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
Australian meth, cocaine, MDMA, and heroin use jumps 34% in one year
Australians consumed 34 per cent more methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and MDMA in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program. The survey found that 22.2 tonnes of these
Nationwide ban on abusive childcare workers could take a year, Attorney-General warns
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has admitted that urgent measures to close loopholes in Australia’s childcare system, which are being exploited by child abusers, may take up to 12 months to implement. Speaking ahead of a meeting
Brother of murdered Australian-Israeli Galit Carbone slams Anthony Albanese over Palestinian statehood recognition
The Australian and Israeli communities are shaken by the powerful statement of Danny Majzner, brother of Galit Carbone, the Australian-Israeli woman brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. Mr. Majzner, 63, has strongly
4-Day work week plan could starve CBD cafés and kill productivity
“The 4-day week may sound good on TV appearances—but for cafés and CBD venues, it’s a path to empty stores and debt—not productivity” The Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association (ARCA) warns that the ACTU’s push
Reserve Bank of Australia cuts Interest Rates: What it means for borrowers and the economy
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lowered the official cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.60%, a move that had been widely anticipated by economists and financial markets. The decision aims to provide relief
Albanese and Chalmers under pressure to act on negative gearing reform
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers are facing renewed pressure to overhaul Australia’s negative gearing rules amid growing concern about housing affordability and younger Australians being locked out of the property market. Unions
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
Australia at centre of AUKUS push as UK and US call for faster delivery and greater burden sharing
Australia has been thrust firmly into the spotlight of the AUKUS security pact, with both the United Kingdom and United States urging Canberra to accelerate its commitments and take on a greater share of the
Germany: Record number of bankruptcies for businesses and individuals
Germany is experiencing its highest number of bankruptcies since 2014, with experts warning that the peak of the crisis “has not yet been reached.” According to the credit rating agency Creditreform, approximately 23,900 companies will
Hamas signals openness to “freezing or storing” weapons as talks enter difficult second phase
Hamas has indicated it is willing to discuss the “freezing or storing” of its weapons arsenal as part of the emerging ceasefire framework with Israel, according to senior official Bassem Naim, who spoke to the
Modi welcomes Putin with full honours in New Delhi
Russian President Vladimir Putin received a ceremonial welcome in India on Friday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosting him in a display designed to highlight the deep and enduring ties between the two nations. Putin
Deported neo-Nazi protester arrives in South Africa after visa cancellation
A South African national who took part in a widely condemned neo-Nazi demonstration in Sydney has arrived back in Johannesburg after being deported by Australian authorities. Matthew Gruter, 35, was removed from the country following
Europe’s fear isn’t of Russia, it’s of itself
Europe’s fear isn’t of Russia, it’s of itself. The Guardian splashed its front page with the usual hysteria, hoping readers wouldn’t notice the one line that undercut the entire narrative: “We are not planning to
