
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

Germany unveils new conscription model aimed at building Europe’s strongest army by 2029
Germany is preparing to overhaul its military service system in what officials describe as the most significant shift in defence policy in decades. The governing coalition has agreed on a new framework for conscription, seeking

Ukraine strikes Russia’s oil heartland with major neptune missile attack
Ukrainian forces carried out one of their most significant long-range strikes in months, targeting critical oil export infrastructure at the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The coordinated attack, involving upgraded Neptune cruise missiles and

Russia challenges US proposal at UN Security Council over Gaza: Moscow offers alternative plan
Moscow has presented an alternative draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council concerning the Gaza Strip, challenging the U.S.-led initiative promoted by President Donald Trump. The move comes amid intense pressure from Washington to

Trump threatens $1 Billion legal action against BBC over edited Jan. 6 speech
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion, accusing the broadcaster of intentionally manipulating his Jan. 6, 2021 speech in a documentary aired just days before the 2024 presidential

Israel’s red lines on Turkey align with Greece and Cyprus amid rising destabilisation
A central element of the author’s argument is President Erdogan’s explicit calls for Israel’s destruction, most notably his March 2025 Eid al-Fitr speech praying for the devastation of “Zionist Israel.” The author views this as

Julia Gillard warns Australia’s under-16 Social Media Ban “does not go far enough”
Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has called for far tougher regulation of social media platforms, arguing that the nation’s world-first ban on under-16s accessing social media is only “a start” and falls short of

