
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.

Kyranakis: “We will do what the Greek railway needs now – not tomorrow”
In a powerful address to Parliament, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Konstantinos Kyranakis pledged sweeping reforms and urgent action to modernize Greece’s railway system, aiming to ensure that the tragedy of Tempi is never

Libya’s UN submission is a proxy attack on Greece’s maritime sovereignty
Point 1 as a Strategic Choice According to the submitted list of coordinates, the northern boundary of the Libyan continental shelf begins (east to west) with points B and A, which form the eastern and

Rafael Pagonis: A rising star in the future of tennis
Rafael Pagkonis is making waves in tennis, promising a bright future. Rafael Pagkonis has caught the attention of the Greek community by reaching the final of Wimbledon U14 on Sunday. Although he was defeated, his

Diplomatic sources: “The Libyan note verbale has no legal effect”
Greece has rejected the note verbale issued by the Libyan Permanent Mission to the UN on May 27, 2025, which concerns Greece’s initiatives to exercise sovereign rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. According to diplomatic sources,

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

Mitsotakis to meet EU Energy Commissioner Jørgensen amid regional development tour
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is set to meet with European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, today, at 13:00 at the Maximou Mansion. This meeting comes at a time when Greece is navigating complex

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

Afghanistan: Women defy Taliban bans by singing online
Women were the first to suffer the restrictions imposed by the new government. Recording themselves while singing, showing only a small part of their faces to the camera: dozens of Afghan women are participating in

UN condemns Taliban ban on women’s Voices in public spaces
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan expressed deep concern on Sunday over a new law recently endorsed by the Taliban that imposes further restrictions on women. The new legislation, published last Wednesday, is based on

RFK Jr. suspends 2024 campaign and joins Trump at Arizona rally
RFK Jr. suspends the 2024 campaign and joins Trump at the Arizona rally, endorsing former President Donald Trump. During an event in Phoenix, Arizona, Kennedy urged voters in red or blue states to support him

Putin’s 702 decree caused outrage in the West
As reported by journalists from China, Russian President Vladimir Putin caused outrage in the West with a new surprise decree. Relations between Russia and the West have reached their lowest point since the collapse of

Why was Telegram’s Pavel Durov effectively kidnapped at Paris Airport?
Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested in France today on various charges. Telegram has been a key platform for sharing information about the Israeli actions in Gaza, with thousands of videos

Winners and losers in global commodities this year
The global commodities market has experienced significant volatility this year, with prices generally remaining elevated across various sectors. The first half of the year saw orange juice and cocoa prices reach record highs, while crude

