
Australia’s productivity collapses to zero amid weak investment and population surge
Australia’s labour productivity has effectively stalled, with new analysis showing growth has collapsed to zero, placing the country near the bottom of advanced economies since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an OECD assessment cited in

Liberal MP Roma Britnell walks out of parliamentary hearing over missing data on pregnancies and STIs in state care
A tense parliamentary hearing erupted into open frustration on Friday after Liberal MP Roma Britnell stormed out, accusing senior Victorian bureaucrats of repeatedly refusing to supply critical data about the wellbeing of children in state

Global Airbus warning grounds Jetstar A320 flights, causes widespread travel disruption
A major global aviation alert has triggered significant travel chaos, with Jetstar confirming that several of its Airbus A320 aircraft are currently unable to depart due to a critical software issue affecting thousands of jets

Teen launches High Court challenge against national social media ban
A Sydney high school student has launched an extraordinary High Court challenge against the federal government’s upcoming ban on social media use for children under 16, arguing the new law is unconstitutional and puts young

Why Australian workers are demanding pay transparency and would quit over unfair salaries
A growing number of Australian workers are demanding full salary transparency inside their workplaces, with new research showing a strong belief that pay secrecy primarily benefits employers — not staff. The findings, from recruitment firm

APRA to cap high-risk home loans amid housing boom
Australia’s banking regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), will impose limits on high-risk home loans starting February 1, aiming to curb the rapid buildup of household debt. APRA announced that no more than 20

Australia faces shortfall in 2030 and 2035 climate targets, minister warns
Australia is projected to narrowly miss its 2030 climate target and is at serious risk of failing its 2035 target without significant policy changes, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has warned. Speaking to Parliament in

PULS missile system paves the way for Greece’s “Achilles Shield” as defence cooperation with Israel and UAE deepens
Greece is moving decisively to strengthen its military deterrence, following parliamentary approval for the acquisition of the Israeli-made PULS multiple rocket launcher system, a key component of the country’s planned multi-layered air and missile defence architecture known as the “Achilles Shield”. The Special Standing Committee on Armaments Programs of the

Impressive! The moment lights go off as Acropolis joins Earth Hour
It was a moment of magic to see Greece’s famous landmark sinking in the dark. At 8:30 sharp on Saturday night, lights went off in Acropolis as in many other buildings of the Greek capital

Unpardonable and irresponsible lies
The theoretical and easy self-criticism of ministers and SYRIZA cadres is fine, but at some point they have to confront the results. We make mistakes and sometimes unpardonable ones, Deputy PM Yannis Dragasakis told Parliament

Opportunity
The Pasok-centred Movement for change paid a debt of honour to Andreas Papandreou. It is a debt not just because Andreas Papandreou played a leadimg role in fashioning the contremporary centre-left, but also because the

Envelope for the next PM
The climate and atmosphere surrounding the government is not the best. Pressures from the electorate are patently obvious. There are plenty of disputes and initiatives which are collapsing one after the other. These initiatives do

Burgeoning ‘Athenian Riviera’ entails prospect of massive boost for Greek tourism
Two emblematic investments in the so-called “Athens Riviera”, the coastline extending roughly from Neo Faliro southeast all the way to renowned Cape Sounion, will have a significant impact on the recovering Greek economy, two top

Greek derby abandoned due to crowd trouble
The Greek derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos at the Athens Olympic Stadium was abandoned on Sunday due to crowd trouble. Deep inside the second half as their team were losing 1-0, Panathinaikos fans clashed with

Robert Fico confronts Brussels, claiming EU has abandoned democracy
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has crossed a line Brussels hoped no European leader would openly cross — and he has done so publicly. In a sweeping and highly confrontational statement, Fico accused the European Union of suppressing free speech, manipulating democratic processes, enforcing double standards on energy policy, and

War in Ukraine: from caution to panic, what Macron’s change of heart hides
This is an exceedingly rare and fascinating article in the French magazine Marianne, who got access to “several confidential defense reports” from the French army on the situation in Ukraine: https://marianne.net/monde/europe/guerre-en-ukraine-endurance-russe-echec-de-la-contre-offensive-ce-que-cache-le-virage-de-macron . This explains the

Erdoğan-affiliated party competing in EU polls sparks fears in Germany
A group of Germans with Turkish roots have formed a political group to compete in the European elections, sparking fears it could be a vehicle for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to expand his influence

Irish people vote in a referendum (75%) to defend traditional family
Women’s value in society comes from performing tasks at home, according to the Irish Constitution. DUBLIN – Irish voters after the referendum reject the attempt to rewrite the 1937 Constitution’s view of women and family

De Villepin criticizes Macron’s irresponsible NATO troop Deployment
De Villepin criticizes Macron’s irresponsible NATO troop deployment rhetoric has been translated from French. It’s so important people are aware of the extreme danger behind Macron’s (and some other NATO leaders’) attempt to escalate the

Zaharova: The Greek Government will answer to its people for sending arms to Ukraine
Russia has repeatedly drawn the attention of the Greek government to the issue of the threat to the civilian population, including the Greek community in Donbas, Ukraine, from the shipment of weapons systems and ammunition,

‘Western dominance has ended’, EU foreign-policy chief admits
The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, admitted that the “era of Western dominance has indeed definitively ended”. He warned that the EU must not divide the world into “the West against the Rest”, as

