
Melbourne teens being recruited ‘Airtasker-style’ to commit violent crimes
Melbourne is facing a growing youth crime crisis, with teenagers being groomed by criminal networks to carry out violent acts in public. Some are promised payment for car hijackings, motor vehicle theft, and jewellery robberies,

America’s “unique” relationship with Australia?
The enthusiasm of the members of Albanese’s staff seems to have run away with them. They declared that ‘the Australian-United States relationship is unique in scale, scope and significance reflecting more than 100 years of

A rethink of Australia’s national security
Sam Roggeveen’s basic storyline in The Echidna Strategy – that the China threat is grossly exaggerated, and that Australia should not, and need not, rely on America for our security protection – is causing predictable

Are earthquakes becoming more common in Melbourne?
Approximately 7,000 Victorians were alarmed by tremors at about 1:32am this morning as a magnitude 4.6 earthquake hit 127km east of Melbourne, near Rawson. Victoria has been hit by several quakes recently, including three in

This outrageously expensive subs deal simply caters to the US. Again
In one week the government’s justification for needing outrageously expensive nuclear submarines has shifted from defending the continent to the old 1960s forward defence policy in Asia which lured us into Vietnam – with all

Regular cannabis use now more accepted by Australians than smoking tobacco, study finds
Source: The Guardian Regular cannabis use has become more accepted than smoking tobacco, the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) has found. The 2019 data, compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Telstra moves call centres back to Australia after customers made their preference ‘loud and clear’
Source: 9news Telstra has moved all its call centres that service Australian customers and small businesses back to Australian shores to appease its customers. Telstra CEO Andy Penn has announced the move today, saying it

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.

SYRIZA changes strategy ahead of early election
Still reeling from a devastating showing in last weekend’s European Parliament election, leftist SYRIZA officials met on Wednesday to discuss strategy ahead of a second round of local authority polls and a looming snap general

The hard truths about Turkey’s continued denial and lies
The participation of the hundreds and thousands of people in the memorial events organized in Greece and abroad on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus, and the

Maria Kakali: The Mayor who got re-elected with 100% of the votes
While local leaders struggled to beat their competitors and some will have to go to a second round of elections next Sunday, one mayor managed to be elected with 100% of the votes. 32-year-old Maria

Greece turns a page
Greeks sent a clear and resounding message with their vote in Sunday’s European Parliament and local elections. They denounced the SYRIZA government and the PM personally as he shouldered the entire weight of the European

Elderly member of Greek minority found murdered on Turkish island of Imvros
An elderly Greek man was found dead and tortured on the Turkish island of Imvros that is home of a small Greek community. 86-year-old Zafiris Ignaris (Piyanari) was found on Monday night. He was tied
Barnier: EU ready to respond to Turkish provocations
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator for Brexit, reiterated on Monday EU readiness to respond accordingly in case Turkey carries out illegal hydrocarbon drilling activities, noting that the EU stands clearly behind Cyprus. Barnier,

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 Esenboğa Airport en route to Tripoli when it lost contact with air traffic control shortly

Baltimore: Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses – 6 presumed dead
via the Associated Press A cargo ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, destroying the span in a matter of seconds and plunging it into the river in a

Moscow terror attack a blow to Putin, who promised Russia security
Barely a week since Vladimir Putin secured his fifth presidential term, Russia has been plunged into carnage and disarray. The appalling attack on the vast Crocus City Hall concert venue and shopping complex near Moscow,

Shock and dismay from the UN and EU over terrorist attacks in Moscow, but who was behind it?
The EU is shocked and dismayed by the reports of a terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall in Moscow. The EU condemns any attacks against civilians. Our thoughts are with all those Russian citizens

World Happiness Report 2024
While the top ten countries remain largely unchanged, there has been much more action in the top twenty Finland has retained its position as the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year,

Putin: Is he now more powerful than ever?
Vladimir Putin wins fifth term as President of Russia with a record percentage Vladimir Putin has secured his fifth term as president of Russia with a record-breaking percentage, amid protests and allegations. What does this

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

