
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.

Shocking revelations about the 42-year-old pimp in Agios Dimitrios
Athens is reeling after shocking revelations about a 42-year-old man accused of turning his gym in Agios Dimitrios into a hub of abuse and exploitation of women and minors. According to Mega TV, for more

Androulakis at Thessaloniki Fair: PASOK’s detailed roadmap and five national priorities for Greece’s next decade
At the Thessaloniki International Fair, PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis unveiled his party’s most detailed government plan in years, stating, “Greece needs political change, and PASOK is the only party that can deliver it.” Addressing a

Horrific Patras Crash: 70-Year-Old with Multiple Sclerosis Drove Wrong Way and Burned to Death – Heartbreaking Accounts Emerge
Patras is in mourning after a deadly accident on the Olympia Odos highway on Thursday, when a 70-year-old woman from Aigio drove nearly one kilometer against traffic before a violent head-on collision. Her car burst

EuroBasket 2025: Spanoulis after heavy loss to Turkey – “We made childish mistakes, but we have one more chance”
Greece’s men’s basketball team suffered one of its heaviest recent defeats on Friday night, losing 94-68 to Turkey in the EuroBasket 2025 semifinal. As of todaay, reactions are still unfolding, with attention now turning to

“Fakelaki” scandal in Athens: Surgeon Dimitris Lymberiadis faces trial over alleged bribe – Patient’s wife recounts her ordeal
The director of cardiac surgery at Athens’ Hippocrateion Hospital, Dimitris Lymberiadis, faces trial today on misdemeanor bribery charges after allegedly demanding a €3,000 cash bribe from a patient’s wife. The complainant, Sofia, who alerted the

SYRIZA infighting escalates: Famellos–Tsipras rift sparks party unity crisis
Tensions within Greece’s SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance party are reaching a boiling point after party leader Sokratis Famellos openly dismissed rumors that former prime minister Alexis Tsipras may form a new political party. Speaking at the 89th

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

Trump extends “olive branch” to Mamdani after New York election victory
Just weeks after dismissing Zohran Mamdani as “the communist running for mayor” and warning he might cut funding or even leave New York if Mamdani won, President Donald Trump has dramatically shifted his tone, offering

Diplomatic flurry in Paris as Barrot holds talks with European ministers on Ukraine and the Trump Plan
Paris is entering a phase of heightened diplomatic activity as European governments attempt to navigate growing pressure over the war in Ukraine and the controversial peace proposal put forward by Washington. France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël

Guardian: Ukraine peace plan appears to be a direct translation from Russian
Growing criticism surrounds a proposed 28-point peace plan for the war in Ukraine, with many observers arguing that the document reflects the strategic interests—and even the linguistic fingerprints—of the Kremlin. According to The Guardian, a

Trump’s “Peace Plan” branded a fantasy as critics warn Russia will only accept battlefield reality
A Ukrainian lawmaker has published what he claims is the Ukrainian translation of US President Donald Trump’s proposed 28-point peace plan — a document that, if genuine, outlines sweeping security, territorial and military conditions for

The Norwegian energy success story and what Greece can learn
As part of my ongoing analysis on NewsBreaks artilce regarding energy policy and national resource management, Michalis Christodoulides examine here how Norway transformed its hydrocarbon reserves into a long-term national advantage — and what lessons

Michael Rubin issues stinging indictment of Turkish human rights abuses
Michael Rubin — a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and one of Washington’s most experienced analysts on Turkey and the broader Middle East — has published a blistering commentary accusing Ankara of systemic

