
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

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews resigns
Premier Andrews has resigned abruptly, stepping down from his role effective 5 pm Wednesday. Having recently surpassed John Cain Jr. as the longest-serving Labor Premier in Victoria’s history in April 2023, Andrews’ decision was celebrated

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

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

Historic decision made to rebuild Part of the Parthenon
The Greek Central Archaeological Council (KAS) decided on Wednesday that a part of the Parthenon, now in ruins on the Athens Acropolis, is to be rebuilt using mostly materials which are now lying on the

Venezuela – another failed coup attempt – What’s next?
In the early morning hours of 30 April, 2019, the self-declare “Interim President”, Juan Guaidó, launched what at first sight appeared to be a military coup – Guaidó calls it “Operation Freedom” (sounds very much

The largest natural deposit in the world in Crete
NATURAL GAS worth € 600.000.000.000 An Amazing scientific proven discovery that could mean enormous economic benefits to Greece, a solution to the pension insurance and securing tens/hundreds of thousands of jobs for at least 50

Turkey drills for gas in Cyprus’ waters, prompting EU outcry
The EU and US have urged Turkey to stop drilling for gas in Cyprus’ maritime zone – but Ankara has told its allies it would do so anyway. Brussels and Washington spoke out over the

Cyprus: Turkey’s drilling bid violates international law
Cyprus’ foreign ministry says Turkey’s bid to drill for natural gas in waters where the island nation has exclusive economic rights is a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty under international law. The ministry in a

How ancient Greek vases were made
From the Neolithic period onwards, the ancient Greeks made pots in a variety of different styles. The most characteristic styles of pottery being black-figure and red-figure. In black-figure, the figures are painted using a slip

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

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

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

Washington concedes strategic defeat in Ukraine
Washington concedes strategic defeat in Ukraine as the era of grand declarations about “imminent victory” and the unwavering defence of democracy appears to be drawing to a close. The curtain has been pulled back —

