
Capital Gains Tax discount reform under consideration
Speculation is intensifying that one of Australia’s most controversial tax concessions, the capital gains tax (CGT) discount, may undergo significant reform as a central feature of this year’s federal budget. Senior government ministers have stopped

Airports brace for busiest day of the year as Easter travel kicks off
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to jam airport queues and crowd roads today ahead of the long Easter weekend. More than 200,000 people are expected to pass through Sydney and Melbourne airports in

Sally Capp to step down as Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Sally Capp has announced she will step down as Lord Mayor of Melbourne after six years in the role. Capp, who was elected in 2018, announced this morning “with mixed emotions” that she would not

Melbourne and Sydney record surge in population
Both Melbourne and Sydney have seen a surge in population growth, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The biggest increase was seen in Melbourne, which jumped by 167,500 people in

Inflation holds steady at 3.4 per cent
Inflation has held stable at 3.4 per cent for the third month in a row, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Inflation in the 12 months to February was driven by increases

One in 20 mortgage holders spend more than they earn, says new RBA report
A new Reserve Bank report reveals a worrying trend in Australia, with one in 20 mortgage holders spending more money than they earn. What’s more, tens of thousands of households are at risk of running

Easter trading hours 2024: What major stores will be opened on Good Friday and Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday?
Easter is upon us again and that means a whole heap of confusion with stores across the country either open, shut or operating at different hours. To make things easier for you around the busy

EU–US backed power link shatters Turkey–Libya maritime claims
The Egypt–Greece 3 GW electricity interconnector has received a €9.56 million EU grant to support further studies and implementation. EU–US backed power link shatters Turkey–Libya maritime claims. The European Commission has approved the funding for additional preparatory work on the 3-gigawatt electricity link connecting the power systems of Greece and

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

Teenager killed in horrific accident at Greek amusement park
A 14-year-old girl was killed on Friday at a horrific accident in an amusement park near the Greek sea-side city of Volos. The accident happened at the town of Almyros when the teenager fell from

EU–US backed power link shatters Turkey–Libya maritime claims
The Egypt–Greece 3 GW electricity interconnector has received a €9.56 million EU grant to support further studies and implementation. EU–US backed power link shatters Turkey–Libya maritime claims. The European Commission has approved the funding for additional preparatory work on the 3-gigawatt electricity link connecting the power systems of Greece and

IDF: Israel to share F-35 experience with Greece, citing Greek mastery at sea
Significant development – IDF spokesperson: “We will share with Greece what we have learned about the F-35s. The Greeks know how to prevail at sea” IDF: Israel to share F-35 experience with Greece, citing Greek

What the Greenland dispute means for NATO – and the future of Europe
As winter tightens its grip across the northern hemisphere, a diplomatic chill is spreading through the transatlantic alliance. A growing dispute over Greenland has exposed deep fractures between the United States and its NATO allies,

Iran closes airspace and threatens Trump as US prepares for possible strike
Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated sharply on Thursday after Tehran moved to close most of its airspace, issued a direct threat against US President Donald Trump, and warned it would strike American

Iran in flames as mass protests erupt nationwide, Trump threatens “severe attack” on Tehran
Iran has been plunged into its most dangerous wave of unrest in years as mass protests swept across the country overnight, with demonstrators flooding the streets of Tehran and other major cities, buildings set ablaze,

Imperial Playbook: How Washington manufactured crises in Ukraine and Venezuela
Imperial Playbook: How Washington manufactured crises in Ukraine and Venezuela, as commentators increasingly claim that Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela mirror Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, calling for equal condemnation in the name of consistency.

Venezuela was never about democracy, it’s a resource war
Venezuela was never about democracy — it is a resource war, not a morality tale but a balance-sheet conflict dressed up as benevolent intervention. The country sits atop roughly 303 billion barrels of oil, much

