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
Regular cannabis use now more accepted by Australians than smoking tobacco, study finds
Source: The Guardian Regular cannabis use has become more accepted than smoking tobacco, the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) has found. The 2019 data, compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Telstra moves call centres back to Australia after customers made their preference ‘loud and clear’
Source: 9news Telstra has moved all its call centres that service Australian customers and small businesses back to Australian shores to appease its customers. Telstra CEO Andy Penn has announced the move today, saying it
Cybersafety expert’s alarm over Snapchat’s new precise location feature: ‘Literally shows where you sleep at night’
Source: 9news Sometimes it feels like a full-time job keeping our children safe from online predators. So the last thing we need is technology making the job even harder. But a new feature on the
NASA successfully launches its first rocket from newly created Arnhem Space Centre
Source: ABCnews NASA has successfully launched its first rocket from Australian soil in more than a quarter of a century. After rain and wind delayed the launch by more than an hour, the suborbital sounding rocket took
16 hours from Australia to Greece may become a reality with Qantas
Source: Greekcitytimes Qantas has launched direct flights between Australia and Europe with non-stop routes becoming available between Perth to Rome. The new route will be the only direct flight between Australia and continental Europe offered
Australia’s bulk billing clinics are not covered by Medicare subsidies, doctors say
Doctors warn that regional areas will soon be left with few bulk-billing practices if Medicare subsidies for general practitioners are not increased. An increasing number of practices in Australia have stopped using bulk billing in
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.
Athens fires back at Ankara over East Med dispute: “Turkey cannot lecture others on International Law”
Greece has issued a stern diplomatic response to fresh accusations from Turkey regarding its stance on the controversial Turkey-Libya maritime agreement. The Greek Foreign Ministry, through diplomatic sources, denounced Turkey’s latest comments as “incompatible with
Mitsotakis pushes for EU action on Libya migration route and defence funding
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking after the conclusion of the EU Summit, called for urgent action to address a new irregular migration route emerging from Eastern Libya to Crete. “We will use every means
Karamanlis Inquiry: Fast-tracked parliamentary probe sparks political backlash
The Hellenic Parliament’s special inquiry committee into former Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis opened its first session today under accusations of political orchestration, as the government appears determined to fast-track the process surrounding the deadly Tempi
Wildfire disaster in Chios: Tens of thousands of acres burned as blaze continues to rage
Chios is currently experiencing one of the most severe environmental disasters in recent Greek history. For the third consecutive day, an uncontrollable wildfire has scorched vast swathes of the island, with more than 30,000 hectares
Tensions flare with Libya over offshore licensing south of Crete
An unexpected complication has emerged ahead of Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis’ planned visit to Libya, where he was due to hold meetings in both Tripoli and Benghazi. Tensions flare with Libya over offshore licensing
Petro-Loukas Chalkias: The great clarinet virtuoso dies at the age of 90
Petro-Loukas Chalkias was the patriarch of the Epirus clarinet, an authentic representative of the musical soul of Epirus, who honoured his homeland and Greece as a whole with his career and artistry. Through his unique
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
Turkey claims airspace violations in the Aegean are “legal”
Turkey has claimed that airspace violations in the Aegean are “legal” and “no threat to Greece.” Calling Turkish flights over Aegean “a threat” is incompatible to good neighborly ties, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in
Recognition of Macedonian language a ‘grave mistake,’ says prominent linguist
Greece committed a “grave mistake” in recognizing the existence of a Macedonian language, prominent linguist and former education minister Georgios Babiniotis said, adding that the clause in the Prespes accord signed between Athens and Skopje
US Urges ‘Calm’ between India-Pakistan Conflict
International powers this week anxiously urged India and Pakistan to avoid further escalation of military confrontation. Given the two nations have gone to war on three occasions during the past seven decades and are both
Venezuela orders PDVSA to relocate to Moscow; Putin affirms support to Maduro
President Nicolas Maduro instructed the Lisbon branch of PDVSA to relocate to Moscow A top Venezuelan official has announced that President Nicolas Maduro has ordered national oil and gas company PDVSA to close its current
The CIA is using Turkey to pressure China
While Turkey has fostered economic links with China in order to solve its economic crisis, it has also publicly denounced the repression of the Uyghurs, basing its accusations on false information. Beijing sent a very
Turkish occupying troops advance positions in Cyprus
The Cypriot government announced on Friday that it is working in cooperation with the UN peacekeeping force to resolve tensions following an advance of the Turkish army inside Cyprus. Cyprus State radio (CyBC) said the
