
Australia to purchase 11 frigates from Japan in a deal worth a reported $10 billion
Australia is moving forward with the acquisition of 11 Mogami-class frigates, which will be built by the Japanese group Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), in a deal worth $10 billion. The announcement was made by Australian

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

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

Albanian Foreign Ministry issues provocative map encompassing Greek territory
“Good neighbourly relations are not just rhetorical niceties. They are practices based on the principles of reciprocity, mutual respect, and a shared understanding of international law. Albanian Foreign Ministry issues provocative map encompassing Greek territory. The recent publication in the official magazine of Albania’s Ministry of Defence, which depicts Greek

Sinai Monastery on the Altar of cheap energy
Corriere links Mitsotakis–Sisi deal to historic sell-off of the Sinai Monastery on the Altar of cheap energy. On the altar of cheap energy! Corriere della Serra links the issue of the Monastery of Sinai to

The fall of Constantinople 29th March 1453: An Orthodox perspective on betrayal and loss
On 29 May 1453, the heart of Eastern Christendom fell. Constantinople — once the crown jewel of the Byzantine Empire and the spiritual stronghold of Eastern Orthodoxy — was overrun by the forces of Sultan

Tsitsipas hires Goran Ivanišević, Djokovic’s former coach, to revive career
Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas hires Goran Ivanišević, Djokovic’s former coach, to revive career in a decisive move to reverse a prolonged slump and re-establish himself among the world’s elite. The 26-year-old two-time Grand Slam

Greek sovereignty undermined, Turkish mafia targets Greek agents
EYP Ethniki Ypiresia Pliroforion (Εθνική Υπηρεσία Πληροφοριών) agents were inside the vehicle that came under fire from another car on Thursday afternoon in Thermi, Thessaloniki. Greek sovereignty undermined, Turkish mafia targets Greek agents according to

EU Prosecutor slams Greek intimidation in farm fraud probe
European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi has vowed to press ahead with a major investigation into alleged fraud involving the EU’s substantial agricultural budget in Greece. The EU Prosecutor slams Greek intimidation in farm fraud probe

Encroachment by acquisition: Strategic alarm over property purchases in Thrace
Amid rising geopolitical tensions and demographic shifts in Southeast Europe, a growing wave of property acquisitions by Turkish and Bulgarian nationals in Northern Greece, especially in the Evros border region, is raising strategic alarm. This

USA: Trump’s special envoy in Moscow today for talks with Russian leadership
Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy, will be in Moscow today for talks with the Russian leadership, according to a well-informed source cited by the Reuters news agency. Details regarding Witkoff’s visit agenda have not been made public by the White House. “The President has stated that Special Envoy Witkoff

Elon Musk and Billboard Chris win legal battle against Australian eSafety Commissioner
In a landmark legal victory, Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, and Canadian activist Chris Elston, also known as Billboard Chris, have successfully challenged a takedown notice issued by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant.

Heatwave in Italy: Woman dies of heart attack on the street, construction worker in coma
Italy is currently grappling with a brutal heatwave that has claimed the lives of at least two people in the central and southern regions, as the country faces record-high temperatures. The scorching heat has intensified,

Venezuela declares UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, persona non grata
In a significant diplomatic development, the Venezuelan National Assembly has declared Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, persona non grata. This decision came after recent criticisms from his office regarding the

Penny Wong under pressure at strategic Quad talks amid rising tensions with Trump administration
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has faced intense diplomatic scrutiny in Washington as she joined her counterparts from the US, Japan, and India at a high-stakes Quad summit, amid growing uncertainty in Australia-US relations and

European Commission accepts 10% universal tariff from Trump – What it wants in return from the U.S.
The European Commission is willing to accept a trade agreement with the United States that includes a universal 10% tariff on its exports, but it seeks commitments from Washington to lower tariffs in key sectors

China warns Australia: Don’t be dragged into NATO’s military spending push
China’s Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, has issued a strong rebuke of NATO’s new military spending target, warning the Albanese government not to fall in line with what Beijing sees as a dangerous escalation of