A costly leadership: PM Anthony Albanese’s $7 million annual burden on taxpayers sparks debate
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under renewed scrutiny following revelations that the total cost of maintaining his role exceeds $6.87 million annually—placing a heavy burden on Australian taxpayers. A detailed analysis by the Institute of
Better Managing Australia’s future population growth
Key elements of the Morrison Government’s plan to better manage Australia’s future population have come into effect today. Launched in March this year, the Population Plan has four broad components: Easing the population pressures
60,000 tons of donation waste going to landfill
Australian charities are contributing to a large chunk of landfill pollution in the country because of donations that can’t be used. Things like soiled clothing, mattresses and old electrical appliances are being donated to stores
Killer flu season sees record numbers of cases and deaths – and it’s only just beginning
A killer flu season has seen almost as many people diagnosed with the virus so far this year as there were in the whole of 2018. Health bosses today issued renewed calls for people to
Election campaign: Morrison, Shorten pledge transport funds
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is promising to spend $4 billion on Melbourne’s shelved East West Link road project, even though the state Labor Government has ruled out its construction. • A Coalition government would fund a
Man charged after ‘Mother of Satan’ found in Adelaide home
A court has heard a highly volatile substance known as “Mother of Satan” was found at a home in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, where a man was arrested for allegedly manufacturing explosives. Officers made the discovery
Coles customers call for compensation after major website outage
Coles has suffered a major outage of its online shopping website, prompting customers to publicly vent their frustration. The supermarket giant has named a software issue for the site being offline. It has left customers
Shockwaves in PASOK: Cretan party official resigns amid OPEKEPE subsidy scandal
A political storm has erupted within PASOK following the resignation of Lampros Antonopoulos, Secretary of the Heraklion Prefectural Committee, after his alleged involvement in the controversial OPEKEPE agricultural subsidy case. Antonopoulos submitted a formal resignation letter to PASOK’s General Secretary, Andreas Spyropoulos, not only stepping down from his role but
DNA for Sale? The untold story of Greece’s newborn screening scandal
It seemed as though Greece had stepped into a remake of Gattaca—a world where every child’s future is predetermined by genetic analysis, infused with a hint of Orphan Black in the veil of secrecy surrounding
Controversial Migration Bill sparks outcry in Greek Parliament
Left-wing parties denounce asylum restrictions as unconstitutional and “shameful” A new migration bill tabled by the Greek government has triggered a political firestorm in Parliament, with opposition parties accusing the Mitsotakis administration of violating international
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
Iran and European powers to resume nuclear talks amid rising tensions
Iran has agreed to resume nuclear negotiations with the European trio – Germany, France, and the United Kingdom – in a diplomatic effort to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The new round of talks is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on Friday, July 25, according
Pipeline Wars Revisited
Pipeline wars are often overlooked in the scheme of things, where pipelines represent competing national interests of a purely economic sort, beyond the usual political rhetoric surrounding ideology and demagoguery. Because a gas pipeline transports
Cyprus repays remainder of Russian loan, two years early
Cyprus’ finance minister said on Monday that the country has repaid ahead of schedule the remaining 1.58 billion euros ($1.73 billion) of a 2.5 billion euro ($2.74 billion) loan it received from Russia in 2011
What is going on in Libya?
Libya is now ruled by the Government of National Accord (GNA). The GNA is recognized by the UN and holds Tripoli but little else. The situation is immensely complex and forever in flux. For eight
US slaps new tariffs on China; One minute later China retaliates
The biggest reason for last week’s torrid stock market rally was rekindled “optimism” that the escalating trade war between the US and China may be on the verge of another ceasefire following phone conversations, fake
Turkey sending fourth energy drill ship into Cyprus’ waters for oil exploration
Turkey has sent its fourth drilling ship to the eastern Mediterranean waters to participate in the exploration for natural gas and oil within the Cypriot maritime economic zones, defying European and international warnings. The Ministry
US demands that Turkey should cease all activity in Cyprus waters
The US State Department has called on the Turkish authorities to remove its drilling vessels from the territorial waters around Cyprus and to cease immediately any “unlawful activities”. The demand comes as Turkey has established
