
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 demands ‘Respect’ in first post-election press conference
In his first press conference since winning re-election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese projected a new, assertive tone, calling for “respect” from both the media and political peers, and signalling a shift in his leadership style.

Protect the Truth: How to identify false information in elections
Australia’s electoral system is one of the most reliable in the world, and every voter has a role to play in protecting it. You may encounter false or misleading information about the electoral process. It

Airport Rail Project Could Limit Services in Melbourne’s West
The operation of Melbourne’s new Airport Rail line is expected to impact services on existing western suburban rail lines through the $15 billion Metro Tunnel, newly released track diagrams reveal. The $10 billion Airport Rail

Melbourne renters squeezed as rents rise and supply shrinks
Melbourne renters face rising costs and limited options as rental prices rise and the city’s affordability crisis deepens. According to the latest PropTrack data, the average advertised rent across Melbourne increased by $15 per week

Patient transfer time from ambulances to emergency rooms is increasing
AMA calls for funding from the major parties for hospitals this election The waiting time for ambulances to transport patients to overcrowded hospitals – is deteriorating across Australia, prompting urgent calls from the medical community

Aged Care reform sparks concern among Greek Australians
With significant federal aged care reforms due to take effect from 1 July, growing concerns are being raised about the financial strain they may place on older Australians — particularly pensioners. Aged Care reform sparks

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.

Wildfires rage across western Greece and the islands, devastating homes and forests
In the past 24 hours, 48 new fires broke out, bringing the total to 109 incidents since the outbreak began. For a second consecutive day, firefighters battled relentless wildfires across Western Greece and several Aegean

Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF): Up to €2 Billion Package to Support the Middle Class
The government’s economic team is expected to present the final plan for the benefits package immediately after the August 15 holiday, to be announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). The total cost of the

Turkish blocks research vessel from conducting surveys on behalf of Cyprus
Turkey is reported to have blocked the research vessel Fugro Gauss, sailing under the flag of Gibraltar, from conducting geophysical surveys on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus in a maritime area that Ankara considers

Albanian Foreign Ministry issues provocative map encompassing Greek territory
“Good neighbourly relations are not just rhetorical niceties. They are practices based on the principles of reciprocity, mutual respect, and a shared understanding of international law. Albanian Foreign Ministry issues provocative map encompassing Greek territory.

Outcry over bribery allegation in public hospital
Immediate Intervention by the Ministry of Health and Minister Adonis Georgiadis A particularly serious allegation regarding a demand for a bribe by a doctor at a Regional Hospital in the country has sparked a strong

Taxi driver arrested in Athens – He demanded €310 for Airport to Syntagma trip
A 20-year-old taxi driver was arrested Friday afternoon by officers of the Syntagma Police Department in central Athens after charging a customer €310 for a ride from Athens International Airport to Syntagma Square—an amount nearly

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

Hungary refuses to dance to US tune and step up pressure on Russia
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has boasted that he has good relations with Vladimir Putin and opposes EU sanctions against Russia; he has also challenged the EU’s immigration policy and slammed George Soros for his

“Surveillance Capitalism”: Google sister company to package and sell location data from millions of cellphones
A subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, Sidewalk Labs, is using real-time mobile location data from millions of cellphone users collected over long periods of time in order to help urban planners make critical decision

Skopje responds to Bulgarian Deputy PM’s threat over Zaev’s “Macedonian language”
The VMRO leader accused the representatives of the former Yugoslav republic of wanting to “validate a false version of history” The Foreign Ministry in Skopje has responded to Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and VMRO party

FYROM’s name change deal may be an achievement for the E.U., but undemocratic
After the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece’s northern neighbor stole the Greek name “Macedonia”—but Athens refused to recognize it, saying it gave legitimacy to territorial, historical, and ethnic claims over the millenial old northern

Ancient Greek and Roman artifacts found in Alexandria
An announcement from the Archaeological Mission of Alexandria has revealed that an array of Greek and Roman artefacts has been found in Alexandria, Egypt. That date back to the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. The

