
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.

Koukolopoulos follows Gervoulanos in warning over PASOK’s stagnant polls
Greek MP and former minister Paris Koukolopoulos has announced that he may raise the issue of PASOK’s stagnant polling in party bodies if there is no recovery by Christmas. Speaking after Pavlos Gervoulanos referenced the

Mitsotakis rules out Turkey’s participation in EU SAFE program amid Aegean disputes
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has reiterated that Turkey cannot participate in the EU’s Strategic Armaments Framework (SAFE) program as long as it maintains a casus belli against Greece and disputes the sovereignty of Greek

Mitsotakis: Comprehensive european defense, competitiveness, and green transition on summit agenda
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will participate today Thursday in the European People’s Party Summit and the European Council meeting, where key topics will include defense, security, competitiveness, the green transition, the Middle East, and

Gerapetritis: “The Western Balkans must accelerate their path toward the European family”
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis called for the acceleration of the Western Balkans’ European integration during the Berlin Process Summit held in London, emphasizing that “the only sure path to peace and prosperity in the

Gerapetritis’ Blunder: The phrase that diminished Greek diplomacy
No matter how much we try to hide it, reality speaks for itself. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs under George Gerapetritis seems unable to find its footing. Gerapetritis’ Blunder: The phrase that diminished Greek diplomacy.

Dionysis Savvopoulos: The voice that sang Greece has fallen silent
The beloved Greek singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos has died at the age of 81, marking the end of an era in modern Greek music and culture. Known affectionately as “Nionios,” Savvopoulos was more than a composer

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 to recognise Palestine: Albanese calls for peace and security
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed Australia will formally recognise a Palestinian state during this week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, joining the UK, Canada and several European nations in a move he

New Russian provocation in the Baltic – Trump warns of “big problems” as NATO remains on full alert
A new violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian MiG fighter jets has triggered a major diplomatic crisis and heightened tensions across the Baltic region. According to Estonia’s foreign ministry, the jets entered Estonian airspace

NATO on high alert after Putin’s provocations – Emergency council meeting next week
The West has gone on high alert following a series of new Russian provocations that escalated tensions in the Baltic region. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised the Alliance’s “swift and decisive response,” noting he held

Erdogan–Trump: Secret talks, upgraded contacts, and growing concerns for Greece
The revelation of a surprise meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Donald Trump Jr. in Istanbul—combined with the upcoming official Erdoğan–Trump meeting at the White House on September 25—has sent shockwaves through regional diplomacy and

UN: Overwhelming approval for Palestinian participation – A strong signal amid geopolitical tensions
On Friday (September 19), the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved—by 145 votes in favor, only 5 against, and 6 abstentions—a resolution granting Palestine participation rights in the proceedings of the 80th Session as a

Bulgaria boosts Air Force readiness to defend national airspace
€3.27 billion EU funding secured for defence modernization Bulgaria’s Air Force is on full operational alert to defend the nation’s airspace, either independently or as part of NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence System. Defence

