
Fresh scrutiny over federal politicians’ expenses rules after pre-election change
Fresh questions are being raised about the expenses federal politicians are entitled to claim, after revelations that key rules governing travel allowances were altered just weeks before the last federal election. While Prime Minister Anthony

Killer flu season sees record numbers of cases and deaths – and it’s only just beginning
A killer flu season has seen almost as many people diagnosed with the virus so far this year as there were in the whole of 2018. Health bosses today issued renewed calls for people to

Election campaign: Morrison, Shorten pledge transport funds
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is promising to spend $4 billion on Melbourne’s shelved East West Link road project, even though the state Labor Government has ruled out its construction. • A Coalition government would fund a

Man charged after ‘Mother of Satan’ found in Adelaide home
A court has heard a highly volatile substance known as “Mother of Satan” was found at a home in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, where a man was arrested for allegedly manufacturing explosives. Officers made the discovery

Coles customers call for compensation after major website outage
Coles has suffered a major outage of its online shopping website, prompting customers to publicly vent their frustration. The supermarket giant has named a software issue for the site being offline. It has left customers

Australian freighter lost in World War II found off coast of Victoria
The final resting place of an Australian freighter torpedoed by a Japanese submarine more than seven decades ago has been discovered off the coast of Victoria. The SS Iron Crown was sunk on 4 June

Several hundreds attend Archbishop Stylianos’ funeral in Sydney
On Saturday the 30th of March, ordinary citizens, clerics, politicians and public figures from the wider Greek community in Australia attended the last farewell to the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia Stylianos, during the funeral

Greece hails Pierrakakis’ Eurogroup victory as a win for the nation — Implications for Australia–EU relations
Greece’s Minister for National Economy, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic welcome from the parliamentary caucus of New Democracy after his election as President of the Eurogroup. His elevation to one of Europe’s most influential economic positions has been framed in Athens as a national milestone, extending beyond party lines

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

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, and Poland to distance themselves from the European Union as part of a bold new

Israel proposes ‘Plan B’ for the Power Cable — Cyprus–Israel section first
In a move that reshapes the regional energy equation, the Netanyahu government has publicly proposed a major shift in the sequencing of the Greece–Cyprus–Israel (GSI) electricity interconnection project. Israel proposes ‘Plan B’ for the Power

How Soros’s $40 million charity network allegedly backed Zohran Mamdani
A series of new reports have raised questions about the role of billionaire philanthropist George Soros and his network of charitable foundations in funding political activity in the United States. How Soros’s $40 million charity

Greek kite surfer honoured with Hungary’s “Gold Medal of Honour” for saving father and daughter from drowning
For the first time in the history of the Hungarian state’s highest civilian distinction, the “Gold Medal of Honour” has been awarded to a foreign citizen — a young Greek athlete who performed a heroic

Syria conducts nationwide raids against ISIS ahead of President Sara’s meeting with Trump
Syrian security forces launched a series of large-scale preemptive operations across the country targeting cells of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), ahead of President Ahmed Al Sara’s upcoming visit to Washington for a high-level meeting

Thessaloniki–Skopje oil pipeline set to reopen after 12 years of inactivity
Skopje government approves payment for fuel transport via VARDAX pipeline – gas interconnection with Greece also advancing The government of Skopje has approved the final measure paving the way for the reopening of the Thessaloniki–Skopje

Humanitarian aid enters Gaza at a slow pace, says the UN
More than 37,000 tonnes of UN humanitarian aid have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began on October 10, according to a UN spokesperson who criticised the slow pace at which barriers to aid delivery are

