
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

Crafting a regional policy to contain Erdoğan
Turkey poses a long-term threat to the security of the Middle East. Containing Neo-Ottomanism requires a defensive policy that integrates Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and theKurds into a regional alliance. A new era has dawned in

Micro-brewery sector in Greece surging on back of global beer trend
A burgeoning presence but limited profits are, in general terms, the main characteristics of the micro-brewing sector in Greece so far, although forecasts continue to be very bright – as Greek consumers are following a

Five suitors in next phase of IGB pipeline tender
Five consortia have been approved for the next phase of an international tender to build the Greece – Bulgaria (IGB) gas inter-connector pipeline between the Greek and Bulgarian natural gas grids, a project worth 145

Paralysis
With less than one month to go before the European Parliament election, the difficult situation in which Prime Minister Alexis finds himself is constantly worsening. With the cards stacked against them, none of the initiatives

Ancient Greek shipwreck now open to divers
A remarkably preserved shipwreck on the northern coast of the Greek island Aloneissos has become a remarkable new underwater museum. The ship has played a major role in the way archeologists understand the art of

50% of waste in Greece’s seas consists of plastic bags & bottles, aluminum cans
Fifty percent of waste found into Greek seas are plastic bags, plastic bottles and aluminum cans for beer and soft drinks, Professor Giorgos Papatheodorou of the Marine Geology and Natural Oceanography Laboratory at Patras University

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

Council of Europe condemns Sharia councils in UK for contradicting Human Rights
Sharia Law is a legal system which regulates the lives of devout Muslims and is based on religious precepts and the text of the Quran. The exact number of Sharia councils operating in England and

Venezuela – The U.S. game plan for ‘Regime Change’ and how to respond to it
Yesterday the U.S. recognized a right-wing ‘leader of the opposition’ in Venezuela Juan Guaido as the president of the country. A number of right-wing led countries in South America joined in that move. Cuba, Bolivia

Hungary refuses to dance to US tune and step up pressure on Russia
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has boasted that he has good relations with Vladimir Putin and opposes EU sanctions against Russia; he has also challenged the EU’s immigration policy and slammed George Soros for his

“Surveillance Capitalism”: Google sister company to package and sell location data from millions of cellphones
A subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, Sidewalk Labs, is using real-time mobile location data from millions of cellphone users collected over long periods of time in order to help urban planners make critical decision

Skopje responds to Bulgarian Deputy PM’s threat over Zaev’s “Macedonian language”
The VMRO leader accused the representatives of the former Yugoslav republic of wanting to “validate a false version of history” The Foreign Ministry in Skopje has responded to Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and VMRO party

FYROM’s name change deal may be an achievement for the E.U., but undemocratic
After the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece’s northern neighbor stole the Greek name “Macedonia”—but Athens refused to recognize it, saying it gave legitimacy to territorial, historical, and ethnic claims over the millenial old northern