
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.

Greece’s early loan repayment brings unexpected benefit to France, says Le Monde
Greece’s decision to repay early a €1.1 billion loan to France has been described as an “unexpected benefit” for French public finances, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. The loan, originally contracted in the

Zelensky signals new energy agreement ahead of today’s Athens visit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Kyiv and Athens are preparing a new bilateral agreement in the energy sector, ahead of his official visit to the Greek capital today, Sunday, 16 November. In a

Kimberly Guilfoyle: Greece to become energy hub to counter Russian and Chinese interests
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the new U.S. ambassador to Greece, gave her first Greek television interview on ANT1, highlighting Greece’s emerging role as a regional energy hub and its strategic importance in countering Russian and Chinese influence.

Mitsotakis on UNESCO’s Recognition of World Greek Language Day
On behalf of the millions of Greeks around the world, but also on behalf of thousands of foreign scholars and admirers of the Greek language, I would like to thank UNESCO for declaring 9 February

Violence in Vorizia, Crete: Police make key arrests as investigation unfolds
The investigation into the deadly armed incident in Vorizia, Heraklion, Crete, continues in full force as local and regional authorities work to piece together the sequence of events. The Subdivision for Crime Investigation and Resolution

Tragedy in Western Achaia – Three-year-old boy dies after falling from wall
A three-year-old boy has tragically died in the municipality of Western Achaia after falling from a two-metre-high wall in the Spata area. The child was rushed to the Karamandaneio Children’s Hospital in Patras, where doctors

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

Hostage release nears as Trump heads to the Middle East for Gaza Peace Summit
Hamas gathers hostages for handover to Red Cross Hamas has reportedly gathered all living hostages at three designated locations across the Gaza Strip, preparing for their transfer to the Red Cross later today, according to

Donald Trump to meet families of Gaza hostages before addressing the Knesset
US President to travel from Washington to Israel and Egypt as peace ceremony looms US President Donald Trump will meet with relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza before delivering a historic address to

Three Qatari diplomats killed in Egypt car crash en route to Gaza peace summit
Sharm el-Sheikh tragedy casts shadow over crucial international talks Three diplomats from Qatar were killed and two others injured in a road accident near the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, as they

Violent clashes erupt along Afghanistan-Pakistan border
Kabul accuses Islamabad of airstrikes and violating Afghan sovereignty Intense fighting has erupted along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, deepening tensions between the two neighboring countries. The Taliban accused Pakistan’s military of carrying out airstrikes inside Afghan

Greece and Cyprus invited to Trump’s international summit on Gaza
Greece and Cyprus are among the nations invited by U.S. President Donald Trump to the new international conference on Gaza, set to take place on Monday in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The summit is expected to

Hope, diplomacy and unfinished grief: Israel stands united ahead of hostage release and Trump’s visit
Mass gathering in Tel Aviv marks emotional turning point More than 150,000 people filled Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, transforming the city centre into a sea of candles, flags, and emotion. The

