
Australian father stranded in Iraq issues urgent Christmas plea amid legal limbo
An Australian father, Dr. Robert Pether, who spent more than four years in an Iraqi prison under what he calls “bogus charges,” has issued a desperate Christmas plea, urging Australians to push the government to

Australians hold 209 million days of unused annual leave as employment landscape shifts
Australian workers are heading into the summer break with a massive stockpile of unused annual leave, collectively sitting on 209 million days of accrued holidays, new data from research firm Roy Morgan shows. The near-record

Surge in social media use replaces sport, reading and arts among Australian children
A dramatic rise in social media use among children and adolescents is reshaping daily routines and pushing aside key developmental activities such as sport, reading and music, according to a major new study by the

Optus fined $826,320 after major verification flaw allows scammers to steal customer identities and tens of thousands of dollars
Optus has been hit with a substantial $826,320 penalty after a serious security lapse allowed scammers to bypass customer verification processes and steal as much as $39,000 from individual victims. The Australian Communications and Media

Albanese issues ultimatum to Turkey over hosting COP31 Climate Talks
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has drawn a firm line in ongoing negotiations with Turkey over the hosting of next year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), ruling out any possibility of co-hosting the event. Speaking

Australian families face rising private health insurance premiums in 2026
Australian families may be set to pay significantly more for private health insurance in 2026, as premiums are projected to rise between 3.9 and 4.4 per cent. According to analysis by Money.com.au, this increase could

Criticism mounts over First Nations Ambassador Justin Mohamed’s $400,000 role
Controversy has erupted over the role and funding of Australia’s First Nations People Ambassador, Justin Mohamed, after his contract was extended and his annual salary increased to $400,000. Aboriginal academic and human rights lawyer Hannah

Holiday traffic normalizes after Tuesday’s gridlock
After yesterday’s disruptions, traffic on the Athens–Lamia and Athens–Corinth highways is expected to return to normal today, Wednesday, as farmers and traffic police coordinated to improve vehicle flow ahead of Christmas. On Tuesday, drivers faced queues of up to 20 kilometres due to farmers’ roadblocks, leaving many stranded for hours.

Greek PM Tsipras: “We have succeeded and have been justified for our choices”
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras praised himself and his administration for the years they have been in power while addressing Germany‘s Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Berlin on Saturday. “When I faced the biggest dilemma

Six Out of Ten Greeks ‘Barely Cope’: Survey
The everyday lives of Greeks have not changed much since the country exited the bailout program last August, according to a new survey by the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE). IOBE is an

Editorial To Vima: Tsipras’ court trials
The left, having since the interwar period suffered unwarranted persecution over unproven crimes, was in the past guarded as regards the periodic waves of scandal-mongering, and demanded objectivity and evidence before condemning and ostracising political

Mothers in Greece Mark World Breastfeeding Week
Hundreds of mothers breastfed their infants in public places in major cities across Greece on Sunday to mark World Breastfeeding Week celebrated throughout the globe. Mothers in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Argos, Nafplio, Messolonghi Nafpaktos and

Albanian journalist says Albania’s PM Rama gave the go-ahead to kill Katsifas
The Albanian Prime Minister’s office gave the go-ahead to kill 35-year-old Greek man Konstantinos Katsifas, with the approval of Turkey, said Albanian journalist Kastriot Miftairi on mainstream television. The execution of Katsifas has cast a

Albanian Police kill Greek who raised Greece’s flag in Northern Epirus
A 35-year-old Greek, named Konstantinos Katsifas, was shot dead by the Albanian special forces near the village Bularat (Vouliarates) in Albania’s northern Epirus region, 6 kilometers (4 miles) from the Greek-Albanian border. According to Albania’s

Australian father stranded in Iraq issues urgent Christmas plea amid legal limbo
An Australian father, Dr. Robert Pether, who spent more than four years in an Iraqi prison under what he calls “bogus charges,” has issued a desperate Christmas plea, urging Australians to push the government to secure his safe return. Dr. Pether was arrested in Iraq in 2021 and sentenced to

Monkeypox: WHO Recommends Vaccination in Affected Areas
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday that countries affected by the mpox virus (commonly known as monkeypox) initiate vaccination programs, particularly in regions where cases have been reported. The mpox outbreak in the

Sicily shipwreck: Tech tycoon Mike Lynch among the missing
At least one person has died and six others are missing after a luxury yacht was struck by a severe storm and sank off the coast of Palermo, Sicily’s capital. Among the missing is British

159 countries poised to adopt BRICS new payment system
Amid ongoing efforts to create a SWIFT alternative, the BRICS alliance is developing its payment system. This system will play a crucial role in the bloc’s trade, enabling transactions without relying on the US dollar.

German Police to raid homes over sharing non-mainstream content online
The German government has proposed a plan that could allow German Police to raid homes over sharing non-mainstream content online and on social media. According to reports from Der Spiegel and RND, the German Federal

Russian Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was attacked
It seems the worst has been averted despite a fire in the cooling system of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, caused by another Ukrainian artillery strike. Fortunately, no serious damage or radiation leakage has been

World Anti-Doping Agency accuses US of major doping scandal
The recent accusations by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the U.S. are nothing short of shocking and could potentially mark one of the largest doping scandals in history. According to reports, the U.S. Anti-Doping

