TRANSCRIPT:
- Ukraine's President meets with EU leaders ahead of Trump-Putin summit
- New Cybercrime report unveils concerning rise in online crime
- Tasmania's AFL club unveils the most detailed images yet of its new headquarters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with EU leaders in Berlin for talks before the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz convened a series of virtual meetings in an attempt to have the voices of European and Ukrainian leadership heard ahead of the meeting they were excluded from.
United States President Donald Trump says he wants to see whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Mr Zelenskyy met with European leaders first, to prepare for a virtual call with Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance about an hour later.
Eliot Cohen from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies says the exclusion of Europe and Ukraine from talks is a bad look.
"You know, it's interesting to me that the Europeans have got their act together, are having a virtual meeting with Trump. And seem to be aligned with Ukrainians. So that's good. And for the rest, I'm afraid we're just going to have to wait and see."
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Militant group Hamas's chief negotiator has held talks with Egyptian mediators over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war.
The talks occurred as Israel struck the territory's main city before a planned takeover and again invited Palestinians to leave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reiterated an idea on Israeli television channel i24NEWS on Wednesday that Palestinians should simply leave the enclave housing more than two million people after nearly two years of conflict.
Arabs and many world leaders are critical of the idea of displacing the Gaza population.
Benjamin Netanyahu claims Palestinians are not being pushed out, but will be allowed to exit.
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A major government report has found that nearly half of internet users in Australia were victims of cybercrime in the past year.
The Cybercrime in Australia 2024 report lays bare the rampant online abuse, identity theft, malware and scams experienced by 47 per cent of Australians in the last 12 months.
Vulnerable groups included young people, First Nations Australians, LGBTIQ+ communities and people with disabilities.
Small business owners also face disproportionate risks.
The report shows that while some forms of cybercrime have declined, protective barriers, such as strong passwords, remain worryingly low.
**
The New South Wales education department has told a state inquiry that it's not realistic to close every childcare centre reported for a quality breach.
The inquiry comes amid nationwide scrutiny on regulation of childcare centres, following several media reports of abuse.
Education Secretary Murat Dizdar told the inquiry that due to the high demand for childcare access, shutting down every service reported to the regulator can cause havoc for parents.
Experts told the inquiry that the sector was overrun with for-profit providers, which were incentivised to provide the bare minimum for children and staff.
Georgie Dent is the CEO of The Parenthood, a leading parent advocacy organisation.
She says parents are turning away from childcare centres.
"There has been a real rise in this discussion around parents wanting to stay at home. Or have nannies or grandparents, subsidised and I think that what we have to look at that as is a sign of the extent to which parents do not feel they have options in the current system."
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The path has been cleared for a $500 million bilateral agreement between Australia and Vanuatu to be signed off after months of negotiations.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles have led the negotiations with Vanuatu's leaders, giving the go-ahead to the deal, known as the Nakamal Agreement, in a signing ceremony on the edge of an active volcano.
The deal will help address infrastructure and economic development issues in the Pacific as well as resilience to climate change.
Richard Marles says the pact reaffirms Australia's commitment to the development of Vanuatu.
“It makes clear that it is core business for Australia to be engaged in the human development of Vanuatu. It acknowledges that as neighbours we have a shared security environment and a commitment to each other which is embodied in this agreement and looking to the future, it acknowledges that as neighbours, and as close friends, we have a shared destiny.”
Anthony Albanese and his Vanuatuan counterpart Jotham Napat are expected to ratify the agreement in September.
**
To sport now, Tasmania's AFL club has unveiled the most detailed images to date of its $115 million high performance headquarters as it pushes towards a 2028 debut.
The facility, also to be the franchise's administration hub, at Kingston south of Hobart is expected to be up and running in October 2027.
AFL boss Andrew Dillon says he is confident the Devils will take to the field in 2028, despite a snap Tasmanian election that has delayed progress on a new Hobart stadium.
Construction of a 23,000-seat roofed venue at Macquarie Point is a condition of the Devils entering the national competition.
The stadium, supported by Tasmania's incumbent Liberal government and Labor opposition, must be voted through both houses of parliament to get the green light.
