
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.

Famellos on a possible Tsipras party: “No time to wait – progressive Greece needs initiative”
Socrates Famellos, president of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance (SYRIZA-PA), addressed questions regarding a potential new party led by Alexis Tsipras during a visit to Pyrgos, Ilia. Speaking under the campaign slogan “Progressive Greece”, Famellos emphasized that a

New Democracy unites over AI: handshake between Mitsotakis and Karamanlis at Stylianidis’ book launch
The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and former Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis shared a warm handshake and applause as they attended the book presentation of Evripidis Stylianidis, dedicated to the challenges and dangers of Artificial

Greece replies to Zakharova’s provocative attack: Moscow aligns with Turkey and the Republic of Skopje against Greece
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has once again adopted an openly anti-Greek tone, reviving Cold War-style rhetoric and backing Turkey and the Republic of Skopje [sic “North Macedonia”] in a direct challenge to Greece

Mitsotakis rejects Christodoulides’s joint EEZ plan fearing Turkey
To avoid potential tensions in the Aegean, the Greek government rejected President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides’s proposal to delimit a joint exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between the two states. Mitsotakis rejects Christodoulides’s joint EEZ plan

Mitsotakis to SEV: “A national duty to never relive the illusions and lies of the past”
Message of stability with veiled criticism of Tsipras – Bundesbank praises Greece’s reforms Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis delivered a strong message on political stability and economic responsibility at the annual meeting of the Hellenic

Soufli: 13 Turkish nationals arrested with weapons – six remanded in custody
147 pistols and 190 magazines found – Defendants claim ignorance Greek authorities have released dramatic footage showing the arrest of 13 Turkish nationals near Soufli, Evros, after they illegally crossed into Greece carrying a large

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

Awkward Moment for Anthony Albanese at Pacific Summit – $100 Million Pledge to Climate Fund
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese found himself in an awkward situation during the Pacific Islands Forum in the Solomon Islands when he arrived wearing the wrong shirt. Instead of the navy-blue shirt worn by the

Qatar threatens response after Israeli attack, Netanyahu “kills all hope” for Gaza hostages
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, condemned Israel’s recent attack in Doha, saying it destroyed all hope for hostages remaining in Gaza. He warned that Qatar would respond in coordination

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk killed in Utah University shooting amid confusion over suspect
Shock reverberates across the United States after conservative activist and ally of President Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, was shot during an event at Utah Valley University and later died in hospital. The incident occurred around

Australia steps up Pacific leadership amid rising Chinese influence
Australia is strengthening its role as a key security and development partner in the Pacific, as tensions mount following Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jnr’s warning that “we are already at war” with China. Prime Minister

World Trade Center – 24 years on
The attacks that Reshaped the World and Australia. It has been 24 years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. Nearly a quarter of a century later, the consequences of that

Australian travellers remain safe following deadly attacks in Doha – experts reassure
Following recent deadly air strikes in Doha, Qatar, Australian travellers have not experienced flight cancellations or major disruptions. Hamad International Airport continues to operate normally, serving flights to and from Australia. Airlines are avoiding airspace

