
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

Australia strengthens its defence cooperation with the USA and Canada
Australia and Canada have pledged to enhance their defence collaboration while condemning China’s assertive claims over contested waters in the Indo-Pacific region. Defence Minister Richard Marles, addressing reporters from Vancouver, emphasised the need for closer

Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Melbourne has climbed to 100 cases
The number of cases in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Melbourne has climbed to 100, as authorities try to prevent the disease from spreading further. Two elderly people have died from the condition since the

Australia’s preeminent strategic thinkers: The era of Anglo-Saxon dominance in the Pacific is ending
This might be the most compelling and influential argument against AUKUS, particularly because it comes from one of Australia’s foremost strategic thinkers: Hugh White, the inaugural Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and

Life-changing cancer-treatment jab added to PBS
Australians fighting lung and liver cancer will soon be able to access a life-saving cancer treatment through a simple, seven minute injection. The nation’s first immunotherapy cancer jab, Tecentriq, is being added to the Pharmaceutical

Jess Fox and Eddie Ockenden named Australia’s flag bearers for Paris 2024 Olympics
Jess Fox and Eddie Ockenden have been announced as Australia’s flag bearers for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Chef de Mission Anna Meares bestowed the honor upon Fox, a canoe/kayak athlete, and Ockenden, a hockey player.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia surpasses 1 Million – Projected to reach 1.2 Million by 2031
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia has exceeded one million, according to recent estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This marks an increase of 56,300 individuals since June 2021. These

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.

Autonomy
The government intends to allow universities and not the education ministry to set the number of students they will admit each year. That addresses a basic need, the need (for many and varied reasons) for

Alarm bell
To avoid the errors of the past the current government must move swiftly to address the deficiencies left behind by previous ones. The extent of the natural disasters by which Greece was struck over the

Theofilus
About 150 years ago, the influential folk artist Theophilus (Theophilus Kefalas – Hatzimichail) was born in the village of Vareia, on the south-eastern tip of the island of Lesvos, overlooking the shores of Asia Minor.

Greek elections: Landslide victory for centre-right New Democracy party
Incumbent prime minister Alexis Tsipras, of Syriza, calls rival Kyriakos Mitsotakis to concede defeat Voters in Greece have given Kyria-kos Mitsotakis’ centre-right New Democracy party a resounding mandate to form a new government after it

Ballot Box stolen from polling center in Exarchia and set on fire
At least one ballot box was stolen from a polling station in the anarchists’ district of Exarchia in Athens and were allegedly set on fire. The unprecedented incidents took place on early Sunday evening short

‘Evdokia’ the 1200 Year Old Olive Tree in Corfu, Greece
An imposing olive tree on Corfu, known as ‘Evdokia’ by the locals, has been estimated to be between 1086 and 1200 years old, according to stu-dies by German scientists from the Dresden University of Technology.

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

Washington concedes strategic defeat in Ukraine
Washington concedes strategic defeat in Ukraine as the era of grand declarations about “imminent victory” and the unwavering defence of democracy appears to be drawing to a close. The curtain has been pulled back —

Libya parliament speaker declares Turkey–Libya memorandum invalid, opens door to talks with Greece, Egypt and Turkey
Libya’s House of Representatives Speaker, Aqila Saleh, has publicly declared the 2019 Turkey–Libya maritime memorandum “invalid,” marking the first such statement in six years and signalling a potential shift in Libya’s approach to maritime disputes

Cyprus–France Strategic Agreement signed in Paris, boosting defence, energy and Schengen cooperation
Cyprus and France have signed a comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Agreement in Paris, elevating their bilateral relationship to a more structured and operational level at a time of growing security challenges across Europe and the Eastern

Leaked US strategy reveals Trump’s plan to break up the EU
A leaked US strategy reveals Trump’s plan to break up the EU, with a draft of a highly classified National Security Strategy (NSS) suggesting that the United States may be pushing for Austria, Italy, Hungary,

Prepare for a coming world War, NATO chief warns
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has issued a stark warning to the alliance, declaring, “We must prepare for a coming world war, NATO chief warns.” Speaking in Berlin, Rutte urged NATO member states to dramatically intensify

Ukraine submits response to latest U.S. peace proposal as diplomatic efforts intensify
Ukraine has formally delivered its response to the latest U.S.-drafted peace proposal aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to officials in Washington and Kyiv cited by CNN. The proposal outlines the creation

