
Australian father stranded in Iraq issues urgent Christmas plea amid legal limbo
An Australian father, Dr. Robert Pether, who spent more than four years in an Iraqi prison under what he calls “bogus charges,” has issued a desperate Christmas plea, urging Australians to push the government to

APRA to cap high-risk home loans amid housing boom
Australia’s banking regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), will impose limits on high-risk home loans starting February 1, aiming to curb the rapid buildup of household debt. APRA announced that no more than 20

Australia faces shortfall in 2030 and 2035 climate targets, minister warns
Australia is projected to narrowly miss its 2030 climate target and is at serious risk of failing its 2035 target without significant policy changes, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has warned. Speaking to Parliament in

Australian inquiry alleges Mormon Church exploited tax loophole and operates as a cult
A government inquiry in Australia has received submissions claiming that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), commonly known as the Mormon Church, functions as a cult and has allegedly exploited a

Inflation surge crushes hopes of interest rate cut in 2025
Australia’s inflation has risen again, effectively eliminating any realistic prospect of an interest rate cut in 2025 and even reviving concerns that the Reserve Bank may be forced to lift rates further. New data from

Albanese government retreats on rural speed-limit cuts after fierce backlash
The Albanese government has abruptly withdrawn its proposal to reduce rural speed limits to as low as 70 km/h, following a wave of public anger and rare internal dissent from Labor MPs. The plan, part

NSW to roll out digital birth certificates for young people aged 16–21
Young people in New South Wales will soon be able to access a digital birth certificate on their mobile phone for the first time, as part of a major step towards modernising identity documents across

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.
Gold mask, bronze helmets uncovered at ancient cemetery of Macedonian warriors
Archaeologists in northern Greece have uncovered a gold mask and bronze helmets from a vast ancient cemetery at Ahlada, near the town of Florina. In a statement Friday, the Culture Ministry said the most impressive

Archaeological Museum of Athens to host events on Antikythera Mechanism and the Moon
The National Archaeological Museum of Athens announced on Thursday that a total of four presentations on the Antikythera Mechanism and the understanding ancient Greeks had of the moon will be held in September, October, and

Greece to push for action on protecting cultural heritage at UN climate summit
Greece will present a proposal for coordinated action to protect cultural and natural heritage from the impact of climate change on Monday at the UN Climate Action Summit, taking place in New York City. Greek

Council of State rules “religion courses in schools only for Greek-Orthodox students”
`The Council of State ruled on Friday that religion courses in primary and secondary education schools are exclusively “Greek-Orthodox.” The ruling cancels the previous content of religious books as it was decided by SYRIZA Education

Plan to tax Airbnb, short-term rentals underway
The tourism ministry is considering imposing a tax on short-term rentals such as Airbnb on the grounds that it would establish equal treatment with hotel accommodations. As the daily Ta Nea has reported, sources say

Ruling ND still in ‘honeymoon period’, latest poll shows; 13.5%-point lead over main opposition SYRIZA
Ruling New Democracy (ND) continues what is apparently a “honeymoon period” after the July 7 election, with one of the first opinion polls of the new autumn season showing the center-right party with a 13.5-percentage

Australian father stranded in Iraq issues urgent Christmas plea amid legal limbo
An Australian father, Dr. Robert Pether, who spent more than four years in an Iraqi prison under what he calls “bogus charges,” has issued a desperate Christmas plea, urging Australians to push the government to secure his safe return. Dr. Pether was arrested in Iraq in 2021 and sentenced to

Council of Europe condemns Sharia councils in UK for contradicting Human Rights
Sharia Law is a legal system which regulates the lives of devout Muslims and is based on religious precepts and the text of the Quran. The exact number of Sharia councils operating in England and

Venezuela – The U.S. game plan for ‘Regime Change’ and how to respond to it
Yesterday the U.S. recognized a right-wing ‘leader of the opposition’ in Venezuela Juan Guaido as the president of the country. A number of right-wing led countries in South America joined in that move. Cuba, Bolivia

Hungary refuses to dance to US tune and step up pressure on Russia
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has boasted that he has good relations with Vladimir Putin and opposes EU sanctions against Russia; he has also challenged the EU’s immigration policy and slammed George Soros for his

“Surveillance Capitalism”: Google sister company to package and sell location data from millions of cellphones
A subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, Sidewalk Labs, is using real-time mobile location data from millions of cellphone users collected over long periods of time in order to help urban planners make critical decision

Skopje responds to Bulgarian Deputy PM’s threat over Zaev’s “Macedonian language”
The VMRO leader accused the representatives of the former Yugoslav republic of wanting to “validate a false version of history” The Foreign Ministry in Skopje has responded to Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and VMRO party

FYROM’s name change deal may be an achievement for the E.U., but undemocratic
After the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece’s northern neighbor stole the Greek name “Macedonia”—but Athens refused to recognize it, saying it gave legitimacy to territorial, historical, and ethnic claims over the millenial old northern

