The Assad regime’s extraordinario half-century-long grip on Syria has come to an end, in a stunning defeat by opposition insurgents who seized control of Damascus on Sunday after more than 13 years of civil war. Russia, one of the Assad regime’s key allies, is now scrambling to ensure the security of its military bases in … Read more
Ruqia Haidari was the baby of the family. The youngest of five children, she was born in Afghanistan in 1999, just a month before her father, a fruit and vegetable seller, was killed by the Taliban. So desperate was her mother to protect her children that she fled with the four youngest – all aged … Read more
When retired policeman Geoff Gauci packed up his old life and moved to an over-50s gated community on Melbourne’s northern fringe, he pictured his next chapter as peaceful. After spending 36 years investigating shoplifters, drug trafficking, burglary, fraud and deception, it was time for the quiet life. Seduced by promises of low maintenance and resort-style … Read more