AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 22 at 1000
Ukraine (KYIV)
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to take concrete steps towards de-escalation of the war in Ukraine.
Lukashenko recently called on Moscow and Kyiv to end the war, saying a military victory was unrealistic for either side. At the same time, he said Ukraine had nothing to fear from Belarus and apologised to Zelenskiy for harsh comments in the past.
"Lukashenko must demonstrate de-escalation beyond just words," Zelenskiy said in an interview with Ukrainian media. A mere apology from Moscow's closest ally was not enough, he said.
"He can keep his 'I apologise' to himself - that hasn't worked since the first day of the war."
Belarus is considered Russia's closest ally.
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, they also attacked in the direction of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv from Belarusian territory, but were forced to withdraw after suffering heavy losses.
Federal (CANBERRA)
Labor will attempt to push through controversial changes to the tax system before parliament takes a long winter break.
Negotiations are under way between the Greens and the Albanese government on the major overhaul as parliament returns on Monday for the fortnight before the five-week recess.
A Labor-led committee handed down its final report on Friday, recommending legislation proposing changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax be passed.
On the same day, a separate parliamentary inquiry into the overhaul of the NDIS delayed its report for a second time, pushing the deadline back to Tuesday.
The Greens are withholding support for both plans, arguing the grandfathering of tax concessions is too generous while also insisting on an extension for the NDIS inquiry.
UK Starmer (LONDON)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering his political future after rival Andy Burnham's decisive by-election victory to parliament prompted more ministers in the governing Labour Party to call for him to go.
Struggling with some of the lowest popularity ratings for any United Kingdom prime minister in modern political history, Starmer could decide as soon as Monday whether to step aside or fight a leadership contest against Burnham, one source said.
The scale of victory Burnham won for a parliamentary seat in northwestern England on Friday has piled pressure on Starmer, with dozens of MPs and some ministers privately calling for him to set out a timetable for his departure to clear the way for the former Greater Manchester mayor.
Iran (BUERGENSTOCK)
US Vice President JD Vance says "great progress" has already been made at talks between US and Iranian officials in Switzerland aimed at hammering out a long-term peace deal.
"What the president has asked us to do is turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran," Vance said in the mountain resort of Burgenstock, where the talks kicked off just hours earlier on Sunday.
"We've already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we'll make additional progress," Vance said.
The talks - dubbed the "Lake Lucerne Summit" - began on Sunday afternoon on the shore of Lake Lucerne.
According to the foreign ministry of Qatar, which is mediating between the warring countries alongside Pakistan, the initial high-level meeting involved representatives from the US and Iran as well as delegations from Pakistan and Qatar.
Ukraine (KYIV)
Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea have suspended civilian petrol sales as Ukraine ramped up attacks on fuel supplies on the Black Sea peninsula.
Governor Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that overnight Ukrainian strikes killed four people and wounded 28 others. He did not specify the target of the attack.
He later wrote on social media that local petrol stations would halt all sales to non-state companies and individuals for an undefined period.
"Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea," Aksyonov said on Sunday.
"I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information."
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted fuel supplies to Crimea in recent weeks, triggering the worst energy crisis in the region since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
Flu (SYDNEY)
Australia's poultry industry is on high alert after the nation's first mainland detection of a deadly bird flu stain that could devastate the sector.
The H5N1 variant of the virus was confirmed in a sick brown skua found on a remote beach near Esperance in Western Australia, about 700km southeast of Perth.
Esperance Poultry Association president Gavin Millard said local growers and backyard bird owners were shaken by the detection and had already moved to tighten precautions.
"Everyone's quite shocked with the discovery of it," he told AAP.
The association has cancelled a poultry show planned for July and is urging owners to restrict bird movements and reduce contact with wild birds.
"There are a lot of people throughout the Esperance district and town especially who have got backyard chooks," Mr Millard said.
Economy Preview (CANBERRA)
Oil and dairy prices will shed light on Australia's inflation fight in a big week for domestic economic data.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures are expected on Wednesday to show headline and underlying inflation edged up in May as the Middle East conflict continued to impact supply chains across the economy.
Importantly, it will reveal how quickly and widely the second-round impacts of higher oil, gas and fertiliser prices were being passed on by businesses.
One item to watch will be milk.
Perishable goods tend to be first to record price increases and the prices of home-brand milk increased in very late April, said ANZ economists Madeline Dunk and Adam Boyton.
"We expect prices to have been a little higher than usual in some of the fresh food expenditure classes, such as milk, fruits and vegetables," the duo said in a research note.
UK Starmer (LONDON)
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer is expected to resign and set out a timetable for his departure, the Observer newspaper reports.
However, a government source said Starmer remained focused on getting on with the job of governing.
The threat to Starmer's position, which has been building for months, increased sharply on Friday when his rival Andy Burnham won a seat in parliament that would allow him to launch a formal leadership challenge.
The Observer said Starmer would quit on Monday after reaching the conclusion that his position was no longer tenable after speaking to cabinet minister, advisers, donors and trade union leaders.
Starmer was discussing the matter with his wife Victoria at his Chequers country residence before making a final decision, but that senior Labour figures expected a clear statement on his future as early as Monday, the report said.
In finance ...
Economy (MELBOURNE)
Australia has the resources it needs to be a globally prosperous economy, but it is failing to convert those assets into meaningful growth, a think tank says.
Abundant renewable energy, critical minerals, a world-class research sector and ties to the world's fastest-growing region are among its advantages.
But it risks falling behind unless governments pursue more ambitious reforms to lift business investment, innovation and economic dynamism.
These were the findings of the Committee for Economic Development for Australia's inaugural State of the Nation report, released on Monday.
"We have a strong hand," the think tank said.
"However, national advantage does not convert into prosperity automatically, it requires deliberate choice."
The report found Australia's long-term economic performance was weakening across several key measures.
In entertainment ...
US Concert (NEW YORK CITY)
A 51-year-old man has fallen to his death from an upper deck of Madison Square Garden during a concert, police say.
Officers responding to a call at 9.51pm on Saturday found the man unconscious and unresponsive with injuries indicating a fall from an "elevated position," New York City Police said.
Police did not say how far the man fell but said he was in Section 300.
They declined to release his name.
The man was with his wife, according to police.
He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The rock band Goose was performing.
In a statement on Facebook, the band said it was "deeply saddened and heartbroken to learn of the tragic event that occurred".
Hockney (LONDON)
The funeral of David Hockney has taken place in private with just his partner Jean-Pierre Goncalves de Lima and great-nephew Richard in attendance.
A number of memorial services for the British artist will take place from next year after Hockney, best known for works such as The Splash, A Bigger Splash, and Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures), died peacefully at his London home aged 88 on June 11.
"We have been overwhelmed by your tributes which have meant so much to us and we wanted to thank you," his publicist Erica Bolton said.
"As we have already received so many inquiries about David Hockney's funeral arrangements and memorials, we would like to clarify that it was David's clear wish that his funeral should be attended only by his partner, JP, and his great-nephew Richard; and that their privacy would be respected.
In sport ...
Wim Serena (LONDON)
American legend Serena Williams is to make a stunning return to singles tennis, attempting to reclaim her Wimbledon title at the age of 44, nearly four years since her last match at the US Open.
Seven-times champion Williams was handed the final women's singles wildcard by the All England Club on Sunday evening (Monday AEST) in a wholly unexpected development.
The woman considered perhaps the greatest player of all-time had already been assured of a shock return to the championships for the first time in four years by accepting a doubles wildcard to play alongside elder sister, 46-year-old Venus Williams.
But the singles news came quite out of the blue, with Wimbledon declaring on its Instagram account: "This is not a drill."
Wim Aust (LONDON)
It's 15 years since an Aussie kid shook up Wimbledon by reaching the quarter-finals at the tender age of 18, the youngest to get to that stage of the men's draw since the 1985 wunderkind champ himself, Boris Becker.
But now at 33 and having gone through an extraordinary undulating, polarising career during which he was once dubbed the tour 'bad boy' who'd squandered an enviable talent, Bernard Tomic is back in London, a very changed, admirable figure.
The misunderstood youngster once perceived to not care a jot about the sport is not afraid these days to admit he's a bloke who really needs his tennis as he battles on in its unglamorous hinterland, trying to return to a grand slam main draw for the first time in five years.
Ends Bulletin
Rolling News Desk inquiries : 02 9322 8611
