
Our very own, Nick Bolkus, long-time Labor senator and Hawke-Keating-era minister, dies aged 75
Nick Bolkus, a veteran Labor senator for South Australia and a minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, has passed away peacefully on Christmas morning at the age of 75. The first Greek Australian to

AMA welcomes sickly sweet sugar tax calls
Australia should introduce a tax on sugary drinks to help combat obesity and diabetes according to the Australian Medical Association, in a call backed by a new report from the Grattan Institute. AMA President Professor

What just happened to Bonza? Why new budget airlines always struggle in Australia
The history of budget jet airlines in Australia is a long road littered with broken dreams. New entrants have consistently struggled to get a foothold. Low-cost carrier Bonza has just become the industry’s latest casualty,

Australia’s universities ranked 4th as a study destination
The high cost of living and tuition fees in Australia led the country to lose the top spot in the university rankings it shared with Canada, while uncertainty over government immigration policy contributed to that

Housing prices at record new highs
House prices across the country have reached new highs, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis for ordinary Australians. According to PropTrack’s monthly house price index released on Tuesday, national house prices rose by 0.23% in April to

Australia’s thrilling dawn services and marches honour the Anzacs
Australians came together in a moving show of remembrance, defying the chill of the early morning to join dawn services nationwide, honoring the brave souls who served both at home and abroad. Australia’s thrilling dawn

Australia’s defence strategy focuses on the Pacific
Australia has unveiled its national defence strategy, with a particular focus on the Pacific to counter China’s “coercive tactics”. The 80-page document paints a bleak picture of security in the Pacific and calls for a

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.

Mitsotakis govt announces measures to prevent another 2015-like migrant/refugee crisis
A recent spike in the number of landings of vessels carrying irregular migrants and would-be asylum seekers to a handful of eastern Aegean islands generated a Greek government reaction on Saturday, with a top defense

Greek FM summons Turkey’s Ambassador over mass migrants’ arrivals
Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias summoned the Turkish ambassador to Athens in order to express Greece’s deep dissatisfaction over the increased influx of migrants from Turkey, that culminated with the unprecedented mass arrivals of more than

Major spike in number of illegal migrants, would-be asylum seekers landing in Lesvos last week
A significant spike in the number of small craft carrying third country nationals, mostly Afghans, to the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos (Mytilene) was recorded on Thursday, with no less than 13 flimsy inflatable vessels

Cosco-led Piraeus Port Authority submits revised master plan; worth 800 mln€
A revised master plan by the Cosco-managed Piraeus Port Authority was tabled on Friday for review by a shipping ministry ports committee in the coming period. The revised master plan, which according to the port

Mitsotakis to Observer: Athens will ask for loaning of Parthenon Marbles amid 2021 series of events
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to the “loaning” of the Parthenon Marbles – 14 friezes or metopes – from the British Museum in London to Greece on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of

Greek state collects 1.138 bln€ with 26-week T-bills issue; yield at 0.15%
Demand for a new tranche of 26-week T-bills was slightly down on Wednesday, compared to similar issues over the past few months, with an auction of 875 million euros of paper attracting bids of 1.536

Bittersweet Christmas in Bethlehem as the city celebrates for the first time in two years
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, marked a deeply symbolic and emotionally charged Christmas on Thursday, celebrating the holy season for the first time in two years amid a backdrop of conflict, loss and fragile hope. Residents and visitors gathered in Manger Square, where a large Christmas tree stood illuminated, as

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

British man accused of drugging and raping wife over 13 years alongside five accomplices
A 49-year-old British man has been charged with systematically drugging and raping his former wife over more than a decade, alongside five other men, according to Wiltshire Police. The six men face over 60 charges

Libyan military chief killed in Falcon 50 jet crash in Ankara
A private Falcon 50 jet crashed near Ankara on Tuesday evening, killing all five people on board, including Libya’s Chief of the General Staff, General Mohamed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad. The aircraft had departed from Ankara

Mitsotakis meets Abbas in Ramallah: Greece supports peace in Gaza
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday in Ramallah, ahead of his visit to Jerusalem and participation in the Greece–Cyprus–Israel trilateral summit. Support for the Palestinian Authority and

Trilateral Summit sends clear message to Ankara: “Do not even think of reviving empires”
A strong geopolitical message was sent from Jerusalem on Monday following the completion of the 10th Trilateral Summit between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a pointed warning to those “who

Israeli Foreign Minister urges Jews to move to Israel amid rising antisemitism in the West
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has urged Jews living in Western countries to relocate to Israel, warning that antisemitism is on the rise across Europe, North America and Australia. Speaking on Sunday during a public

