
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

Statement from the Premier
This week I had another round of scans and a meeting with my care team at the Alfred and got some good news. The broken vertebra has almost fully healed and they’re letting me take

What is the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine? Will it be available in Australia soon? And does it use mRNA?
Source: abcnews The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine has been found to have more than 90 per cent efficacy, paving the way for it to be available later this year in Australia. The successful results from the phase 3

‘Signal to the world’: Singapore ready and waiting for Australian travel bubble
Singapore’s so-called “Cruises to Nowhere” have been a big hit since being given the green light last November, with more than 120,000 passengers. “They’ve made something that sounds tacky actually quite fun and enjoyable,” said

Flights between India and Australia suspended until May 15
Flights to and from India into Australia have now been suspended, amid increasing concerns over the nation’s escalating COVID-19 situation. Flights to and from India into Australia have now been suspended, Scott Morrison has announced,

Trans-Tasman travel bubble: The big difference between Australia and New Zealand
Stepping foot on-board one of the trans-Tasman bubble flights was a cause for celebration. But the surprise came on the journey home. A year in the making, it was the flight Australia was itching for.

Qantas sticks to international travel plan despite COVID vaccine delay
Despite the majority of Australians unlikely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 until next year, Qantas is holding firm on their plan to fly overseas by October 31. Australia had been aiming to open its international

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 must shift its mindset to tackle future wildfires
Focusing solely on firefighting without a broader prevention strategy will make it difficult for EU countries to manage future wildfires, according to a Greek expert, where thousands of hectares of forest were recently destroyed in

Total failure in Greece’s fire prevention as 3.2 million acres burned since 2021
Attica is in flames, people are being violently displaced and no one can predict where this drama will end…The government’s attempt to wash out criticism of the government is evident from the TV broadcasts where

Real estate is a big business force in the Cyclades
Which Cycladic islands have seen the most property sales in the past five years? While Santorini and Mykonos are commonly thought to lead due to their popularity, the actual data reveals a different story. According

Greece’s wildfires trigger widespread evacuations and warnings
Tourists traveling to Greece have been warned of extreme weather and wildfires as thousands of people were evacuated from areas near Athens. On Sunday, residents were forced to flee their homes as a fast-moving wildfire,

Turkey and Turkish Cypriots “Torpedo” Cyprus Talks
The leader of the Turkish Cypriot entity, Ersin Tatar, is systematically “torpedoing” UN efforts to restart negotiations aimed at resolving the Cyprus issue. Meanwhile, the Turkish government, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the forefront,

Diplomatic sources: Serious doubts about the integrity of elections in Himara
Greek diplomatic sources have called on Tirana to address allegations concerning the integrity of the electoral process in Himara. “Allegations made by members of the Greek ethnic minority in Albania regarding the conditions under which

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

‘Jewish Artists for Palestine’ disrupt Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall
A group called Jewish Artists for Palestine disrupted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in London, protesting against “Zionist funding, censorship,” and the treatment of Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham. The interruption occurred Friday night (Saturday AEST)

Netanyahu: Israel discusses demilitarised zone in southern Syria and humanitarian corridor for Druze
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel is currently in talks to establish a demilitarised zone in southern Syria and a humanitarian corridor to support the Druze minority in the region. The statement was

Maduro: No chance of U.S. invasion in Venezuela
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has firmly ruled out any possibility of a U.S. military invasion or regime change in his country, despite the recent deployment of American warships in the Caribbean. Maduro declared that Venezuela

NATO: All member countries to meet 2% of GDP defense spending target this year – Expansion plan up to 2035
All 32 NATO member countries are set to meet the long-standing target of allocating at least 2% of their GDP to defense this year, according to new figures released in Brussels. This goal was established

Ukraine thriller continues – Trump: “In two weeks we’ll know if peace is possible”
The war in Ukraine, now over three and a half years ongoing, remains at a critical juncture. Former U.S. President Donald Trump continues diplomatic efforts to arrange a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and

Niger Army Reports Killing of Boko Haram Leader
The Nigerien army announced on Thursday that during an operation in the Lake Chad basin, it had successfully eliminated the notorious leader of the jihadist group Boko Haram, known by the alias Bakura, whose real name

