No panic at the pump: Fuel prices hold steady despite Iran-Israel ceasefire
Despite recent tensions in the Middle East and fears of a global oil shock, fuel prices across Australia have remained surprisingly steady. The ceasefire between Iran and Israel — announced after a series of intense
Lending for new homes remains at 20 year lows
“Despite a rise in the number of loans for the construction and purchase of new homes in September, they remain around their lowest levels for the past two decades,” stated Tom Devitt, Housing Industry Association
Extreme weather is leading to more injury hospitalisations, with heat being the main cause
The number of hospital admissions for injuries associated with extreme weather – such as heatwaves, bushfires and storms – has increased over the past decade, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews resigns
Premier Andrews has resigned abruptly, stepping down from his role effective 5 pm Wednesday. Having recently surpassed John Cain Jr. as the longest-serving Labor Premier in Victoria’s history in April 2023, Andrews’ decision was celebrated
America’s “unique” relationship with Australia?
The enthusiasm of the members of Albanese’s staff seems to have run away with them. They declared that ‘the Australian-United States relationship is unique in scale, scope and significance reflecting more than 100 years of
A rethink of Australia’s national security
Sam Roggeveen’s basic storyline in The Echidna Strategy – that the China threat is grossly exaggerated, and that Australia should not, and need not, rely on America for our security protection – is causing predictable
Are earthquakes becoming more common in Melbourne?
Approximately 7,000 Victorians were alarmed by tremors at about 1:32am this morning as a magnitude 4.6 earthquake hit 127km east of Melbourne, near Rawson. Victoria has been hit by several quakes recently, including three in
Karamanlis Inquiry: Fast-tracked parliamentary probe sparks political backlash
The Hellenic Parliament’s special inquiry committee into former Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis opened its first session today under accusations of political orchestration, as the government appears determined to fast-track the process surrounding the deadly Tempi train disaster of February 28, 2023. The committee, formally tasked with investigating whether Karamanlis committed
The Olympics opening ceremony epitomized decadence, division, and chaos
Maria Denaxa who is a Performance Marketing Specialist at Generation Y and a Journalist commenting on the Opening Ceremony says It was a hymn to the decadence, division, and chaos that is being pursued globally
Turkey claims they granted “permission” in the Kasos incident
The Turkish side insists on its claim that, after behind-the-scenes diplomatic negotiations among Athens, Rome, and Ankara, it granted “permission” (!) to the Italian research vessel to complete its investigations south of Kasos – Karpathos.
The “portfolio bargain” in Brussels: Which positions are claimed by Greece
An intense negotiation is underway in Brussels over the distribution of the European Commission’s portfolios following the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen. Greece is interested and likely to claim one of five specific portfolios.
50 years since the fall of the dictatorship and the restoration of Democracy in Greece
It was July 24, 1974, when the military handed over power to the politicians, after the collapse of the seven-year dictatorship, under the weight of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus… On 23 July 1974, the
Ankara provokes tension in Kassos with five Turkish warships
Ankara is causing tension near Greek territorial waters in Kassos with the presence of five Turkish warships, due to investigations by the Italian ship “Ievoli Relume” for the installation of submarine cables connecting Crete to
Greek commandos, guardians of the Aegean, are now in Poland
The Mitsotakis government has made the fateful decision to withdraw elite amphibious commandos from the Greek islands and redeploy them to the Ukrainian border. Greek commandos, guardians of the Aegean, are now in Poland. The
NATO Leaders gather in the Hague: 5% defence target, summit diplomacy, and speculation over a Mitsotakis-Erdogan chat
Today marks the beginning of a pivotal NATO summit in The Hague, with 32 leaders in attendance and a critical agenda ahead. At the heart of the discussions is a push led by US President Donald Trump to raise defence spending commitments to 5% of GDP by 2035, a sharp
Hong Kong’s major events at protests
Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters have sustained their momentum for more than three months, facing off against police through summer heat and clouds of tear gas. Officers have met demonstrators head on with a variety of
Pipeline Wars Revisited
Pipeline wars are often overlooked in the scheme of things, where pipelines represent competing national interests of a purely economic sort, beyond the usual political rhetoric surrounding ideology and demagoguery. Because a gas pipeline transports
Cyprus repays remainder of Russian loan, two years early
Cyprus’ finance minister said on Monday that the country has repaid ahead of schedule the remaining 1.58 billion euros ($1.73 billion) of a 2.5 billion euro ($2.74 billion) loan it received from Russia in 2011
What is going on in Libya?
Libya is now ruled by the Government of National Accord (GNA). The GNA is recognized by the UN and holds Tripoli but little else. The situation is immensely complex and forever in flux. For eight
US slaps new tariffs on China; One minute later China retaliates
The biggest reason for last week’s torrid stock market rally was rekindled “optimism” that the escalating trade war between the US and China may be on the verge of another ceasefire following phone conversations, fake
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
