Australia to mandate cash payments for essential purchases from 2026
Australia will introduce a nationwide cash mandate requiring major grocery and fuel retailers to accept cash payments from January 1, 2026, in a move aimed at protecting consumers who rely on physical currency for everyday
Albanese defends ‘magnificent’ Kevin Rudd after tense encounter with Donald Trump
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has offered his full backing to Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, following a tense but ultimately productive meeting between the former Australian prime minister and Donald Trump in
China defends ‘provocative’ jet move after Australia’s protest over South China Sea incident
China has accused Australia of “provocative acts” and “illegal intrusion” after a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) surveillance plane was targeted by flares from a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea on Sunday,
Albanese government moves to curb supermarket price gouging with new laws
The Albanese Government has unveiled draft legislation aimed at cracking down on excessive pricing by Australia’s largest supermarket chains, delivering on a key election promise to protect consumers from what the Prime Minister has described
Ley promises tax cuts as Coalition seeks political revival
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has unveiled the Coalition’s first major economic policy since its election defeat, pledging tax cuts for low and middle-income Australians in an attempt to reassert the party as a credible alternative
Albanese walks diplomatic tightrope in Trump White House – Canberra seeks ‘no fireworks’ in Oval Office test
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese embarks on one of the most delicate missions of his tenure — a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, where experts say the key goal is simple:
Major blow for Optus as millions consider leaving after deadly triple zero outage
Optus is facing a major customer backlash after a catastrophic triple zero outage left emergency calls unanswered and was linked to three deaths. A Resolve Political Monitor poll for The Sydney Morning Herald and The
Mitsotakis unveils major housing, loan and farming measures during Budget speech
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis used his address to Parliament during the debate on the State Budget to announce a series of significant policy initiatives targeting housing affordability, Swiss franc loan holders, and farmers. The announcements were described as some of the most substantial interventions of the current parliamentary term.
How the Aphrodite of Milos statue shaped the Western idea of female beauty
The statue of Aphrodite of Milos, which was discovered on April 8, 1820, changed western culture in the 19th century, creating a certain ambivalence about the idea of female beauty. Aphrodite – the goddess of
Sitia under water after torrential rains strike East Crete
Homes and businesses flooded, agricultural land was covered by water and mud and the city of Sitia in Lasithi Prefecture on the island of Crete turned into a huge lake following huge volume of rainwater
Doctor in Mani wins WONCA 2019 Europe Award of Excellence in health care
Dr Anargiros Mariolis, director of the Areopoli Health Center in Mani, is the winner of the WONCA Europe Award of Excellence in Health Care for 2019. The 5-Star Doctor is an award to doctors, who,
Repatriating two rare ancient vessels
Standing at just under 60 centimeters in height, two 4th century BC marble vessels – a funerary lekythos and a loutrophoros – that the Greek state is in negotiations to repatriate from Switzerland have traveled
Turkish researchers: No Sultan’s edict allowing Lord Elgin to loot the Acropolis
Two Turkish researchers have de-bunked the British claim that the Parthenon Marbles were a gift by the Ottoman Sultan Selim III to Lord Elgin. The Sultan did not issue an edict (ferman) allowing Elgin to
Rights of ethnic Greeks in Albania abused, again
Albania on Saturday reportedly withdrew a decision published in the online version of its government gazette calling for the seizure of properties belonging to members of the ethnic Greek minority in the town of Himara.
Libya parliament speaker declares Turkey–Libya memorandum invalid, opens door to talks with Greece, Egypt and Turkey
Libya’s House of Representatives Speaker, Aqila Saleh, has publicly declared the 2019 Turkey–Libya maritime memorandum “invalid,” marking the first such statement in six years and signalling a potential shift in Libya’s approach to maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean. Speaking to the Libyan News Agency, just days after an official
Germany unveils new conscription model aimed at building Europe’s strongest army by 2029
Germany is preparing to overhaul its military service system in what officials describe as the most significant shift in defence policy in decades. The governing coalition has agreed on a new framework for conscription, seeking
Ukraine strikes Russia’s oil heartland with major neptune missile attack
Ukrainian forces carried out one of their most significant long-range strikes in months, targeting critical oil export infrastructure at the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The coordinated attack, involving upgraded Neptune cruise missiles and
Russia challenges US proposal at UN Security Council over Gaza: Moscow offers alternative plan
Moscow has presented an alternative draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council concerning the Gaza Strip, challenging the U.S.-led initiative promoted by President Donald Trump. The move comes amid intense pressure from Washington to
Trump threatens $1 Billion legal action against BBC over edited Jan. 6 speech
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion, accusing the broadcaster of intentionally manipulating his Jan. 6, 2021 speech in a documentary aired just days before the 2024 presidential
Israel’s red lines on Turkey align with Greece and Cyprus amid rising destabilisation
A central element of the author’s argument is President Erdogan’s explicit calls for Israel’s destruction, most notably his March 2025 Eid al-Fitr speech praying for the devastation of “Zionist Israel.” The author views this as
Julia Gillard warns Australia’s under-16 Social Media Ban “does not go far enough”
Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has called for far tougher regulation of social media platforms, arguing that the nation’s world-first ban on under-16s accessing social media is only “a start” and falls short of
