
Australian meth, cocaine, MDMA, and heroin use jumps 34% in one year
Australians consumed 34 per cent more methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and MDMA in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program. The survey found that 22.2 tonnes of these

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

Wildfires rage across western Greece and the islands, devastating homes and forests
In the past 24 hours, 48 new fires broke out, bringing the total to 109 incidents since the outbreak began. For a second consecutive day, firefighters battled relentless wildfires across Western Greece and several Aegean islands, as authorities reported a record number of fires sweeping through the country. The most

Mourtzoukou confession shocks Greece: “I wanted to hurt someone”
The Greek public is reeling from the horrifying confession of 25-year-old Eirini Mourtzoukou, who has admitted to killing four children, including her own daughters and her baby sister. Following her arrest on Monday at a

Greece moves to clamp down on migrant arrivals from Libya with detention and asylum ban
As arrivals spike in Crete, the government revives 2020 border strategies and seeks deeper cooperation with Eastern Libya The Greek government has announced tough new measures to curb illegal immigration from North Africa, particularly from

Greece tables emergency asylum bill – Immediate deportations for illegal entries from North Africa
The Greek Parliament is debating today a controversial emergency amendment that imposes a three-month suspension on asylum applications by individuals entering the country illegally via sea routes from North Africa. The amendment, attached to a

4.4 Magnitude earthquake strikes off Amorgos coast – no damage reported
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Amorgos in the early hours of Thursday, sparking concern among residents but causing no reported damage or injuries. According to the Geodynamic Institute of Athens, the

Oropos fire: Fierce overnight battle with flames – improvement in Asprochori, concerns shift to Sykamino
A large wildfire continues to burn in the Oropos region of Attica, with two active fronts threatening local communities. One front is advancing toward Asprochori and the other toward Sykamino, where the situation is currently

Greece Plans Detention Centres in Crete After Diplomatic Rift with Libya
Following a diplomatic incident in Benghazi that saw Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar expel a European migration delegation, the Greek government is preparing a new wave of strict measures to stop migrant arrivals from Libya to

August 15: Melbourne honours the “Easter of Summer” with splendor and devotion
August 15, the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, is one of the most important celebrations of Orthodoxy and is observed with deep emotion both in Greece and in Greek communities around the world. In Melbourne, celebrations began early in the morning, with the faithful filling churches to honor

The EastMed alliances threaten Turkey’s expansionist agenda
The discovery of huge gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean and the standardization of cooperation between the countries of the region will change the geopolitical landscape in a few years The discovery of huge gas

Donald Trump should lift the arms embargo on Cyprus now
Every day the arms embargo remains in place undermines U.S. national security, undercuts the deployed U.S. military, and signals to U.S. allies that Washington is unreliable. On July 20, 1974, Turkish forces—utilizing U.S.-made and supplied

Game over for oil… The economy is next
It’s game-over for most of the U.S. oil industry and the repurcussions are global Prices have collapsed and storage is nearly full. The only option for many producers is to shut in their wells. That

The coming Greater Depression of the 2020s
While there is never a good time for a pandemic, the COVID-19 crisis has arrived at a particularly bad moment for the global economy. The world has long been drifting into a perfect storm of

Turkey: Pressures, Attacks, and Discrimination against Christians
When Protestants introduce themselves to the authorities as a church, they receive warnings that they are not legal and may be closed down. In 2019, however, many members of the foreign clergy, as well as

Stocks savaged, Italy on lockdown, Trump seeks to reassure as coronavirus spreads
ROME (All of Italy under lockdown, reeling financial markets and rioting prisoners made clear on Monday how the global coronavirus epidemic was extending its reach into all aspects of social and economic life. Police officers