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
Yemen: Another Greek-owned ship attacked by Houthis – two injured, two missing
Another Greek-owned vessel sailing off the coast of Yemen has come under attack by Houthi militants, just a day after their assault on a Liberia-flagged cargo ship also managed by a Greek company. According to
Secret negotiations between Turkey and Syria over maritime zones
A letter signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has, for the first time, confirmed that secret negotiations are underway to define maritime boundaries between Turkey and Syria, in anticipation of the post-Assad era. Secret
Greek expatriates tax and business online workshop
The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, in collaboration with the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), is organising an online workshop for expatriates and residents abroad on issues related to tax procedures
Elon Musk and Billboard Chris win legal battle against Australian eSafety Commissioner
In a landmark legal victory, Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, and Canadian activist Chris Elston, also known as Billboard Chris, have successfully challenged a takedown notice issued by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant.
Heatwave in Italy: Woman dies of heart attack on the street, construction worker in coma
Italy is currently grappling with a brutal heatwave that has claimed the lives of at least two people in the central and southern regions, as the country faces record-high temperatures. The scorching heat has intensified,
Venezuela declares UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, persona non grata
In a significant diplomatic development, the Venezuelan National Assembly has declared Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, persona non grata. This decision came after recent criticisms from his office regarding the
