TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English, I'm Camille Bianchi.
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Australia’s increased use of illegal drugs is raising profits for international crime groups, according to tests of Australian waterways.
The study found a record amount of traces of methylamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin - with large amounts of M-D-M-A also in the water from mid 2023 to mid 2024.
In total, more than 22 tonnes of these drugs were consumed, valued around $11.5 billion.
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President Donald Trump says hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska is not a win for Russia.
Mr Trump will meet President Putin today, but says future meetings with the Russian president and and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be more important.
"We have a meeting with President Putin tomorrow. I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second meeting that we're having. We're going to have a meeting with President Putin, President Zelenskyy, myself, and maybe we'll bring some of the European leaders along. Maybe not. I don't know that. It's going to be very important. We're going to see what happens."
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Israeli politician Bezalel Smotrich says work will begin soon on a new settlement in the West Bank.
The new construction would cut the territory off from East Jerusalem, and Mr Smotrich's office says it will end the idea of a Palestinian state.
Mr Smotrich says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U-S President Donald Trump have agreed to restart the project, but neither has said that is true.
“On this important day, I call from here on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: The time has come to fully apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, to forever remove from the table the idea of dividing the land. And to make sure that by September, Europe’s hypocrite leaders will simply have nothing to recognise.”
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Australian charity, Farm Angels, is trying to raise half a million dollars this month, to support farmers' financial wellbeing and mental health.
Farm Angels is asking Australians to wear a flannelette shirt and raise money that will help farmers impacted by natural disasters including droughts, bushfires and recent floods.
The charity uses funds to send gift cards, food hampers and pre-paid debit cards for agricultural families.
The charity's founder Tash Johnston says support is not just financial.
"It's also the emotional and wellbeing support, because we lose one farmer every ten days to suicide. Today in Victoria there is a funeral for one of our farmers who took their own life. We don't just do the once off assistance, we stay with them through the recovery period."
For crisis support, you can call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.
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