Breakfast Wrap: Former Israeli negotiator heartbroken by Gaza suffering
A former Israeli peace negotiator says Israel's actions in Gaza amount to war crimes and genocide.
After a weekend of civilian deaths at Gaza aid points, which humanitarian groups blame on Israel, and Israel denies responsibility for, we hear from someone who used to be inside the tent.
Daniel Levy is outraged at Israel's war and the continued destruction of Gaza and its people.
Also on the podcast, the US is warning of imminent war in Taiwan and wants regional allies like Australia to up their defence spending. A former advisor to President Joe Biden will share his insights.
And what do you know about the 'dark fleet'?
The Cook Islands has been removed from an international shipping database known as the Registry Information Sharing Compact, as concerns mount over "flag hopping" and so-called dark-fleet operators.
Recap the morning's news, politics and global affairs with the Breakfast Wrap
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
As the Indo-Pacific theatre heats up, Aussie tech stocks could get busier
Hegseth sounds the alarm on China, urges Indo-Pacific to arm up Vection and DroneShield score fresh defence deals Harvest Tech keeps videos connected as it wins contracts If Pete Hegseth's message to Asia was meant to be subtle, someone forgot to give him the memo. Standing before a room of generals, ministers and defence strategists at Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue last Friday, the US Defence Secretary didn't mince words. China, he warned, was 'credibly preparing' to invade Taiwan, and the region had to 'step up' before the future became a war zone. 'We do not seek to dominate or strangle China,' Hegseth said, 'but we will not be pushed out.' The Chinese delegation responded by calling the US the 'biggest troublemaker' in the region, and the tension there was unmistakable. Hegseth's call for a 'strong shield of deterrence' wasn't just aimed at generals, it was a note to the budget offices of Indo-Pacific governments. Australia, tucked firmly into the US's circle of friends, was also being nudged to firm up its position. Hegseth floated 5% of GDP as a starting point for defence budgets, and that kind of big money obviously needs somewhere to land. Vection scores as war games go digital For Australian companies that can offer technology to prepare for modern threats – whether that's better comms, AI, or secure simulation platforms – the next few years could be fertile ground. In the end, war may be uncertain, but preparation isn't. And tech that helps nations prepare smarter might just find itself centre stage, whether the battle ever comes or not. But defence contracts are hard-fought, highly regulated, and often slow to deliver. So when a company announces a fresh deal in defence, no matter the size, investors tend to sit up and take notice. Which is exactly what happened when Vection Technologies (ASX:VR1) announced a fresh $1 million defence contract on Monday. This Perth-born outfit is known for its work in XR, short for 'extended reality.' In plain English, that means it builds virtual environments that blend the digital world with the real one. This technology can be used in VR (virtual reality) training sessions for soldiers, 3D models of a battlefield, or even remote mission planning in a virtual room that looks just like the real thing. What used to be sci-fi is now very much on the defence department's radar. The latest deal was Vection's fourth contract with the same defence client (un-named), a clear sign there's trust building. More importantly, the client's hinted there's more work coming, so this might just be chapter one. Vection's INTEGRATED-XR platform is essentially a digital Swiss Army knife that combines AI, 3D visualisation, Internet of Things (IoT) and voice-command systems into one package. It's designed to help defence teams train smarter, plan faster, and make better decisions under pressure. You can simulate a rescue mission in VR, see live battlefield data mapped in 3D, or rehearse crisis responses before boots even hit the ground. Vection's pitch is simple: when lives are on the line, mistakes are expensive, and the best way to avoid them is to train like it's the real thing. Droneshield, Harvest Tech also strike wins But it's not just Vection making moves. DroneShield (ASX:DRO) had struck a big win earlier, landing a $32 million deal in April to supply counter-drone gear to a major Asia-Pacific military. The deal bundled five separate orders into one, all due for delivery this year; a strong sign that Aussie-made defence tech is moving past trials and into the rollout phase. Meanwhile, when the mission moves from planning to execution, especially in remote or high-risk locations, that's where another Aussie-listed company, Harvest Technology Group (ASX:HTG), comes in. Harvest's flagship product is called Nodestream, which is all about secure communication – streaming video, audio, and data from almost anywhere, even on tight bandwidth. Nodestream lets a team in the field, say, on a patrol boat or remote base, stream high-quality live video back to headquarters without needing a fat internet pipe. It compresses the data in real time, keeps it encrypted and secure, and still manages to deliver crisp, mission-critical info fast. Whether it's a drone feed, a helmet cam, or a sensor-packed vehicle, commanders will stay in the loop. In 2023, Harvest landed its first defence contract with a Five Eyes customer for its Nodestream technology. Fast forward to 2024, and HTG announced a follow-up, not just one, but two more orders from the same customer. The company also had other wins, including orders from the European Union Defence Force and new UK-based offshore contractors, plus a successful drone trial with Japan's Self-Defence Force. All these contracts show that Australian tech does have a seat at the defence table, especially now, as the Indo-Pacific gears up for what might be a more contested and complex future.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
US suggests interim plan on Iran nuclear deal
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is proposing an interim plan that would allow Iran to enrich uranium at low levels. The New York Times reports that this interim plan would be in place while a broader arrangement is worked out, aimed at blocking the country's path to a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, Iran's President says Tehran will not bow to US pressure to dismantle its nuclear program.
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Labor's freedom in numbers is a double-edged sword on Gaza and Israel
In politics, it's not always those who sit opposite that you need to worry about. It's also those who sit behind you. As the Albanese government prepares to return to Parliament next month, it will sit across from a demoralised Coalition, which has spent the past couple of weeks breaking up and making up with all the drama of a high school couple. But perhaps posing more of a problem for Labor is a politician scorned. Dumped cabinet minister Ed Husic blamed Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles for his removal from cabinet, calling him a "factional assassin". But assassins are paid to kill and Husic's still kicking. The long-serving Labor MP wasted no time in saying the way power was wielded would repel people from the party, declaring former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus — a fellow victim of factional fighting — was denied dignity in the process. In dumping Husic from the ministry, the party has also liberated him from the shackles of cabinet solidarity that have seen him tread more carefully when speaking about the war in Gaza. No longer. Husic has been highly critical of the government for not doing enough to condemn Israel for withholding aid from Gaza. He said Australia "can and should be doing more" — from calling in the Israeli ambassador, to ramping up its contribution to the international humanitarian effort and imposing sanctions on Israel, beyond what's already been imposed on settlers in the West Bank. And while he noted Australia had signed a statement alongside several countries calling for the reinstatement of aid, he questioned why the government didn't "proudly" join the UK, Canada and France, saying they would take concrete actions if Israel didn't cease its renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid. There is also pressure within Labor's grassroots membership for the government to impose sanctions on Israeli individuals and groups, while former foreign ministers Gareth Evans and Bob Carr have also endorsed sanctions. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously said Australia is not a major player in the Middle East. But the impact of the war in Gaza is being felt acutely by people in Australia. Incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen, and Australians have also watched in horror as family members have been displaced or killed in the conflict. In trying to hold the middle ground on the Middle East, the government has often found itself disappointing all sides at home - those in support of Israel and those with anti-Zionist views, who feel let down by the government. And while Labor had a sweeping election victory, if you look under the hood of the results in western Sydney seats like Blaxland and Watson — where there are high concentrations of Arab-Australians — Labor's primary vote was down. Free from the constraints of an election campaign — and as images of burned, maimed and starving children, some crying and some simply too weak to — continue to be broadcast on people's screens, Albanese has toughened his rhetoric. Trying to allay the concerns of international allies, Israel has argued it would let a "basic amount of food" in for the Palestinian population. But Albanese said it was "outrageous" Israel was blocking food and supplies to people in need, while shrugging off calls for sanctions, saying the government would follow its own path. Australia will attend a United Nations-backed summit in New York this month, although at this stage it hasn't landed on who will go. The federal government's prevailing narrative is that Australia no longer sees recognition of a Palestinian state as occurring at the end of negotiations — but rather as a way of building momentum in the peace process. However, Labor has also been adamant there can be no role for Hamas in a future Palestinian state. Until the party lands on its next moves, they will have people within pushing for more to be done. As the prime minister fends off criticism from those now sitting much further back on the benches, the Greens have also had a blow from within. Having lost three seats in the lower house at the last election — including that of former leader Adam Bandt — it's now also lost a Senate seat. But this time, it had nothing to do with the voting public. Greens senator Dorinda Cox has defected to sit with the Labor party, saying her values align more closely with them. It's a curious statement, given just days ago she criticised Labor's approval of Woodside's expansion of the North West Shelf gas project out to 2070. But the senator had run unsuccessfully for the Greens deputy leadership in the wake of the election, and was facing the prospect of losing the number one spot on the Greens' WA senate ticket. Like many relationship break-ups, this split comes with baggage. Labor is taking on a senator who has also been accused of bullying a number of office staff, allegations she has denied and criticised as "missing context". But in turn the party gains a senator and punishes a party which the prime minister has declared has "lost their way." The last parliament saw numerous defections: Liberals and Nationals quit to sit as independents. Lidia Thorpe quit the Greens over the Voice, and Fatima Payman resigned from the Labor party over the party's position on the Gaza conflict. When Payman quit the party to sit as an independent, the prime minister suggested she should end her six-year term — "gifted" under Labor — and recontest the next federal election as an independent. However, presented with the opportunity to gain a number rather than lose one, Anthony Albanese said Cox would serve out the remainder of her term with Labor, noting she will have to be pre-selected through ALP processes to run for the next election. Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has described the Senate as a "political merry-go-round". And especially given the election was mere weeks ago — it begs the question: is it democratic for politicians, having been elected as a member of one party, to leave for another? There's currently no federal legislation in Australia that specifically addresses defections — only deaths and resignations — and experts have suggested punishing defectors could raise constitutional issues, and reduce stability and accountability in the Parliament. So while defections frustrate the public, they're a feature of the Australian parliament that isn't likely to go away. With an additional number in their ranks, the change is undoubtedly a morale boost for Labor, but practically it doesn't change the composition of the upper house dramatically. Labor still needs the Greens or the Coalition to pass legislation there, although this shift means that if the pair want to join forces to block government legislation, they'll need another number from the crossbench. Albanese will enter the first parliamentary sitting of the new government with calls to use his increased majority in the House to tackle more ambitious agenda items. Before the election, most in Labor were willing to swallow their concerns because of fears disunity would mean political death. But in the wake of a victory few saw coming, the enormous majority also comes with a downside for the PM. It means there are now more backbenchers to get on board, and more Labor MPs who could speak out if Albanese isn't able to land on a position everyone in the backbench is satisfied with.
