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
Tesla €70 million project of “electric highway” through Greece
US electric vehicles pioneer Tesla wants to include Greece into Europe’s “electric highway.” The company of Elon Musk has reportedly already included significant part of the Greek national roads into a developing mega project involving
Two Greeks in quarantine in Athens hospital after returning from Wuhan
Two Greeks are in quarantine in a hospital in Athens after they arrived from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus broke out and has claimed so far the lives of more than 800
Gas Wars in the Mediterranean
The unexpected alliance between Turkey and Libya is a geopolitical earthquake that changes the balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean and across the Middle East. Turkey’s audacious move has enraged its rivals in the
Asylum seekers to get social security number in Greece in apparent policy U-turn
Five key Greek ministries on Monday decided that the country will re-introduce the practice of granting a social security number to all migrants who have applied for asylum in Greece, something that the current conservative
Greece 2020: Starving child faints after unemployed parents pay taxes
A starving student recently collapsed on the way home and fell to the ground in front of the eyes of stunning passersby. The incident took place in Pyrgos, Western Peloponnese. According to local media, both
Coronavirus: Greece to accelerate recruitment of medical staff in hospitals, labs, entrance gates
Greece has decided to accelerate the recruitment of health personnel as one of the alert measures of the country to deal with possible infections of coronavirus. This was decided at the meeting of the National
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
The coming Greater Depression of the 2020s
While there is never a good time for a pandemic, the COVID-19 crisis has arrived at a particularly bad moment for the global economy. The world has long been drifting into a perfect storm of
Turkey: Pressures, Attacks, and Discrimination against Christians
When Protestants introduce themselves to the authorities as a church, they receive warnings that they are not legal and may be closed down. In 2019, however, many members of the foreign clergy, as well as
Stocks savaged, Italy on lockdown, Trump seeks to reassure as coronavirus spreads
ROME (All of Italy under lockdown, reeling financial markets and rioting prisoners made clear on Monday how the global coronavirus epidemic was extending its reach into all aspects of social and economic life. Police officers
Are Turkish Cypriots Done with Ankara?
For the Turks, Turkey is the homeland and Cyprus is the “baby homeland.” In January 2018, several thousand Turkish Cypriots marched against what they said was Turkey’s unwanted influence that has emboldened hard-right groups to
Coronavirus Panic Goes Global: S.Korea Warns of “Watershed Moment”
78,000 cases confirmed, as Italy and Iran scramble to contain major outbreaks. The world is fast approaching a tipping point in the spread of the coronavirus, according to experts, who warn that the disease is
UN to post EEZ maps of Libya, Turkey deal
Athens is bracing for the United Nations’ Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea to post the geographical coordinates outlined in the maritime border agreement signed by Turkey and the Tripoli-based government
