
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.

Four-day wedding celebration in Chania for Kasselakis and Macbeth
Tomorrow marks the beginning of a four-day wedding celebration for Stefanos Kasselakis and Tyler Macbeth in Chania. According to reports, the President of SYRIZA and his husband, Tyler Macbeth, have planned a lavish ceremony that

The Kapodistrian University of Athens topped the list in Southeastern Europe
An important victory for Greek universities – and especially for the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The Kapodistrian University of Athens topped the list in Southeastern Europe, the ranking of the “Shanghai Academic Ranking

Greece, the country where offenders go unpunished
In an article “on fire” Politico “burns” the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, focusing on three major cases that have shocked Greece, referring to “cover-ups, failed investigations” and the “general sense of impunity”, which sounds the

SYRIZA: Kasselakis’ leadership challenged in political secretariat meeting
Tensions within the main opposition party SYRIZA between President Stefanos Kasselakis and prominent party officials continued to escalate during the political secretariat meeting on Thursday, after eight members of a top party committee “87” walked

Over 60,000 lightning strikes in 48 hours – “Multicellular storms” expected in the coming hours
The extreme weather that has been affecting parts of Greece since yesterday, with thunderstorms and hailstorms, is expected to continue through tonight, according to an Emergency Weather Bulletin issued by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service

Turkey stops the Divine Liturgy at Panagia Soumela on 15 August
Turkey is putting an end to the celebration of August 15 at Panagia Soumela in Trapezounta (Trebizond) and the “Kyra of Pontus” will not be reopened for divine service on one of the most important

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

Megaquake warning issued for Nankai Trough in Japan
A powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s southern coast on Thursday, causing minor injuries and prompting concerns about future major quakes, particularly from the Nankai Trough. The quake, which registered a magnitude of 7.1, was centered

Yahya Sinwar: New leader of Hamas – Hardliner and fluent in Hebrew
Hamas announced on Tuesday night that Yahya Sinwar is the new leader of the Islamist movement, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. Earlier today, the Saudi news television network Al

Tim Walz: Veteran military man chosen by Kamala Harris as Vice Presidential candidate
Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has selected Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate, a decision that surprised some observers. At 60, Walz has held various roles as a former teacher, coach, and military

“Drums of war” in the Middle East: Awaiting Iran’s retaliation – Israel on high alert
The Middle East appears ready to explode as the war atmosphere intensifies just hours after the U.S. declared that Tehran might attack Israel within the next 24 hours. All eyes are on Iran and the

Stock markets around the world are crashing right now, but why?
The answer to this question is the Yen carry trade, a term you’ll probably hear many times this week. So what exactly is the Yen carry trade and why did it cause a market downturn?

Japan’s Nikkei is down 12%, the largest drop ever
Japan’s Nikkei is down 12%, the largest point ever, as fears of a US recession shook global markets. The Topix index erased its yearly gains, experiencing its steepest sell-off since “Black Monday” in October 1987.

