
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.

50% of waste in Greece’s seas consists of plastic bags & bottles, aluminum cans
Fifty percent of waste found into Greek seas are plastic bags, plastic bottles and aluminum cans for beer and soft drinks, Professor Giorgos Papatheodorou of the Marine Geology and Natural Oceanography Laboratory at Patras University

Speculation of price hikes for Greeks’ beloved souvlaki/gyros causes outcry, social media frenzy
The recent international rally in meat prices, emanating from the devastating effects of African swine fever disease in China – the world’s biggest producer and consumer of pork – has touched a “raw nerve” in

More than 300,000 ancient treasures unearthed during metro digging in Thessaloniki
Metro digging in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece, has unearthed an extraordinary treasure trove of more than 300,000 ancient artefacts, from gold wreaths and rings to statues of the goddess Aphrodite. The construction of a metro network

Ancient Greek migrants built the famous Stonehenge, DNA reveals
Britons who built the famous Stonehenge were product of ancient wave of migrant farmers, that is of Greeks from Asia Minor, DNA tests have revealed. Ancient skeletons have revealed that the arrival of population from

First two PPC orders for LNG approved for July
State-run Public Power Corp. (PPC) is ready to place its first-ever orders for liquefied natural gas (LNG) over the summer from the Revythoussa isle terminal off Piraeus, a move aimed to reduce power generation costs.
Bill protecting unlicensed buildings on beaches revised
A controversial draft bill that has been widely criticized as giving the green light to illegal construction on the country’s coasts has been revised by the government and resubmitted to Parliament. The bill that was

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

Albanese’s first meeting with Trump: warm words, sharp climate divide
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described his first face-to-face encounter with US President Donald Trump as “warm and engaging” after the two leaders shook hands and posed for a selfie in New York. The

Emma Mason moves UN with emotional plea: Protect children from the dangers of social media
Australian mother Emma Mason brought world leaders to their feet at the United Nations, urging countries to follow Australia’s lead in banning social media for children under 16. Mason, who spearheads News Corp Australia’s Let

Albanese finally meets Trump in New York
Anthony Albanese has met Donald Trump face-to-face after the US president used his UN speech to ridicule those buying into a “global warming hoax”, and criticised Australia for backing a Palestinian state. In a tense

Meeting between Trump and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
In a significant diplomatic encounter, United States President Donald Trump met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the United Nations headquarters in New York. During the meeting, Guterres welcomed Trump and acknowledged the longstanding and

Albanese brushes off concerns before Trump meeting – White House summit set for October 20
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed he will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on October 20, brushing aside questions about the deep political differences between the two leaders. Speaking to

Mitsotakis–Erdogan meeting in New York likely to be cancelled – “Extremely difficult,” Greek government sources say
The scheduled meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York appears to be heading toward cancellation. According to a senior government source, holding the meeting now seems

