
One in Three Students Falling Behind, 2025 NAPLAN Results Reveal
A third of Australian students are failing to meet expected literacy and numeracy standards, according to the latest NAPLAN results released today. The report shows that while some improvements have been made, significant educational gaps

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

This outrageously expensive subs deal simply caters to the US. Again
In one week the government’s justification for needing outrageously expensive nuclear submarines has shifted from defending the continent to the old 1960s forward defence policy in Asia which lured us into Vietnam – with all

Regular cannabis use now more accepted by Australians than smoking tobacco, study finds
Source: The Guardian Regular cannabis use has become more accepted than smoking tobacco, the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) has found. The 2019 data, compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Telstra moves call centres back to Australia after customers made their preference ‘loud and clear’
Source: 9news Telstra has moved all its call centres that service Australian customers and small businesses back to Australian shores to appease its customers. Telstra CEO Andy Penn has announced the move today, saying it

Cybersafety expert’s alarm over Snapchat’s new precise location feature: ‘Literally shows where you sleep at night’
Source: 9news Sometimes it feels like a full-time job keeping our children safe from online predators. So the last thing we need is technology making the job even harder. But a new feature on the

Outcry over bribery allegation in public hospital
Immediate Intervention by the Ministry of Health and Minister Adonis Georgiadis A particularly serious allegation regarding a demand for a bribe by a doctor at a Regional Hospital in the country has sparked a strong reaction from the Ministry of Health and Minister Adonis Georgiadis himself, who publicly pledged that

Editorial To Vima: Tsipras’ court trials
The left, having since the interwar period suffered unwarranted persecution over unproven crimes, was in the past guarded as regards the periodic waves of scandal-mongering, and demanded objectivity and evidence before condemning and ostracising political

Mothers in Greece Mark World Breastfeeding Week
Hundreds of mothers breastfed their infants in public places in major cities across Greece on Sunday to mark World Breastfeeding Week celebrated throughout the globe. Mothers in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Argos, Nafplio, Messolonghi Nafpaktos and

Albanian journalist says Albania’s PM Rama gave the go-ahead to kill Katsifas
The Albanian Prime Minister’s office gave the go-ahead to kill 35-year-old Greek man Konstantinos Katsifas, with the approval of Turkey, said Albanian journalist Kastriot Miftairi on mainstream television. The execution of Katsifas has cast a

Albanian Police kill Greek who raised Greece’s flag in Northern Epirus
A 35-year-old Greek, named Konstantinos Katsifas, was shot dead by the Albanian special forces near the village Bularat (Vouliarates) in Albania’s northern Epirus region, 6 kilometers (4 miles) from the Greek-Albanian border. According to Albania’s

Iran responds to Trump: Vows stronger retaliation if attacked again by US or Israel
Iran issued a stern warning to the United States and Israel on Monday, promising a more forceful response if it faces further military aggression. The statement came from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who addressed rising tensions following recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump. Araghchi appeared to be reacting

Yahya Sinwar: New leader of Hamas – Hardliner and fluent in Hebrew
Hamas announced on Tuesday night that Yahya Sinwar is the new leader of the Islamist movement, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. Earlier today, the Saudi news television network Al

Tim Walz: Veteran military man chosen by Kamala Harris as Vice Presidential candidate
Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has selected Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate, a decision that surprised some observers. At 60, Walz has held various roles as a former teacher, coach, and military

“Drums of war” in the Middle East: Awaiting Iran’s retaliation – Israel on high alert
The Middle East appears ready to explode as the war atmosphere intensifies just hours after the U.S. declared that Tehran might attack Israel within the next 24 hours. All eyes are on Iran and the

Stock markets around the world are crashing right now, but why?
The answer to this question is the Yen carry trade, a term you’ll probably hear many times this week. So what exactly is the Yen carry trade and why did it cause a market downturn?

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