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 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
Australia wipes student debt for millions – major HECS and HELP reforms begin
Starting today, millions of Australians with student loans will see thousands of dollars wiped from their debt as new HECS and HELP repayment rules take effect. The federal government has honoured one of its key
Australia, UK and Canada recognise Palestinian statehood in historic shift – Netanyahu furious
Australia has taken a historic step, joining Britain and Canada in formally recognising an independent and sovereign Palestinian state. The move, announced late Sunday (Sept 22), marks a major break from decades of Western policy
Australia to recognise Palestine: Albanese calls for peace and security
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed Australia will formally recognise a Palestinian state during this week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, joining the UK, Canada and several European nations in a move he
Australians selling burial plots online – Graves become lucrative investments
A striking and somewhat macabre trend is emerging across Australia: burial plots are being listed online as valuable assets, with some fetching more than $150,000. A nationwide shortage of cemetery space, especially in major cities,
Triple tragedy sparks outrage – Optus blamed for fatal emergency network failure
Australia is reeling after a catastrophic Optus outage cut hundreds of Triple Zero (000) emergency calls, resulting in three deaths—including an eight-week-old baby—across South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Optus CEO Stephen Rue
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.
Greece furious over north neighbor’s “Wines of Macedonia”
It came as expected and feared. Companies in North Macedonia omit the geographic term and sell their products with state labeling as simple “Macedonian.” And this despite the Prespes Agreement or because of it that
2,300 Year old Greek Necropolis found in Bari, South Italy
Bari, the capitol of south Italy’s Puglia region was one of the many coastal city states of Magna Greacia (‘Great Greece’) settled by the Greeks from the 8th century BC. The enduring legacy of Greek
Impressive! The moment lights go off as Acropolis joins Earth Hour
It was a moment of magic to see Greece’s famous landmark sinking in the dark. At 8:30 sharp on Saturday night, lights went off in Acropolis as in many other buildings of the Greek capital
Unpardonable and irresponsible lies
The theoretical and easy self-criticism of ministers and SYRIZA cadres is fine, but at some point they have to confront the results. We make mistakes and sometimes unpardonable ones, Deputy PM Yannis Dragasakis told Parliament
Opportunity
The Pasok-centred Movement for change paid a debt of honour to Andreas Papandreou. It is a debt not just because Andreas Papandreou played a leadimg role in fashioning the contremporary centre-left, but also because the
Envelope for the next PM
The climate and atmosphere surrounding the government is not the best. Pressures from the electorate are patently obvious. There are plenty of disputes and initiatives which are collapsing one after the other. These initiatives do
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
Australia condemns Israeli strike in Doha – global repercussions
Israel’s airstrike in the Qatari capital, Doha, targeting senior Hamas officials, has triggered strong international backlash. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the move as “wrong” and a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, warning that it
USA: Trump administration launches crackdown on illegal immigrants in Chicago
The Trump administration has escalated its hardline stance on immigration, announcing a sweeping police operation in Chicago targeting undocumented migrants accused of violent crimes. The initiative, named “Midway Blitz”, was launched by the Department of
Trump issues ultimatum to Hamas: “Accept the deal or face the consequences”
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a “final warning” to Hamas on Sunday night, urging the group to accept a proposed deal that would secure the release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip. In
Trump Renames the Department of Defense to Department of War
Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War, as he recently promised, the White House announced Thursday. The Republican U.S. president’s order aims to “restore
Backlash over Daniel Andrews attending Beijing’s military parade
Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has sparked controversy in Australia after being warmly greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s massive military parade marking 80 years since the end of World War II. The
“Coalition of the Willing” to meet on Ukraine in Paris Thursday – Zelensky to attend
Paris will once again be at the center of global diplomacy this week as the “Coalition of the Willing”—a group of nations providing political, military, and financial support to Ukraine—convenes on Thursday, September 4 at
