
Australia’s productivity collapses to zero amid weak investment and population surge
Australia’s labour productivity has effectively stalled, with new analysis showing growth has collapsed to zero, placing the country near the bottom of advanced economies since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an OECD assessment cited in

Australia must stamp out Islamophobia, PM Albanese says
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered a strong call for unity and social cohesion on Friday, declaring that the country “must stamp out the hate, fear, and prejudice that drive Islamophobia.” His comments came during

Australia’s big four banks slash thousands of jobs – Everyday customers to bear the cost
Australia’s four major banks – ANZ, Commonwealth Bank (CBA), NAB, and Westpac – are continuing a worrying trend of large-scale redundancies, with thousands of positions cut over the past year. Banks aim to boost profits,

Anthony Albanese praises EU for following Australia’s lead on social media restrictions for children
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the European Commission’s decision to follow Australia’s lead in implementing strict social media restrictions for children under 16. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the creation

Measles alert: Second case in Cairns – Vaccination urged for Bali travellers
Queensland health authorities have confirmed a second case of measles in Cairns, urging travellers to Bali to ensure they are vaccinated. The new case involves a close contact of a person diagnosed last week after

Dementia now Australia’s leading cause of death
Dementia has overtaken all other illnesses to become the leading cause of death in Australia, according to a sobering new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). In 2023, nearly 17,400 Australians

Awkward Moment for Anthony Albanese at Pacific Summit – $100 Million Pledge to Climate Fund
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese found himself in an awkward situation during the Pacific Islands Forum in the Solomon Islands when he arrived wearing the wrong shirt. Instead of the navy-blue shirt worn by the

PULS missile system paves the way for Greece’s “Achilles Shield” as defence cooperation with Israel and UAE deepens
Greece is moving decisively to strengthen its military deterrence, following parliamentary approval for the acquisition of the Israeli-made PULS multiple rocket launcher system, a key component of the country’s planned multi-layered air and missile defence architecture known as the “Achilles Shield”. The Special Standing Committee on Armaments Programs of the

Employers deny permission to four employees to join Uni entrance exams
Employers have denied permission to four employees, students at the Evening Highschool of Chania, to participate in the general exams for university entrance. The employers did not change the students’ shift in order to facilitate

Ioannina set to elect first Greek-Jewish mayor in country’s post-WWII era
The first Jewish mayor of a municipality in Greece in the post-war period was elected on Sunday, as medical professor Moses Elisaf won a hotly contested race by a razor-thin margin in the northwest lake-side

Greek Island installs lending libraries on its beaches
A group of islanders from Kimolos, located in the southwest of the island group the Cyclades, have installed free lending libraries at all the major beaches of the island to make tourists’ stays even more

The island of Serifos presents “the first smoke-free beach” in Greece
A paradise on Greece’s earth for non-smokers. The first smoke-free beach is here on the island of Serifos in the Cyclades. The pilot program starts this summer in cooperation of local authorities and the Laskaridis

Uncovering Ancient “First Drafts” on Greek Ceramics
The complex and finely painted images on ancient Greek ceramics might appear to us as being effortlessly made, but even the most skilled Athenian vase painters didn’t just wing it. Underneath the brush strokes are

Final results of Greece’s second round of local elections revealed
The final, official results from Sunday’s second round of local elections in the largest cities and regions in Greece were announced on Monday morning. Here is a breakdown of the winning parties and candidates in

Robert Fico confronts Brussels, claiming EU has abandoned democracy
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has crossed a line Brussels hoped no European leader would openly cross — and he has done so publicly. In a sweeping and highly confrontational statement, Fico accused the European Union of suppressing free speech, manipulating democratic processes, enforcing double standards on energy policy, and

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

USA: We are working to ensure that North Macedonia respects the Prespa agreement
The assurance that the US is working to ensure that the new government of North Macedonia respects the Prespa Agreement was underlined by Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien. During

