
Australian father stranded in Iraq issues urgent Christmas plea amid legal limbo
An Australian father, Dr. Robert Pether, who spent more than four years in an Iraqi prison under what he calls “bogus charges,” has issued a desperate Christmas plea, urging Australians to push the government to

2.9 million Australians use pay-on-demand services
With the cost of living putting more pressure on Australians, the use of pay-on-demand services has surged. New data from Finder shows that 14 percent of Australians—about 2.9 million people—have utilized these services in the

Fears for escalation tensions leads Jewish and Islamic schools to increase security
In response to rising cultural and religious tensions, numerous Islamic and Jewish schools across Australia are enhancing their security measures. The increased security comes amid concerns over potential violence linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict and

Magnitude 5.0 earthquake reported in NSW’s Upper Hunter region
A 5.0 magnitude earthquake has shaken parts of New South Wales. The earthquake epicentre was near the mining town of Denman, about 250km north of Sydney, at 10km deep. It was felt across the state,

Australia calls for protection of Gaza war cemetery amid Hamas threat
The Australian government has strongly condemned any threats to desecrate war graves following the revelation of a Hamas plot to exhume the remains of Australian soldiers. The conspiracy, detailed in a seven-page document discovered in

Coalition secures CFMEU’s placement under administration
The CFMEU is set to be placed into administration following an agreement between the Coalition and the federal government on new legislation targeting the controversial construction union. The Coalition has pledged to support the bill,

Pay up, Aussie scam victims call for new laws to force banks to return losses
Scam victims in Australia are calling for legislation similar to the UK’s, which mandates banks to reimburse customers for losses incurred through scams. Starting October, the UK’s Payment Systems Regulator will require banks to compensate

Holiday traffic normalizes after Tuesday’s gridlock
After yesterday’s disruptions, traffic on the Athens–Lamia and Athens–Corinth highways is expected to return to normal today, Wednesday, as farmers and traffic police coordinated to improve vehicle flow ahead of Christmas. On Tuesday, drivers faced queues of up to 20 kilometres due to farmers’ roadblocks, leaving many stranded for hours.

Athens plans multilateral conference with Turkey, Cyprus, Libya, and Egypt
Athens is preparing an ambitious diplomatic initiative aimed at fostering regional cooperation and dialogue among Eastern Mediterranean states. The Greek government plans to host a multilateral meeting involving Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, and Libya to discuss

Athens mayor Haris Doukas challenges PASOK leadership, calls for unity and dialogue with Tsipras’ party
A wave of political tension has rippled through the ranks of PASOK after Athens Mayor Haris Doukas voiced his discontent over the exclusion of several senior party figures from the party’s upcoming Congress committees, while

Opinion Poll: ND leads by 16.3 points – rising public discontent and political fluidity
A new Opinion Poll survey for October shows the New Democracy (ND) party maintaining a 16.3-point lead over PASOK, but with growing public dissatisfaction and a volatile political landscape. ND records 30.1% (-0.4%), PASOK 13.8%

EU Defence Agency apologizes for controversial Cyprus report amid political backlash
The European Defence Agency (EDA) has issued a formal apology following the publication of a report conducted jointly with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), which sparked widespread criticism for its references to the

The inner circle around Alexis Tsipras: key collaborators shaping his next moves
With Alexis Tsipras stepping down from Parliament and preparing for his forthcoming book on his government’s record, attention has turned to the core team of collaborators surrounding the former prime minister. Their influence will likely

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier belongs to all Greeks – must be kept out of daily political tug-of-war
Greece’s Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, has praised the Prime Minister’s recent decision to assign the Ministry of National Defense exclusive responsibility for protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, emphasizing the monument’s national and

Australian father stranded in Iraq issues urgent Christmas plea amid legal limbo
An Australian father, Dr. Robert Pether, who spent more than four years in an Iraqi prison under what he calls “bogus charges,” has issued a desperate Christmas plea, urging Australians to push the government to secure his safe return. Dr. Pether was arrested in Iraq in 2021 and sentenced to

China quietly doubles troop levels in Hong Kong, envoys say
Last month, Beijing moved thousands of troops across the border into this restive city. They came in on trucks and armored cars, by bus and by ship. The state news agency Xinhua described the operation as

Church of Greece and its Arguments Concerning Ukraine’s Autocephaly Issue
The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, held on August 16-28, reviewed the recommendations of the Synodal committees for the dogmatic and canonical issues, as well as Orthodox and inter-Christian relations and recognized the

Hong Kong’s major events at protests
Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters have sustained their momentum for more than three months, facing off against police through summer heat and clouds of tear gas. Officers have met demonstrators head on with a variety of

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

