
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

Australia’s Digital ID Bill was swiftly passed through the Senate, sparking an outcry over the lack of debate
The government-backed digital identity scheme, known as the ‘Digital ID Bill 2023’, was rushed through the Senate without thorough discussion, prompting criticism over its hurried implementation. This legislation lays the groundwork for a comprehensive digital

Airports brace for busiest day of the year as Easter travel kicks off
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to jam airport queues and crowd roads today ahead of the long Easter weekend. More than 200,000 people are expected to pass through Sydney and Melbourne airports in

Sally Capp to step down as Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Sally Capp has announced she will step down as Lord Mayor of Melbourne after six years in the role. Capp, who was elected in 2018, announced this morning “with mixed emotions” that she would not

Melbourne and Sydney record surge in population
Both Melbourne and Sydney have seen a surge in population growth, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The biggest increase was seen in Melbourne, which jumped by 167,500 people in

Inflation holds steady at 3.4 per cent
Inflation has held stable at 3.4 per cent for the third month in a row, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Inflation in the 12 months to February was driven by increases

One in 20 mortgage holders spend more than they earn, says new RBA report
A new Reserve Bank report reveals a worrying trend in Australia, with one in 20 mortgage holders spending more money than they earn. What’s more, tens of thousands of households are at risk of running

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 pushes East Mediterranean boundaries
The Erdogan regime’s maritime border agreement with Libya can only serve to ramp up regional tensions Turkey has gone a step further in its East Mediterranean power play, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with

Greece launches 15-year State bond, signalling return to financial normality
Greece’s Public Debt Management Authority announced the launch of a 15-year state bond in a statement released on Monday. The announcement came just 48 hours after the credit rating agency Fitch upgraded the country’s credit

Greece to deploy 65-140 personnel together with Patriot to Saudi Arabia
A team consisting of 65-140 military personnel of the Greek Air Force and Land Forces will be deployed together the Patriot PAC-3 long-range anti-aircraft missile array to be dispatched to Saudi Arabia, sources of the

Corona Virus: Greece’s authorities on high later, checks at Athens airport
Organized tours from China to Greece have been stopped and local authorities are on alert due to the corona virus. The Greek Education Ministry is preparing instructions for the protection of students and the health

“Greece ready to send forces to Libya,” says FM Dendias
“Greece is ready to help the next day in Libya. Either by joining those forces needed for a truce, or by the participation of Greek forces in the European operation to implement the arms embargo

Greece responds to Erdogan’s aggressive remarks ahead of Berlin meeting
Greece and Turkey have traded barbs a few hours ahead of the meeting on the situation in Libya in Berlin. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again indulged in aggressive remarks early Sunday, before departing for

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

Baltimore: Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses – 6 presumed dead
via the Associated Press A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a

Moscow terror attack a blow to Putin, who promised Russia security
Barely a week since Vladimir Putin secured his fifth presidential term, Russia has been plunged into carnage and disarray. The appalling attack on the vast Crocus City Hall concert venue and shopping complex near Moscow,

Shock and dismay from the UN and EU over terrorist attacks in Moscow, but who was behind it?
The EU is shocked and dismayed by the reports of a terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall in Moscow. The EU condemns any attacks against civilians. Our thoughts are with all those Russian citizens

World Happiness Report 2024
While the top ten countries remain largely unchanged, there has been much more action in the top twenty Finland has retained its position as the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year,

Putin: Is he now more powerful than ever?
Vladimir Putin wins fifth term as President of Russia with a record percentage Vladimir Putin has secured his fifth term as president of Russia with a record-breaking percentage, amid protests and allegations. What does this

War in Ukraine: from caution to panic, what Macron’s change of heart hides
This is an exceedingly rare and fascinating article in the French magazine Marianne, who got access to “several confidential defense reports” from the French army on the situation in Ukraine: https://marianne.net/monde/europe/guerre-en-ukraine-endurance-russe-echec-de-la-contre-offensive-ce-que-cache-le-virage-de-macron . This explains the