
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

Iran responds to Trump: Vows stronger retaliation if attacked again by US or Israel
Iran issued a stern warning to the United States and Israel on Monday, promising a more forceful response if it faces further military aggression. The statement came from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who addressed

Asteroid the size of the Empire State Building could hit the moon in 2029- How could that affect Earth?
An asteroid measuring approximately 400 metres — about the size of the Empire State Building — is on a potential collision course with the Moon, according to astronomers. The object, identified as 2022 SF289, is

UK MPs call for recognition of Palestinian State
More than 200 Members of the UK Parliament have urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to recognize the State of Palestine. In a joint letter signed by 221 MPs from nine political parties, lawmakers appealed to

“Kapodistrias” a cinematic tribute to Greece’s first martyr statesman
Set to Hit Cinemas on December 25 At the beginning of July, filming was completed for Kapodistrias, the new film by acclaimed Greek director Yannis Smaragdis. “Kapodistrias” a cinematic tribute to Greece’s first martyr statesman,

Greek passport soars to 5th strongest worldwide in 2025 rankings
The Greek passport has officially entered the ranks of the world’s most powerful, securing 5th place in the 2025 Henley Passport Index. The Greek passport soars to 5th strongest worldwide in 2025 rankings on the

Orban raises prospectof EU exit, citing Brussels’ authoritarian drift
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has once again raised the prospect of a Hungarian exit from the European Union, suggesting that the bloc’s authoritarian evolution may soon outweigh the benefits of membership. Speaking in an

