
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

ANZ and NAB chiefs face parliamentary scrutiny after record fines and misconduct
Australia’s largest banks are facing intense parliamentary scrutiny as the government examines past misconduct, employment practices, and customer protections. ANZ’s new chief executive, Nuno Matos, publicly apologised to a parliamentary committee for the bank’s historic

Australians hold 209 million days of unused annual leave as employment landscape shifts
Australian workers are heading into the summer break with a massive stockpile of unused annual leave, collectively sitting on 209 million days of accrued holidays, new data from research firm Roy Morgan shows. The near-record

Surge in social media use replaces sport, reading and arts among Australian children
A dramatic rise in social media use among children and adolescents is reshaping daily routines and pushing aside key developmental activities such as sport, reading and music, according to a major new study by the

Optus fined $826,320 after major verification flaw allows scammers to steal customer identities and tens of thousands of dollars
Optus has been hit with a substantial $826,320 penalty after a serious security lapse allowed scammers to bypass customer verification processes and steal as much as $39,000 from individual victims. The Australian Communications and Media

Albanese issues ultimatum to Turkey over hosting COP31 Climate Talks
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has drawn a firm line in ongoing negotiations with Turkey over the hosting of next year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), ruling out any possibility of co-hosting the event. Speaking

Australian families face rising private health insurance premiums in 2026
Australian families may be set to pay significantly more for private health insurance in 2026, as premiums are projected to rise between 3.9 and 4.4 per cent. According to analysis by Money.com.au, this increase could

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.

Uncovering Ancient “First Drafts” on Greek Ceramics
The complex and finely painted images on ancient Greek ceramics might appear to us as being effortlessly made, but even the most skilled Athenian vase painters didn’t just wing it. Underneath the brush strokes are

Final results of Greece’s second round of local elections revealed
The final, official results from Sunday’s second round of local elections in the largest cities and regions in Greece were announced on Monday morning. Here is a breakdown of the winning parties and candidates in

Greek scientist’s groundbreaking research against cancer
Nikolaidis, who received his PhD from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, relayed that their groundbreaking research is a tale of a molecule called “Heat-shock protein,” or Hsp70 (HSPA1A), found in the wrong place at the

SYRIZA changes strategy ahead of early election
Still reeling from a devastating showing in last weekend’s European Parliament election, leftist SYRIZA officials met on Wednesday to discuss strategy ahead of a second round of local authority polls and a looming snap general

The hard truths about Turkey’s continued denial and lies
The participation of the hundreds and thousands of people in the memorial events organized in Greece and abroad on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus, and the

Maria Kakali: The Mayor who got re-elected with 100% of the votes
While local leaders struggled to beat their competitors and some will have to go to a second round of elections next Sunday, one mayor managed to be elected with 100% of the votes. 32-year-old Maria

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

WSJ Report: The captain shut down engines before the crash of the Air India Boeing 787
A recorded conversation between the two pilots of the Air India Boeing 787, which crashed last month in Ahmedabad, India, reveals that it was the more experienced captain, who deliberately shut down the fuel supply

Syria: Al-Sara assigns Druze leaders responsibility for security in Sweida amid escalating violence
In a significant move that highlights the growing instability in Syria, transitional President Ahmed al-Sara announced that the responsibility for ensuring security in the southern region of Sweida, which has been plagued by violent clashes

Libya’s new maritime claims spark diplomatic tensions with Greece and Egypt
Libya has recently made a significant move in its maritime territorial claims by submitting a formal note to the United Nations on May 27, 2025, outlining the external limits of its continental shelf in the

Albanese wraps up China visit amid tensions and trade talks
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to conclude his six-day visit to China today, wrapping up a trip marked by high-stakes discussions on trade, national security, and diplomatic relations. His final stop in China takes

Trump’s cryptic statement from the White House: “We have good news for Gaza”
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, caused a stir with a cryptic statement made from the White House, claiming there was “good news for Gaza.” Although he did not provide further clarification, the

Tensions mount as Trump announces aid to Ukraine, warns against strikes on Moscow
Kyiv remains on edge as former U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcements of sweeping military support to Ukraine are overshadowed by ambiguity and caution. While Trump pledged a multibillion-dollar aid package that includes long-range missile systems

