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.
Why I joined the demonstrations spurred by the rail disaster
Because although taking to the streets to express your grief, your anger and your questions may not bring back the young faces you saw in the photos that were published when devastated relatives were seeking
Evagoras Pallikarides a young Cypriot freedom fighter
This week 65 Years ago the English Queen awarded a belated posthumous medal to a young British soldier killed in Cyprus in 1956. He was just 19 and died when a bomb exploded the news
Sir George William Rendel (British Diplomat). A memorandum detailing atrocities committed during the Greek Genocide by the Turks
Sir George William Rendel (1889-1979) was a British diplomat who wrote a 7-page memorandum detailing atrocities committed during the Greek Genocide. Rendel was educated at Queen’s College, Oxford and in 1913 joined the British Diplomatic Service.
Biden is half right on Eastern Mediterranean arms sales
The Biden administration reportedly will ask Congress to approve a $20 billion sale of F-16s to Turkey , coupled with a separate sale of F-35 fighters to Greece . The White House is half right:
An Honest Broker No Longer: The United States Between Turkey and Greece
Over the course of 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained a steady drumbeat of provocations targeting Greece. The year began with his foreign ministry issuing a statement threatening to declare Greece’s sovereignty as
Greek police find 92 naked migrants sent from Turkey to Greece
Greek police have rescued a group of 92 illegal migrants who were discovered naked, and some with injuries, close to its northern border with Turkey, police say. The migrants, all men, were discovered close to
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
Iran declines attendance at Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt
Iran announced that it will not participate in the high-level summit on peace in the Gaza Strip taking place today in Egypt, despite receiving an official invitation. The summit, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, is co-chaired
France’s new government: Sébastien Lecornu appointed prime minister amid political test
Macron seeks stability and approval of the 2026 budget France has a new government, with Sébastien Lecornu sworn in as Prime Minister after days of negotiations and internal tensions within President Emmanuel Macron’s camp. The
Hostage release nears as Trump heads to the Middle East for Gaza Peace Summit
Hamas gathers hostages for handover to Red Cross Hamas has reportedly gathered all living hostages at three designated locations across the Gaza Strip, preparing for their transfer to the Red Cross later today, according to
Donald Trump to meet families of Gaza hostages before addressing the Knesset
US President to travel from Washington to Israel and Egypt as peace ceremony looms US President Donald Trump will meet with relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza before delivering a historic address to
Three Qatari diplomats killed in Egypt car crash en route to Gaza peace summit
Sharm el-Sheikh tragedy casts shadow over crucial international talks Three diplomats from Qatar were killed and two others injured in a road accident near the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, as they
Violent clashes erupt along Afghanistan-Pakistan border
Kabul accuses Islamabad of airstrikes and violating Afghan sovereignty Intense fighting has erupted along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, deepening tensions between the two neighboring countries. The Taliban accused Pakistan’s military of carrying out airstrikes inside Afghan
