Trump Turns Up the Heat: Australia Pressured to Boost Defence Spending or Face Trade Penalties
The Trump administration is putting mounting pressure on Australia to drastically increase its defence spending, aligning with NATO’s new benchmark of 5% of GDP. While NATO allies recently accepted this demand, Australia is resisting calls
Victoria’s middle class the “new face” of poverty
A growing number of working families are being added to the queues of economically impoverished Australians relying on food donations during the cost-of-living crisis. Foodbank Australia, whose latest needs assessment shows 3.7 million households struggled
Fighting fires from space in record time: how AI could prevent a repeat of Australia’s devastating wildfires
Australian scientists are getting closer to detecting bushfires in record time, thanks to cube satellites with onboard AI now able to detect fires from space 500 times faster than traditional on-ground processing of imagery. Remote
Treasurer calms recession fears but admits Aussies face ‘Uncertain times’
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has reassured Australians that the country is not heading for a recession, even as the economy shows its weakest growth in nearly three years. In an interview with Today, Chalmers addressed data
Fourth Victorian poultry farm detects bird flu
Victoria’s bird flu outbreak has now spread to a fourth poultry farm, a development anticipated by authorities amid ongoing investigations. Agriculture Victoria confirmed today that a farm near Meredith, west of Melbourne, tested positive for
Australia’s most trusted brands – 2024
Reader’s Digest has announced the results of the 25th Annual Most Trusted Brands survey. And the results speak volumes about the formula trusted brands use in a volatile market – retaining trust during difficult financial
Anger over medicinal shortages
Complaints are mounting from Australian citizens against the government for relying on international supply of medicines instead of local production as the nation faces a “severe” shortage of pharmaceuticals. It was revealed earlier this week
Mitsotakis pushes for EU action on Libya migration route and defence funding
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking after the conclusion of the EU Summit, called for urgent action to address a new irregular migration route emerging from Eastern Libya to Crete. “We will use every means available—carrot and stick—to ensure this route is not consolidated,” he stressed. Mitsotakis announced that the
Turkey sending fourth energy drill ship into Cyprus’ waters for oil exploration
Turkey has sent its fourth drilling ship to the eastern Mediterranean waters to participate in the exploration for natural gas and oil within the Cypriot maritime economic zones, defying European and international warnings. The Ministry
Mitsotakis govt announces measures to prevent another 2015-like migrant/refugee crisis
A recent spike in the number of landings of vessels carrying irregular migrants and would-be asylum seekers to a handful of eastern Aegean islands generated a Greek government reaction on Saturday, with a top defense
Greek FM summons Turkey’s Ambassador over mass migrants’ arrivals
Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias summoned the Turkish ambassador to Athens in order to express Greece’s deep dissatisfaction over the increased influx of migrants from Turkey, that culminated with the unprecedented mass arrivals of more than
Major spike in number of illegal migrants, would-be asylum seekers landing in Lesvos last week
A significant spike in the number of small craft carrying third country nationals, mostly Afghans, to the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos (Mytilene) was recorded on Thursday, with no less than 13 flimsy inflatable vessels
Cosco-led Piraeus Port Authority submits revised master plan; worth 800 mln€
A revised master plan by the Cosco-managed Piraeus Port Authority was tabled on Friday for review by a shipping ministry ports committee in the coming period. The revised master plan, which according to the port
Mitsotakis to Observer: Athens will ask for loaning of Parthenon Marbles amid 2021 series of events
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to the “loaning” of the Parthenon Marbles – 14 friezes or metopes – from the British Museum in London to Greece on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of
Trump Turns Up the Heat: Australia Pressured to Boost Defence Spending or Face Trade Penalties
The Trump administration is putting mounting pressure on Australia to drastically increase its defence spending, aligning with NATO’s new benchmark of 5% of GDP. While NATO allies recently accepted this demand, Australia is resisting calls to push its military budget beyond its current trajectory of 2.3% of GDP—well short of
Trump returns to power after unprecedented comeback, emboldened to reshape American institutions
Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the US, promising a “revolution of common sense” and taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the
Ukrainian drone strikes could devastate Europe’s energy security
Russia has claimed that Ukrainian drones launched an attack on a key pumping station for the TurkStream pipeline, which supplies natural gas to Turkey and several European countries. Moscow’s Defence Ministry confirmed that Russian air
Zuckerberg’s censorship shift is far from free speech
Facebook is attempting to reposition itself to remain relevant, but will it move beyond mere lip service to those advocating for true free speech? Zuckerberg’s censorship shift is far from free speech. Why are some
EU cancels Turkey’s “Turkaegean” Trademark
Greece has secured a major legal victory as the EU cancels Turkey’s “Turkaegean” Trademark. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) cancelled Turkey’s controversial “Turkaegean” trademark, citing cultural and economic concerns. The decision announced on
Los Angeles wildfires: Over 2,000 homes Destroyed as 7,500 firefighters battle infernos
The sprawling city of Los Angeles is in crisis as wildfires engulf vast areas, consuming homes, vehicles, and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. The fires have devastated 117,727 acres, destroyed over 2,000 homes, and
Meta’s decision to halt Fact-Checking raises concerns in Australia
Australia has expressed significant concern over Meta’s recent decision to discontinue its fact-checking programs on Facebook and Instagram in the United States. Treasurer Jim Chalmers highlighted the potential dangers of misinformation and the broader implications
