
Capital Gains Tax discount reform under consideration
Speculation is intensifying that one of Australia’s most controversial tax concessions, the capital gains tax (CGT) discount, may undergo significant reform as a central feature of this year’s federal budget. Senior government ministers have stopped

Economic collapse in Iran hits students in Australia
Iran’s deepening economic crisis and ongoing social unrest are now having a direct impact on thousands of Iranians living and studying abroad, with particularly severe consequences for students in Australia. The sharp devaluation of Iran’s

‘Door is open, but I’m not looking’: Ley stands firm after Coalition split
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has moved swiftly to project stability and authority within the Liberal Party following a dramatic and highly public split with the Nationals, declaring she is “absolutely confident” in her leadership despite

Coalition in meltdown as Nationals walk out, declaring agreement with Liberals “untenable”
Australia’s federal Coalition has plunged into its most serious crisis in years, after the National Party formally withdrew from the opposition frontbench, declaring its governing agreement with the Liberal Party “untenable”. The dramatic rupture follows

Australia observes national day of mourning for victims of Bondi Beach terror attack
Australia today marks a national day of mourning to honour the victims of the December 14 Bondi Beach terror attack, which claimed the lives of 15 innocent people and deeply shocked the nation. As part

January 26 protests continue an 88-year First Nations legacy of resistance and survival
First Nations people across Australia are preparing to mark January 26 with rallies, marches and cultural events, continuing a protest tradition that stretches back nearly nine decades and predates the modern celebration of Australia Day

Hate speech and extremism laws pass Parliament as three Nationals defy Coalition line
Australia’s Parliament has passed new hate speech and extremism legislation following an early recall prompted by the Bondi terror attack, marking a significant moment for national security lawmaking—and exposing fresh fractures within the Coalition. The

EU–US backed power link shatters Turkey–Libya maritime claims
The Egypt–Greece 3 GW electricity interconnector has received a €9.56 million EU grant to support further studies and implementation. EU–US backed power link shatters Turkey–Libya maritime claims. The European Commission has approved the funding for additional preparatory work on the 3-gigawatt electricity link connecting the power systems of Greece and

Austerity, unemployment behind ND lanslide
‘I am committed to fewer taxes, many investments, for good and new jobs, and growth which will bring better salaries and higher pensions in an efficient state’ Mitsotakis said. Greece’s opposition conservatives returned to power

Mitsotakis to CNBC: Talks with European partners will begin immediately; ND has presented a clear plan, ‘without surprises’
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ first press statements after Sunday’s election victory by his center-right New Democracy (ND) came during an interview to CNBC, where he expressed gratitude over the election result – which will make him prime

The importance of the Greek Exclusive Economic Zone
In 1967, Malta’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Arvid Pardo, called for an international conference to devise a new law of the seas. In this call, he referred to the oceans as “the common heritage

Lamda Development warns against last-minute ministerial decisions regarding delay-plagued Helleniko project
A nascent “feud” between the international consortium that’s won a concession for the massive Helleniko property development in southeast Athens and the outgoing Tsipras government, given that the privatization remains mired in Greece’s ubiquitous “red

Greece sees its future as the Florida of Europe
Tourists in hats, cameras slung around their necks, crane them for a view. In the heart of old Athens, it is a reminder that the holiday season has begun. Last week as parties from cruise

More than one in four young Greeks are not working or studying
More than one in four young Greeks aged 20-34 do not work or study, according to the latest Eurostat figures for 2018. Greece is in the second-worst position among the members of the European Union,

EU–US backed power link shatters Turkey–Libya maritime claims
The Egypt–Greece 3 GW electricity interconnector has received a €9.56 million EU grant to support further studies and implementation. EU–US backed power link shatters Turkey–Libya maritime claims. The European Commission has approved the funding for additional preparatory work on the 3-gigawatt electricity link connecting the power systems of Greece and

Japan’s Nikkei is down 12%, the largest drop ever
Japan’s Nikkei is down 12%, the largest point ever, as fears of a US recession shook global markets. The Topix index erased its yearly gains, experiencing its steepest sell-off since “Black Monday” in October 1987.

Will Turkey attack NATO with American ships?
President Joe Biden pushed through his sale of F-16s and upgrade kits to Turkey on the logic that the deal was necessary to get Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to drop his objection to Sweden

Australia’s preeminent strategic thinkers: The era of Anglo-Saxon dominance in the Pacific is ending
This might be the most compelling and influential argument against AUKUS, particularly because it comes from one of Australia’s foremost strategic thinkers: Hugh White, the inaugural Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and

The impending conflict between NATO allies: Greece and Turkey
The relations between Turkey and Greece have never been normal. The legacy of Mongol Turkish conquest of Greece in the fifteenth-century poisons all connections between Turks and Greeks. The Greeks remember their Turkish oppressors like

Arab Coalition with Iran in response to Israel: The crucial meeting in Tehran
In the wake of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Iran is mobilising what it calls the “axis of resistance” against Israel. High-ranking officials have been summoned to Tehran for consultations, raising fears of

East-West prisoner swap: Largest since the Cold War
US President Joe Biden has celebrated the return of three Americans who were imprisoned in Russian penal colonies after secret “sham” trials. They were freed as part of a significant East-West prisoner swap. Biden and

