The dealiest conflict ever for journalists
New "Post and Boast" legislation has got journalists and lawyers in Western Australia worried. The State Government has been debating new law this week which could have a profound effect on freedom of speech.
SBS Managing Director James Taylor has announced he will step down from his role this year in order to head up Ooh Media. it leaves SBS without a chairperson or clear MD at the same time.
And Netflix is getting more expensive, again! Can the streamer justify $28.99 a month to content hungry viewers?
Guest: Professor Peter Greste, Executive Director of the Alliance for Journalists' Freedom, Professor at the University of Queensland and former correspondent for Al Jazeera in the Middle East
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SBS Australia
7 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Trump to meet with Zelenskyy after no deal reached at Alaska summit
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . Ahead of the high stakes meeting with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump said he would know within two minutes of meeting the Russian leader whether it would be a success. It took almost three hours before the leaders emerged from the meeting behind closed doors. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin since 2019, with the Russian leader ostracised by Western leaders since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After their meeting, Mr Trump and Mr Putin emerged to speak before reporters in Anchorage, but they took no questions. "I believe that we had a very productive meeting. There were many, many points that we agreed on - most of them. I would say. A couple of big ones that we haven't quite got there. But we have made some head way. There is no deal until there is a deal. I will call up NATO in a little while. I will of course call up President Zelenskyy." Mr Trump later told Fox News that he rated the meeting a 10 out of 10 - even though he revealed no details of the points of agreement and disagreement. "There is not that much. There is one or two significant items (of disagreement). But I think they can be reached. Not it is really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations. They have to get involved a little bit. But it is up to President Zelenskyy. And if they like, I will be at the next meeting. They are going to set up a meeting between President Zelenskyy, President Putin and myself, I guess. Not that I want to be there, but I want to make sure that it gets done. We have a pretty good chance of getting it done." It is a change in the tone Mr Trump had a few weeks ago when he issued a August 8 deadline for Mr Putin to show a genuine commitment to a ceasefire - or face stronger sanctions. At the post-meeting press conference, Mr Putin was keen to cast the meeting as a success for him - in receiving the invitation, but also on the prospect of a Russian-US economic reset. "I expect that today's agreement will be the starting point - not only for the solution of the Ukrainian issue. But will also help us bring back business and pragmatic relations between Russia and the US." He says he has not shifted in his position on the full-scale invasion in Ukraine. "We're convinced that in order to make the settlement lasting long-term, we need to eliminate the primary roots, the primary causes of the conflict. And we have said it multiple times, to consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe - and in the world on a whole." And at the end of the press conference, Mr Putin was eager to secure another meeting with the US President. Donald Trump: "Thank you very much Vladimir." Vladimir Putin: "Next time in Moscow." Donald Trump: "Oh, that's an interesting one! I will get a little heat on that one but I could see it possibly happening. Thank you very much Vladimir. Thank you all! Thank you!" Vladimir Putin: Thank you so much." Matthew Sussex is a fellow at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre. He says there was a lot of theatre and optics involved in the high stakes visit - and Mr Putin got what he wanted. "Yes, it's certainly a win for Vladimir Putin. The optics of it were that, you know, he came to American territory, but American territory in Alaska, which of course previously was part of the Russian Federation and there was a lot of media talk in Russia and billboards going up saying, you know, Alaska is Russian and we will take that back. So he got a photo opportunity with Donald Trump. So it makes him look, look respected and valued and making the American president travel all the way to Anchorage to meet him. And at the same time, he basically dodges those sanctions that Trump had threatened." Mark Cancian is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. He says despite the convivial language between Mr Trump and Mr Putin, the Alaska summit was planned haphazardly from start to finish. "The press conference was startling - even bizarre - in the sense that the meeting was expected to last maybe six hours and broke up after about three. Then the press conference was called very abruptly. The journalists race into the room. The parties come on stage and speak their piece. Putin starts off and Trump responds, and then they trip off after a couple of minutes, they take no questions and Putin gets on his airplane, flies away. And I don't think anyone quite expected a result like that. On the other hand, the words spoken were very friendly. Both Putin and Trump were encouraging about the future, but vague. And this is clearly the first step on, you know, what could be a long journey." He says negotiations to end wars can take a long time to finalise, but there is a positive for Ukraine in that the worst outcome was avoided. "Another encouraging thing was Trump saying that the Europeans and Ukraine, President Zelenskyy, had to be part of this agreement, and that had not come through quite clearly again about a week ago. The concern is that the pressure will go on to Zelenskyy to give up territory, to make an end to the conflict and get it over with as Trump would say. The Ukrainians are very reluctant to give up territory." Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has been briefed on the Alaska meeting in a phone call with Mr Trump. The call also ended with an invitation for him to come to Washington DC on Monday (18 August local time). He says he has accepted the invitation and looks forward to discussing "all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war".
SBS Australia
13 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Evening News Bulletin 16 August 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . Seismologists warn of aftershocks after Queensland records largest mainland earthquake in five decades No deal struck on ending war in Ukraine after high stakes meeting in Alaska Tributes for former Australia cricket captain Bob Simpson Seismologists are warning of aftershocks, following a 5.6-magnitude quake that struck near the Queensland town of Kilkivan this morning. Tens of thousands of people say they felt the tremor, which Geoscience Australia says was the strongest earthquake to hit the state's mainland in five decades, and the third and strongest to hit Australia in recent days. Premier David Crisafulli says no one in Queensland expected to wake up to that. "Things falling off mantelpieces. People have told me they thought that their partner was out the back with a jack hammer. There's been some amazing stories that have come through and we obviously are waiting to see damage and we hope everyone is okay. This is obviously just all unfolding now, but it's certainly not what we expected in Queensland this morning that's for sure." No agreement to end the the war in Ukraine has been reached, after a meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was excluded from the almost three hour meeting. Mr Trump and Mr Putin took no questions from reporters during the post-meeting press conference - the first face-to-face encounter between the leaders in six years. Mr Trump says he is feeling good about the meeting, even though no deal was reached. He told Fox News, he expects a future meeting to take place between Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy. "And it (the Alaska meeting) was very extensive. And we agreed on a lot of points. But there is not much. There is one or two (outstanding) pretty significant items. But I think they can be reached. Now it is really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And if they like, I will be at the next meeting. They are going to set up a meeting between President Zelenskky and President Putin. And myself, I guess. I didn't even ask about it. Not that I want to be there. But I want to make sure, it gets done." An important milestone in Aboriginal land rights movement is being marked today. It is 50 years since then prime minister Gough Whitlam poured a handful of soil into the hands of Gurindji Elder Vincent Lingiari - marking the official return of a portion of land in the Northern Territory to the traditional owners. For many years leading up to that point, the Gurindji people had demanded the return of their traditional lands, including through actions like the historic 1966 strike at Wave Hill station. In a statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the iconic photo of the red earth trickling from the hands of Mr Whitlam to the hands of Mr Lingiari is an enduring tribute to the courage and solidarity of the Gurindji people, which provides inspiration for the journey ahead. The Gurindji Aboriginal Corporation says the upcoming annual Freedom Day festival next week (22-24 Aug) will honour the half century milestone, its national significance - and the legacy of Vincent Lingiari. The Consul-General of Japan in Sydney, Osamu Yamanaka says the co-operation of nations in working towards a world free of nuclear weapons remains an urgent mission. World leaders are marking 80 years since the end of World War Two, when Japan surrendered after the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The events marked the world's first wartime use of a nuclear bomb. At a commemoration event in Sydney, Mr Yamanaka says the work must continue towards the complete elimination of nuclear weapons globally. "Looking at the current situation, with the international security environment having become more severe and more complex - the international community is more divided over approaches to nuclear disarmament and the risk of the use of nuclear weapons continues to rise. Therefore, it is more important than ever that Japan and Australia work together to take the path towards a world without nuclear weapons." In sport, former Australian men's Test cricket captain Bob Simpson is being remembered as a legend of the game - and an era-defining coach. The former player, captain and coach has died in Sydney at the age of 89. One of only seven Australians to make a triple-century, he also coached the national team to win the 1986 Cricket World Cup, several Ashes series, and the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1995 when Australia beat the West Indies in the Caribbean. Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird says Simpson "was one of the greats of Australian cricket", while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted his extaordinary service, describing him as an "era-defining coach" who set the highest of standards for himself and the champions he led.
The Australian
14 hours ago
- The Australian
Treasurer Jim Chalmers flag approvals changes in environmental laws
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Australians are 'burning cash' waiting for approvals as he takes aim at Australia's sluggish productivity rate ahead of a three-day talkfest in Canberra. Chalmers will next week host an economic reform roundtable in Canberra where boosting productivity and building resilience in Australia's economy and budget will take centre-stage. Speaking with The Guardian, Mr Chalmers said slow approval times by governments and councils had stymied productivity. 'It will be one of the main ways that people think through our regulatory challenges and our challenges around the time it takes to get projects approved,' Chalmers told the Guardian. 'In all the consultation I've been doing – in housing, renewable energy projects – there are too many instances where people are burning cash waiting for approvals to build things that we desperately want people to build.' The treasurer's remarks signal reform to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is a high priority for the re-elected government. The Albanese government failed to deliver on its promise of reform the country's complex environmental laws its first term. Treasurer Jim Chalmers told The Guardian reform to the country's environmental laws, including the permitting process, could boost productivity. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman. Separately, Mr Chalmers told NewsWire on Friday that Australia's sluggish birthrate meant the country would have to lift productivity to maintain living standards. 'It's not surprising that the birthrate has slowed given the pressures on people, including financial pressures,' he said. 'We want to make it easier for them to make that choice. If they want to have more kids, we want to make it easier for them to do that, and that's what motivates a lot of our changes.' As Australia struggles to boost the economy, and in turn raise wages and living standards, it's contending with a sluggish birthrate of 1.5 births per woman, which is under the 2.1 figure needed to sustain population growth. Boosting productivity will be essential to ensuring that Australia's ageing population can weather economic headwinds, the Treasurer said. 'Now, the reason why the productivity challenge is important to this is because our society is ageing, and over time, there will be fewer workers for every person who's retired,' he said. 'We need to make sure that our economy is as productive as it can be, as strong as it can be to withstand that demographic change, which is going to be big and consequential.'
