
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

Qantas cyberattack exposes personal data of up to six million customers
Qantas has confirmed a significant cybersecurity breach that may have exposed personal data of up to six million customers, following a cyberattack on one of its customer service platforms. In a statement to shareholders this

Penny Wong under pressure at strategic Quad talks amid rising tensions with Trump administration
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has faced intense diplomatic scrutiny in Washington as she joined her counterparts from the US, Japan, and India at a high-stakes Quad summit, amid growing uncertainty in Australia-US relations and

Albanese: ‘US-Australia alliance remains strong – Trump meeting will happen’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has played down concerns about a delayed face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump, following the latter’s abrupt exit from the recent G7 summit in Canada to oversee American airstrikes

China warns Australia: Don’t be dragged into NATO’s military spending push
China’s Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, has issued a strong rebuke of NATO’s new military spending target, warning the Albanese government not to fall in line with what Beijing sees as a dangerous escalation of

Bush Summit 2025: Albanese to champion the regions at Ballarat Summit
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will lead the 2025 National Bush Summit, committing to ramp up support for regional Australia amid a year marred by devastating droughts and floods. The landmark event, organised by News Corp

Trump turns up the heat: Australia pressured to boost defence spending or face trade penalties
The Trump administration is putting mounting pressure on Australia to drastically increase its defence spending, aligning with NATO’s new benchmark of 5% of GDP. While NATO allies recently accepted this demand, Australia is resisting calls

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.

The 23-year-old farmer who drove the roadblocks and the government crazy with her fighting spirit
The 23-year-old farmer who drove the roadblocks and the government crazy with her fighting spirit has become a symbol of resilience and authenticity in Greece’s ongoing farmers’ protests. Anna Kampani, just 23 years old, has

Director of “Avgi” resigns after controversial front page featuring Alexis Tsipras
A significant internal shock has hit SYRIZA after the director of the newspaper Avgi, Spyros Sourmelidis, resigned following a controversial Sunday front page that placed former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in direct contrast with the

Tragedy south of Crete: Seventeen illegal migrants found dead — bodies stored in refrigerated truck as authorities investigate
Greek authorities are facing a major tragedy after 17 bodies of illegal migrants were recovered south of Crete following the sinking of a small boat in rough seas. Only two survivors, aged 16 and 20,

Tragedy in Zakynthos: Father of 2-year-old Leo speaks out — “I took in the pit bull because it was dying, and it killed my son”
The father of 2-year-old Leo, who was killed after being mauled by a pit bull in the village of Agios Leontas on Zakynthos, has spoken publicly in deep grief. The dog, which was kept chained

Farmers begin airport blockades: “This is a warning – we are not backing down”
Greek farmers are escalating their nationwide mobilisations, warning the government that symbolic road and border blockades are only the beginning. Speaking to journalists, representatives from agricultural unions insist they “will not retreat unless justice is

Pavlos Kontogiannidis launches fierce attack on Alexis Tsipras over new party plans
Greek actor and former MP Pavlos Kontogiannidis has issued an unusually harsh public critique of former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, accusing him of hypocrisy, political opportunism and an attempt to launch a new political party

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

