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.
Recognition of Macedonian language a ‘grave mistake,’ says prominent linguist
Greece committed a “grave mistake” in recognizing the existence of a Macedonian language, prominent linguist and former education minister Georgios Babiniotis said, adding that the clause in the Prespes accord signed between Athens and Skopje
Greek foreign ministry reacts to Erdogan comments on military flights in Aegean
Athens immediately responded on Friday to inflammatory statements a day earlier by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who, among others, said “we (Turkish military) scramble aircraft in the Aegean, as long as the Greeks do
Lack of new framework to protect primary residences blocks disbursement of €970 mln to Greece
Eurozone finance ministers – the Eurogroup venue – on Monday did not approve the disbursement of a 970-million-euro tranche to Greece, a more-or-less expected development linked with a failure to finalize a new legal framework
Mitsotakis to CNN: Greece will be a ‘positive surprise’ in terms of investments in next 2-3 years
Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis stuck to his pro-reform and pro-market message during an interview with CNN on Monday, as he continued a visit to the United States amid opinion polls
British newspaper reveals plans to uncover Athens’ ancient Ilissos river
The British newspaper The Telegraph revealed on Sunday that a Greek urban renewal firm called ”Anaplasis” plans to uncover Athens’ ancient river of Ilissos. Back in October of 2018, a part of the Athenian tram
Greece blasts BBC for report on non existant “Oppressed Macedonian Minority”
Greece’s Ambassador to the UK, Dimitris Karamitsos-Tziras, send a letter of complaint to the BBC on Monday, following a report which spoke of the existence of a “Macedonian minority” in the country. Karamitsos-Tziras said the
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
Greta Thunberg to be deported from Israel alongside 27 Greek activists on Tuesday
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will be deported from Israel on Tuesday, along with 27 Greek activists, according to a report by Ynet. The group was detained after attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of
Fidan raises the war tone: ‘If Diplomacy Fails, the Military Speaks’ – Ankara’s fear of encirclement in the Eastern Mediterranean
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has issued a stark warning, claiming that alliances are forming in the Eastern Mediterranean with the aim of encircling Turkey. In a statement laden with military undertones, Fidan declared that
Ceasefire and hostage talks to begin in Egypt tomorrow
Hamas accepts US peace plan in principle but refuses disarmament — Israel insists on Gaza demilitarisation Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are set to begin tomorrow in Cairo, aiming to achieve a ceasefire in
Trump urges immediate ceasefire as 57 killed in Gaza overnight bombings
At least 57 people were killed overnight in the Gaza Strip following intense Israeli airstrikes, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence, which operates under the Hamas-run administration. The strikes began in the early hours of
Prosecutor’s probe against Israel as “Sumud” flotilla activists testify in Istanbul (Constantinople)
A group of activists who participated in the “Sumud” flotilla — an international convoy that attempted to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza — have begun giving testimony before prosecutors in Istanbul (Constantinople), following their
At least 30 injured in Russian drone strike on Ukrainian railway station
Zelensky condemns ‘barbaric attack’ in Sumy region – victims include railway workers and passengers At least 30 people have been injured following a Russian drone strike on a railway station in the Ukrainian city of
