AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 22 at 1130
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.
UK Starmer (LONDON)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a career-defining decision: step down or fight a challenge from Labour Party rival Andy Burnham.
Starmer has publicly vowed to stay in post, but pressure is building as more and more Labour Party colleagues conclude his time is up.
Expectation is growing he will announce a timetable for his resignation as soon as Monday.
That's the day Burnham will be sworn in as an MP in the House of Commons after winning a by-election last week.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said on Sunday that Starmer was "making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in".
"I know he is a prime minister who always puts his country first," Kyle told the BBC, though he said reports Starmer would resign were "speculation".
Iran (ZURICH/DUBAI/WASHINGTON)
US Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Switzerland to lead talks with Tehran on its nuclear program as part of fragile deal to end Iran war, as US officials dispute Iranian claims about closing the key Strait of Hormuz.
A high-level Iranian team arrived in Switzerland for peace talks with the US, Iranian state media reported, and Vance touched down at Emmen Air Base at 6am on Sunday (2pm AEST) for meetings in the mountain town of Burgenstock, overlooking Lake Lucerne.
Although the US and Iran had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire while negotiations take place, Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday declared the Strait of Hormuz shut, though the US military said commercial vessels continued operating in the waterway.
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.
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.
Markets World (SYDNEY)
Most share markets have slipped in Asia as doubts about the Middle East peace process send oil prices and bond yields up again, leading investors to price in more risk of higher US interest rates.
Sterling eased amid reports British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was considering his political future, after rival Andy Burnham's decisive election victory to parliament prompted more ministers in the governing Labour Party to call for him to go.
US President Donald Trump posted that Starmer was set to resign, while also threatening fresh attacks on Iran even as Vice President JD Vance met Iranian officials for the first talks under an interim peace deal.
The talks were overshadowed by Tehran's announcement it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz, with tracking sites showing fewer vessels transiting after 32 ships made the passage on Friday and 26 on Saturday.
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 ...
RL Origin NSW (SYDNEY)
Latrell Mitchell's return from a back injury, and game-three State of Origin hopes, have been thrown into doubt after he left a crucial South Sydney field session.
The superstar centre did not participate in Monday's training session after warm-ups in a potential blow to his hopes of playing for NSW in the Origin decider on July 8.
He stretched and performed light drills with the team before leaving the pitch at Heffron Park with a trainer, removing his wrist strapping tape as he went, in a sign he would not be returning.
The 29-year-old had told Fox League that he was "pushing" to face Parramatta on Thursday night, pending the back injury that has sidelined him since round nine.
"We have training tomorrow, we'll see what Wayne (Bennett, coach) wants me to do tomorrow," he said on Sunday night.
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."
Ends Bulletin
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