program. There are more than $704 million of outstanding reward offers worldwide. A few of the region's most-wanted extremists:

UMAR PATEK Patek is believed to have participated in the 2002 Bali bombings. Bounty: $1 million

DULMATIN He is considered one of the key planners of the 2002 Bali bombings. Bounty: $10 million

ZULKARNAEN Believed to head the group that killed 12 people in a 2003 suicide bombing at a Jakarta Marriott

NOORDIN TOP Suspected of planning the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta, in addition to others

ZULKIFLI BIN HIR Involved in the planning of a 2006 string of bombings in the Philippines. Bounty: $5 million

ISNILON HAPILON Indicted for the 2002 kidnapping of an American from the Philippines. Bounty: $5 million