
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

Liberal MP breaks ranks to call for increase to Newstart
Liberal senator Dean Smith has broken ranks with the federal government to call for an increase to the Newstart payment. WA Senator Dean Smith has become the first Liberal MP to publicly back an increase

Aged care homes spending as little as $7 a day on residents food
Some aged care homes spend as little as $7 a day on food for each resident, a royal commission has been told. Celebrity chef Maggie Beer says that sort of budget is inadequate to prepare

Vic wants federal funds to remove cladding
The Commonwealth is being asked to stump up $300 million to help remove dangerous cladding from hundreds of buildings across Victoria. The state Labor government is establishing a $600 million fund, to be overseen by

Asylum seeker tries to set himself on fire at Melbourne detention facility
Another incident of self-harm has occurred in an Australian detention centre. An asylum seeker detained in the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation facility has been taken to hospital after trying to set himself on fire, according

No paperwork, increasing rent: Sydney landlords exploiting international students
International students are being exploited by landlords in Sydney’s tight housing market, a new report has found. International students in Sydney are falling victim to financial exploitation by dodgy landlords, who are overcharging on bonds,

Record number of Aussies rush to file tax returns
A record number of Australians have lodged their tax returns in the hope of getting their hands on a hefty refund. About 650,000 people have already filed their tax returns, with this year’s early rush

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.

Koukolopoulos follows Gervoulanos in warning over PASOK’s stagnant polls
Greek MP and former minister Paris Koukolopoulos has announced that he may raise the issue of PASOK’s stagnant polling in party bodies if there is no recovery by Christmas. Speaking after Pavlos Gervoulanos referenced the

Mitsotakis rules out Turkey’s participation in EU SAFE program amid Aegean disputes
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has reiterated that Turkey cannot participate in the EU’s Strategic Armaments Framework (SAFE) program as long as it maintains a casus belli against Greece and disputes the sovereignty of Greek

Mitsotakis: Comprehensive european defense, competitiveness, and green transition on summit agenda
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will participate today Thursday in the European People’s Party Summit and the European Council meeting, where key topics will include defense, security, competitiveness, the green transition, the Middle East, and

Gerapetritis: “The Western Balkans must accelerate their path toward the European family”
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis called for the acceleration of the Western Balkans’ European integration during the Berlin Process Summit held in London, emphasizing that “the only sure path to peace and prosperity in the

Gerapetritis’ Blunder: The phrase that diminished Greek diplomacy
No matter how much we try to hide it, reality speaks for itself. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs under George Gerapetritis seems unable to find its footing. Gerapetritis’ Blunder: The phrase that diminished Greek diplomacy.

Dionysis Savvopoulos: The voice that sang Greece has fallen silent
The beloved Greek singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos has died at the age of 81, marking the end of an era in modern Greek music and culture. Known affectionately as “Nionios,” Savvopoulos was more than a composer

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

What’s next for Bolivia after military coup?
Morales’s government nationalized natural gas and electric companies, defying both the US and the Bolivian oligarchy. So it’s not surprising that those forces now denounce Morales as a dictator and cheer his overthrow. Bolivia held

Princeton Study: The U.S. is not ‘Losing’ its Democracy, it’s already long gone
The Facts: – A Princeton University study found that the United States operates much more as an Oligarchy than as a Democracy. Reflect On: – Can the current system be fixed or do we need

Turkey: Erdogan’s Campaign against the West
“Europe is a cultural continent, not a geographical one… It is its culture that gives it a common identity. The roots that have formed it, that have permitted the formation of this continent, are those

Tsitsipas wins ATP Finals title
Stefanos Tsitsipas has beaten Dominic Thiem in 3 sets to win ATP Finals title. Tsitsipas rallied to beat Thiem 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (4) on Sunday to become the youngest ATP Finals champion in 18

The Blossoming of a Greater Eurasian Partnership
A pan-Asia high-speed train has left the station – and India – behind. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which would have been the largest free trade deal in the world, was not signed in

A Greek Robotics Team wins Bronze Medal at 2019 FIRST GLOBAL Challenge in Dubai
The Greek National Robotics Team “FIRST GLOBAL Challenge Team Greece» represented Greece in 2019 FIRST GLOBAL Challenge, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on October 24-27, 2019. This is only the second year that Greece

