
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

Does washing fruit and vegetables really remove pesticides?
Testing in Australia has uncovered the banned pesticide thiometon on fresh berries sold in New South Wales, along with high levels of the legal pesticide dimethoate. While within legal limits, experts warn that both adults

Albanese blames pro-Palestinian protests for office closure
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has blamed ongoing pro-Palestinian protests for the closure of his long-standing electorate office in Sydney’s inner west, ending nearly three decades of presence in Marrickville. The office, leased from St.

Australian teens traumatised after seeing Charlie Kirk assassination video with no warning
Australia is facing renewed scrutiny over online safety after multiple teenagers reported seeing unfiltered footage of US political commentator Charlie Kirk’s assassination without any warning on Saturday morning. The shocking event occurred earlier this week

Australia must stamp out Islamophobia, PM Albanese says
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered a strong call for unity and social cohesion on Friday, declaring that the country “must stamp out the hate, fear, and prejudice that drive Islamophobia.” His comments came during

Australia’s big four banks slash thousands of jobs – Everyday customers to bear the cost
Australia’s four major banks – ANZ, Commonwealth Bank (CBA), NAB, and Westpac – are continuing a worrying trend of large-scale redundancies, with thousands of positions cut over the past year. Banks aim to boost profits,

Anthony Albanese praises EU for following Australia’s lead on social media restrictions for children
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the European Commission’s decision to follow Australia’s lead in implementing strict social media restrictions for children under 16. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the creation

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.

First Greek defence and security micro-satellites successfully launched
Greece has officially entered the space age with the launch of its first Greek micro-satellites for Defence and Security on 28 November, from the Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in

Tsipras announces plans for a new “progressive party” focused on self-organization
Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced plans for the creation of a new political movement aimed at reorganizing the progressive space in Greece, during a high-profile event at the Pallas theater. Speaking in front of

Farmers stage roadblocks across Macedonia ahead of major protests
Farmers and livestock breeders in Macedonia and Thrace are preparing major roadblocks, with key sites targeted in Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, and the Evros region. On Friday (December 5), farmers from Epanomi, Trilofos, Vasilika, Halkidiki, Galatista, and

Chatzidakis: With a fairer system, the country will not lose a single euro in agricultural subsidies
Greek Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Chatzidakis provided detailed information on the government’s agricultural subsidy plan, following recent announcements. Speaking to Alpha TV, he said that Greek farmers will receive a total of €3.7 billion this

Greece holds Winter Olympic Games flame-lighting ceremony Indoors
The countdown to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics begins this week as the Olympic flame is lit in Greece, marking the start of the torch relay. This year’s ceremony, normally held outdoors in Ancient

Salamina murder: security camera audio exposes 46-year-old daughter-in-law for brutal killing of 75-year-old
New evidence from security cameras has led Greek authorities to arrest a 46-year-old woman for the murder of her 75-year-old mother-in-law in Salamina, a killing she has now confessed to. According to police, a combination

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

New Zealand: 200,000 children and adults abused in public and religious care facilities
Around 200,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults in New Zealand have suffered abuse or violence in public and religious care settings over the past 70 years, according to official research published on Wednesday (24/7).

The world’s most powerful passports for 2024 so far
What’s red on the outside, purple on the inside, and grants you access to 195 destinations around the world visa-free? It’s the Singapore passport, and it’s just been named the world’s most powerful travel document

The head of the secret services resigned over Trump’s failed assassination attempt
On Tuesday, July 23, Kimberly Chitle announced her resignation as head of the Secret Service, admitting mistakes in operations on the day of Donald Trump’s assassination attempt by shooting during a speech. “We failed,” Chitle

Democrats rally around Kamala Harris – She secured enough support for the nomination
Kamala Harris has secured the support of a sufficient number of delegates at the Democratic Party convention – at least 1,967 – to be held in Chicago in August, and is now considered a lock

Microsoft outage leaves Russia and China largely untouched
An IT issue caused by a faulty update began wreaking havoc with Windows machines worldwide early Friday morning, knocking companies and banks offline and grounding planes at various airports. An update from cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike

Joe Biden pulls out of US presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris to take on Donald Trump
In a historic and unexpected turn of events, President Joe Biden has announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee. The decision, which Biden described

