
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 blocks Turkey’s bid to join SAFE: “We will not accept a country threatening with war”
The Greek government has issued a firm warning that it will block Turkey’s bid to join SAFE, the EU’s new defense shield and military technology development program. Ankara’s move is viewed in Athens as “offensive

Heart surgeon Dimitris Lymberiadis, who faces new bribery trial, has past conviction
Dimitris Lymberiadis, director of the Cardiac Surgery Clinic at Hippocrates Hospital, is set to face trial this Friday, September 12, for alleged bribery. The doctor has a previous conviction for taking bribes, having received a

“Kimon” to arrive soon in Phaleron Bay – Greece receives first Belharra frigate
In a landmark announcement, Greece’s Defence Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed that the country’s first Belharra-class frigate, named Kimon, will arrive in Phaleron Bay within the coming weeks. The vessel marks a decisive step in modernising

Strengthened dialogue between State and Church in Mitsotakis – Ieronymos meeting
The meeting held on Monday morning (8/9) between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos, at the Maximou Mansion, once again highlighted the close cooperation between the State and the

Earthquake of magnitude 5.2 strikes Evia, felt strongly in Athens
A powerful earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale shook the island of Evia at 12:27 a.m. yesterday, local time, sending tremors across Attica and particularly the northern suburbs of Athens. According to the Geodynamic

New audio reveals 2nd conversation between Panos Kammenos and alleged Cretan Mafia leader – Mentions Trump and Surveillance
Shocking new details have emerged regarding former Defense Minister Panos Kammenos’s interactions with the alleged head of the Cretan mafia. A second audio recording, legally intercepted by the Hellenic Police, reveals the former minister’s involvement

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

