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.
Council of State rules “religion courses in schools only for Greek-Orthodox students”
`The Council of State ruled on Friday that religion courses in primary and secondary education schools are exclusively “Greek-Orthodox.” The ruling cancels the previous content of religious books as it was decided by SYRIZA Education
Plan to tax Airbnb, short-term rentals underway
The tourism ministry is considering imposing a tax on short-term rentals such as Airbnb on the grounds that it would establish equal treatment with hotel accommodations. As the daily Ta Nea has reported, sources say
Ruling ND still in ‘honeymoon period’, latest poll shows; 13.5%-point lead over main opposition SYRIZA
Ruling New Democracy (ND) continues what is apparently a “honeymoon period” after the July 7 election, with one of the first opinion polls of the new autumn season showing the center-right party with a 13.5-percentage
Chemotherapy treatment “postponed” in big Athens hospital due to lack of funds
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in Attiko Hospital in Athens were shocked to be informed that their treatment is postponed on indefinite time. The patients were informed by phone last Thursday. Hospital workers’ President and doctor
Parthenon Marbles: Tough words by the Greek President to British Museum
Tough words by the Greek President, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, towards the British Museum on the thorny issue of the Parthenon Marbles. “The British Museum’s obsession is tantamount to supporting Elgin’s cultural grave robbing and theft. And,
Police cracks down gang bringing weapons, ammunition from Albania to Crete
Greek police as cracked down a criminal gang that was bringing Kalasnikov weapons and ammunition from Albania to the island of Crete. A big scale operation conducted by the Police Departments of Chania, Crete, and
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
Netanyahu condemns West Bank settler violence: “A handful of extremists do not represent us”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly condemned recent violence carried out by a “handful of extremists” among settlers in the occupied West Bank, stressing that they do not represent the broader settler community. The
Greece’s early loan repayment brings unexpected benefit to France, says Le Monde
Greece’s decision to repay early a €1.1 billion loan to France has been described as an “unexpected benefit” for French public finances, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. The loan, originally contracted in the
Europe on high alert: Poland enters pre-war phase as Germany warns of potential conflict with Russia
Europe faces rising tensions as senior military and political officials warn of the increasing likelihood of conflict with Russia. After Germany’s stark warning last week, Poland has now declared a state of heightened alert. Polish
Zelensky signals new energy agreement ahead of today’s Athens visit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Kyiv and Athens are preparing a new bilateral agreement in the energy sector, ahead of his official visit to the Greek capital today, Sunday, 16 November. In a
Putin and Netanyahu hold phone call amid escalating Middle East tensions
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, the Kremlin confirmed on Saturday. The call comes as regional
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
