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International affairs, events, and conflicts

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Wildfires on Greece's Chios island rage for second day
Greece’s government has declared a state of emergency on Chios island as wildfires rage for a second day. Three fires began on Sunday in the Kofinas, Agia Anna, and Agios Makarios Vrontadon areas, with two more on Monday in Agios Markos and Agiasmata. Wind has further boosted these wildfires, leading to evacuations, heavily damaging forests, and causing power outages. “The situation since yesterday on the island is quite difficult because we constantly have new fronts and resurgences and the climatic conditions are not favourable,” said Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ioannis Kefalogiannis in Chios. According to Kefalogiannis, 170 additional firefighters will be sent to Chios. Greece’s Hellenic Fire Service said on Sunday that 100 firefighters were already operating in the affected areas, with a further 90 arriving from Piraeus and Thessaloniki. The Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes will also investigate the fires’ causes alongside Chios State Security, the Hellenic Fire Service said. Residents from 17 areas in Chios have been evacuated. Power outages have been reported in Vrontados in eastern Chios after the fires damaged the electrical grid, with Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Opera
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Trump announces ceasefire to Israel-Iran '12 day war'
United States commander-in-chief Donald Trump has announced that a ceasefire has been agreed between Iran and Israel through his social media platform Truth Social, dubbing it the “official end to the 12-day war”. A 12-hour ceasefire is set to begin approximately six hours from the timestamp of Trump's post through his Truth Social media platform - at the end of that, the war will be considered over.Credit: Donald Trump / Truth SocialOvernight, Iran launched a handful of ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Qatar, less than two days after American bombers had purportedly decimated three nuclear facilities in Iran. The missiles caused no fatalities nor injuries to Qatari or U.S. personnel. In fact, Iran even made a courtesy phone call to warn them of the attack before it occurred.Timeline of Events30 April 2025 Iran executes a man it claims worked for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, accusing him of involvement in the May 2022 assassination of Revolutionary Guard Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei in Tehran - a killing that would later serve to justify Iran's retaliation. Friday, 13 June Israel launches what Israeli officials described as "pre-emptive strikes" against Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure, d
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Bomb hits Damascus church; Syria, world outraged
A suicide bomber affiliated with Islamic State (IS) killed at least 22 people and injured 63 more during a packed Sunday service (Monday AEST) at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syrian authorities confirmed. The attacker reportedly opened fire before detonating an explosive vest, marking the first successful suicide bombing in the capital since Bashar al-Assad's regime fell in December. The blast tore through the church’s interior, scattering pews and icons, and leaving pools of blood on the floor. Witnesses described scenes of panic as worshippers, including children and the elderly, scrambled to safety. The attack has rattled Syria’s fragile transitional government, which pledged to protect religious minorities in a volatile post-conflict landscape. The Orthodox Patriarchate in Damascus condemned the bombing as a “violation of the sanctity of churches,” while the United Nations’ special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called it a “heinous crime” and urged a full investigation. United States and European officials echoed the outrage, warning that the resurgence of extremist violence could derail Syria’s path to stability. The country’s Christian population, already reduced from one million to un
World
WHO Hub develops new tools for disease detection
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is working on new tools and innovative partnerships to protect the world from health threats like pandemics, including new early detection technology. WHO unveiled its latest early warning system at the hub called Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS), which scans online sources in real time and uses AI to identify public health threats more efficiently. Pathogen genomics, which analyses viruses and other pathogens' genetic material, has become a valuable tool to track and predict outbreaks. The Hub’s International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) connects over 200 organisations around the world to expand this surveillance more equitably around the world, including through a US$4 million fund for low and middle-income countries. “As part of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence builds on proven surveillance approaches while continuously developing and integrating new, innovative methods for detecting and responding to health threats,” Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said. To help decision makers better understand how to handle an emerging health emergency, the Hub has created a pla
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Middle East: Khamenei warns of 'irreparable damage'
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a stark warning to the United States, vowing “irreparable damage” if Washington intervened militarily in the intensifying conflict between Iran and Israel. The statement came as Israeli airstrikes pounded Tehran for a sixth consecutive day, targeting nuclear and missile infrastructure, and Iran retaliated with hypersonic missiles and drone swarms. Amid the spiraling violence, an Iranian presidential aircraft and two government jets landed in Oman, signaling potential backchannel diplomacy or contingency planning. Oman has historically served as a neutral mediator in regional crises, though no official statement confirmed the purpose of the visit. Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump — who returned early from the G7 summit — convened his national security team in the White House Situation Room to weigh options, including a possible strike on Iranian nuclear sites. Trump has publicly demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and warned that U.S. patience is “wearing thin,” though he claimed there are no current plans to target Khamenei directly. The U.S. has begun preparing for the evacuation of American citizens from Israel, with embassies in Jerusalem a

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Indonesian volcano eruption sees flights cancelled
One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes has erupted again, placing authorities on the highest alert level. No causalities or fatalities have been reported but flights from nearby Bali have been cancelled. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki's eruption saw an ash cloud over 11 kilometres high emerge. A seven-kilometre exclusion zone was established around the crater of the 1,584m-high twin-peaked volcano. The volcano last erupted in May, but has not been this devastating since last November, when multiple eruptions killed nine people and thousands had to evacuate. Residents were urged to wear face masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash, and at least one village was evacuated. "We will immediately deploy the Emergency Response Team to be at the affected location to provide technical assistance," said Head of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Muhammad Wafid.
World
Pizza intel worth big dough when trading defence stocks
As geopolitical tensions escalate across multiple theatres, an unlikely indicator has again emerged from the shadows of open-source intelligence (OSINT): pizza delivery patterns around America's most sensitive government facilities. No, this isn't some internet conspiracy theory dreamed up by armchair analysts. What began as Cold War tradecraft has evolved into a democratised early warning system that retail traders are now attempting to weaponise for market advantage. The uncomfortable reality? Sometimes the most sophisticated intelligence apparatus in the world reveals its hand through something as mundane as a rush for late-night takeaway…Deep pan, deeper intelRecent events have thrust the Pentagon Pizza Index back into the spotlight with alarming precision. As Israel prepared retaliatory strikes against Iran just days ago, social media accounts tracking pizza delivery patterns around Arlington detected "extremely high levels of traffic" at the closest Domino's to the Pentagon - hours before any official announcements. The Pentagon Pizza Report, with over 50,000 followers on X, has documented unusual activity patterns that precede major geopolitical developments with uncomfortable accuracy. Their posts now gar
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MI6 British spy agency gets its first female chief
Blaise Metreweli will become the first-ever female chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). The Chief, also known by the codename C, is the only publicly named member of the organisation. Metreweli was appointed as the 18th chief of the organisation and appointed by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital,” he said. “The [U.K] is facing threats on an unprecedented scale – be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services.” As part of her role, Metreweli will have operational responsibility for the MI6 and be accountable to the Foreign Secretary. Metreweli says she was proud and honoured to be appointed to the role. “MI6 plays a vital role - [along] with MI5 and GCHQ - in keeping the British people safe and promoting UK interests overseas,” she said. “I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners.” The appointment mirrors on-screen depictions of the agency in James Bond where Judi Dench played the I16 chief for
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Australians rush to exit; Israel issues evacuation call
Israeli forces have issued an evacuation order for residents of a large part of Iran's capital, Tehran. Residents have been warned of an imminent bombing of military infrastructure in the area in a post to X from the Israel Defence Forces’ Arabic spokesperson, Col. Acichay Adraee and it is a sign of the evolving conflict between Israel and Iran. The post included a map depicting a significant area of the third district in northern Tehran, shaded red in the same manner he presented evacuation orders to Palestinians, urging them to leave the area immediately. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed evacuation orders to Tel Nof air force personnel. “When we control the skies over Tehran, we strike regime targets, as opposed to the criminal Iranian regime which targets our civilians and comes to kill women and children. We tell the people of Tehran to evacuate, and we act,” he said. “In the coming hours, the Israeli army will attack the military infrastructure of the Iranian regime in this area, as it has done in recent days in Tehran. Your presence in this area endangers your life,” the post said. This comes as hundreds of Australians have registered interest in leaving Israel and Iran as hostilities ris