
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

Black Saturday fires commemoration highlights kindness and recovery
The Black Saturday bushfires, which claimed the lives of 173 people on February 7, 2009 brought out the very best in people, giving victims the strength they needed to begin the process of recovery, a

Police investigation underway after toddler found dead in car on sweltering day
A 22-month-old boy, who could not be revived, was found inside a car in Sydney’s west on a sweltering day after family noticed he wasn’t in their house. Police are investigating whether a toddler died

Greek Community executive members meet Minister Mikakos
In a spirit of cooperation and noting historical support from minister Mikakos and the Andrews Labor Government, President Bill Papastergiadis, together with the Secretary of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), Costas Markos, met with

Small business asset tax break extended
The instant asset write-off for small businesses will be extended to June 30, 2020 and lifted to cover purchases of up to $25,000. Small businesses will get an extra tax break with the Morrison government

Ministers leaving for personal reasons: PM
Scott Morrison says characterising ministerial resignations as rats leaving a sinking ship is offensive, despite the coalition struggling in opinion polls. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has bristled at suggestions an exodus of coalition frontbenchers ahead

‘Absolute waste’: NSW residents shocked over scale of second wave of fish deaths
Residents in the NSW town of Menindee have expressed shock at the scale of the latest mass fish death, calling it “an absolute waste”. Locals have woken up to a thick blanket of dead fish

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.

Tears at the Mati victims memorial service one year after deadly fires
Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis attended the memorial service held on Sunday in memory of the 102 victims of the deadly fire in Mati a year ago. “I can assure you that such a tragedy

PM Mitsotakis announces generous tax cuts incl. properties ENFIA
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has set as his top priority to implement his pre-election program and proceed with taxation cuts as soon as possible. In his policy statement late on Saturday, he announced several tax

PIPES: Kastelorizo: Mediterranean flash point
That Athens controls this wisp of land implies it could (but does not yet) claim an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Mediterranean Sea extending 200 nautical miles to Kastelorizo. This would reduce the Turkish

EU agrees to sanction turkey for drilling in Cypriot water
A surprisingly muscular response beyond mere threatening rhetoric out of the European Union over Turkey’s violations of Cypriot territorial waters related to offshore drilling operations: the EU has agreed to bring financial and political sanctions

Archaeology Piece of skull found in Greece ‘is oldest human fossil outside Africa’
A broken skull chiselled from a lump of rock in a cave in Greece is the oldest modern human fossil ever found outside Africa, researchers claim. The partial skull was discovered in the Apidima cave

Athens-Piraeus again in ‘top 10’ in terms of global shipping hubs
The Athens-Piraeus area has returned to the world’s top 10 shipping hubs, according to a recent study by Baltic Exchange. The Greek capital bumped Korea’s Pusan from the “top 10” list, while Singapore remained first,

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

Man accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, reaches plea deal
The man accused of plotting the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and two of his accomplices have reached a plea deal with US prosecutors, the Pentagon said Wednesday local time. The trio have reportedly

Maduro under scrutiny at the International Criminal Court?
OAS Secretary General recommends his arrest for bloodshed in Venezuela The turmoil in Venezuela following the recent election results continues to escalate, drawing international reactions. On Wednesday, Luis Almagro, the Secretary General of the Organization

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran
Tehran: Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the assassination but suspicion immediately fell on Israel, which has vowed to kill Haniyeh and

Italy and China forge three-year action plan as Meloni aims to reset ties
Italy and China signed a three-year action plan on Sunday to implement past agreements and explore new forms of cooperation, announced Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during her official visit to Beijing. That’s a rather

The Olympics opening ceremony epitomized decadence, division, and chaos
Maria Denaxa who is a Performance Marketing Specialist at Generation Y and a Journalist commenting on the Opening Ceremony says It was a hymn to the decadence, division, and chaos that is being pursued globally

Nicolás Maduro has been declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election
The US fervently desired to overthrow his government. Even Elon Musk tweeted his support to the opposition 1. Oil Factor. It is true that Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves and the US has

