
Australia deploys Wedgetail surveillance aircraft to Gulf as Iran conflict escalates
Australia will deploy a Royal Australian Air Force surveillance aircraft to the Middle East after a request from the United Arab Emirates, as regional tensions escalate amid Iranian attacks involving drones and rockets. Prime Minister

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

Greece’s political crisis intensifies amid scandal storm
A society at boiling point amid daily scandals and misuse of public funds – growing calls for immediate elections, as the public dismisses manipulated polling Greek society is increasingly on edge, with daily scandals and the alleged misuse of public funds fuelling public anger. Greece’s political crisis intensifies amid scandal

PIPES: Kastelorizo: Mediterranean flash point
That Athens controls this wisp of land implies it could (but does not yet) claim an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Mediterranean Sea extending 200 nautical miles to Kastelorizo. This would reduce the Turkish

EU agrees to sanction turkey for drilling in Cypriot water
A surprisingly muscular response beyond mere threatening rhetoric out of the European Union over Turkey’s violations of Cypriot territorial waters related to offshore drilling operations: the EU has agreed to bring financial and political sanctions

Archaeology Piece of skull found in Greece ‘is oldest human fossil outside Africa’
A broken skull chiselled from a lump of rock in a cave in Greece is the oldest modern human fossil ever found outside Africa, researchers claim. The partial skull was discovered in the Apidima cave

Athens-Piraeus again in ‘top 10’ in terms of global shipping hubs
The Athens-Piraeus area has returned to the world’s top 10 shipping hubs, according to a recent study by Baltic Exchange. The Greek capital bumped Korea’s Pusan from the “top 10” list, while Singapore remained first,

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake in Kozani, Northern Greece
According to the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens, the epicenter of the quake was located 8 klm south of Kozani, in northern Greece. The earthquake struck at 13:50 on Sunday with a

Greece’s Milos voted “Best Island in Europe” by Travel & Leisure Magazine
The readers of the famous “Travel + Leisure” magazine recently voted the Greek island of Milos as “the best island in Europe” for 2019. The list is comprised of 15 islands across Europe, with Greece

The Battle of the Strait of Hormuz
For the past few hours, amid a howling south-westerly wind (gusts exceeding 50 mph), reflecting on the The Battle of the Strait of Hormuz and practical realities of the United States attempting to blockade all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports. Admiral James Stavridis, a familiar “authoritative voice” within

Albanese’s first meeting with Trump: warm words, sharp climate divide
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described his first face-to-face encounter with US President Donald Trump as “warm and engaging” after the two leaders shook hands and posed for a selfie in New York. The

Emma Mason moves UN with emotional plea: Protect children from the dangers of social media
Australian mother Emma Mason brought world leaders to their feet at the United Nations, urging countries to follow Australia’s lead in banning social media for children under 16. Mason, who spearheads News Corp Australia’s Let

Albanese finally meets Trump in New York
Anthony Albanese has met Donald Trump face-to-face after the US president used his UN speech to ridicule those buying into a “global warming hoax”, and criticised Australia for backing a Palestinian state. In a tense

Meeting between Trump and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
In a significant diplomatic encounter, United States President Donald Trump met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the United Nations headquarters in New York. During the meeting, Guterres welcomed Trump and acknowledged the longstanding and

Albanese brushes off concerns before Trump meeting – White House summit set for October 20
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed he will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on October 20, brushing aside questions about the deep political differences between the two leaders. Speaking to

Mitsotakis–Erdogan meeting in New York likely to be cancelled – “Extremely difficult,” Greek government sources say
The scheduled meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York appears to be heading toward cancellation. According to a senior government source, holding the meeting now seems

