The chief of the Russian private military group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed his forces have taken complete control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after months of brutal fighting.

"The operation to capture Bakhmut lasted 224 days," he said in a video posted to Telegram, seeking to claim a final victory in the city.

CNN could not independently verify Prigozhin's claim, but an initial response from the Ukrainian side disputed it.

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Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar, in a Telegram post less than an hour after the Russian mercenary's claim was published, admitted the situation in Bakhmut was "critical" but said Ukrainian troops were still "holding the defence" in a district on Bakhmut's western-most edge.

"As of now, our defenders control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector," she said.

Prigozhin added that his forces will hand the control of Bakhmut to the Russian military on May 25.

"Until May 25, we will completely inspect it, create the necessary defence lines and hand it over to the military so that they can continue to work, and we ourselves will go to field camps," he said.

Wagner also received a message of praise from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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"Vladimir Putin congratulates the Wagner assault detachments, as well as all units of the Russian Armed Forces, which confirmed the presence and closure of the flanks, on the completion of the operation to liberate Artemovsk," Russian state news agency TASS reported the Kremlin as saying, using the Soviet-Russian name for Bakhmut.

While Russian forces have continued their slow street-by-street advance in the city itself for many months, over the last two weeks Ukrainian forces have managed to recapture small pockets of territory held by Russian troops to the northwest and southwest of the city.

If confirmed, for Russia Bakhmut's capture would mark the country's first gain in months, but the city's symbolism always outweighed its strategic importance.

Russian forces, bolstered by members of the Wagner mercenary group, have taken heavy losses trying to capture the city.

There are no official casualty figures, but earlier this year a NATO source told CNN they estimated that for every Ukrainian soldier killed defending Bakhmut, Russia lost five.

The battle has also highlighted an extraordinary rift among Russian forces, with Prigozhin at one point accusing a Russian brigade of abandoning its position in the city and railing several times at the Defence Ministry over a lack of ammunition.

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How the battle unfolded

Over the early part of 2023, the routes into Bakhmut had gradually come under the control of Russian forces and the battle for the city turned into an inch-by-inch grind, with Ukrainian forces repelling dozens of assaults each day.

Rather than drive directly towards the city centre, Wagner troops sought to encircle the city in a wide arc from the north.

In January they claimed the nearby town of Soledar, and later took a string of villages and hamlets north of Bakhmut, making Ukraine's defence of the city increasingly perilous.

But even as Moscow's troops closed in and most residents fled through dangerous evacuation corridors, a small group of Ukrainian civilians remained in the ruined city. Before the war, around 70,000 people lived in Bakhmut. As of March it stood at less than 4,000.

The battle has been likened to the kind of fighting seen in World War I.

Pictures from the area showed soldiers wading through mud with trees mangled by artillery fire.

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Jim Robertson was driving home on a quiet Queensland street last night when a "bright beaming light" suddenly flashed across the sky.

His dashcam captured the moment the sky lit up as he was driving on University Road in Towsnville, about 9.22pm.

People from across Queensland have reported seeing bright blue and green flashes in the sky, followed by a boom.

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Born and bred in Towsnville, Robertson said he had never seen anything like it before.

"There it was, it was a couple of seconds," he told 9news.com.au.

"We just thought, 'What the hell is that? Are we being evaded, was it a plane crash, was it space junk?'

He added the streaking light was "quite large". 

"It's something you don't expect driving home," Robertson said.

"This thing was so huge and the light was just so bright. There was a plane coming in at the same time, so those pilots would have had a great view.

"It was a fluke experience that we were lucky enough to get on the dashcam." 

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In another video shared with 9News, Marcello Avolio captured what he called a "fire ball" in the sky.

The still quiet of the night was suddenly disrupted with a blinding flash. 

Australian National University Astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker confirmed the item was "definitely" a meteor."

"This was a bit of space rock essentially, probably broken off an asteroid in the asteroid belt, the area between Mars and Jupiter," he said.

"As it hit the earth's atmosphere, it created this bright flash and show in the sky."

Tucker said the meteor was travelling anywhere between 100,000 and 150,000 km/h.

"The blue-green colour is iron and nickel on the meteor heating up," he said.

"It breaks apart and as it breaks apart, that's what gives us that flash and sonic boom that people heard and saw.

"Light travels faster than sound, so when the meteor hits, you see the bright flash – but what people don't realise is that this thing is probably nowhere near them."

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Ex Health NZ boss Rob Campbell addresses a group of clinical health professionals

Plus 10 ways to use it to better yourself professionally.

The decision, announced as part of Budget 2023, will cost the government $619m.

A motorcycle from 1918 featured at the annual event.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has thrown his weight behind the efforts of G7 leaders to curb China's growing assertiveness in the Indo Pacific region.

In a statement, the G7 leaders said they had "serious concerns" about China's maritime activities in the South China and East China seas and called for a "free and open Indo Pacific".

The leaders also called out Beijing's "economic coercion" – using trade sanctions to sway other countries including Australia – and urged China to "play by international rules".

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The G7 leaders also called for a "peaceful resolution" of China's claim to Taiwan, which has remained unresolved since the communists gained power on the Chinese mainland in 1949.

Albanese, who is attending the G7 summit as a guest, said leaders' statements about China were in tandem with Australia's stance.

He said Australia was concerned about China's assertiveness in the Indo Pacific, which has included interceptions of Australia military aircraft by Chinese warships.

"We have said for some time that China's activity, and we expressed concern for ourselves as well, the chafing of one of our aircraft, the other activities that we've seen has provided concern.

"We've expressed concern in the past, we'll continue to do so. What we need to do is to make sure that we work in a way that enhances the peace, security, and stability in the region.

"We very clearly support the status quo when it comes to the Taiwan Straits and that is Australia's position – we've consistently stated that."

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'All about containing China'

The leaders of the Quad countries – Australia, the US, India and Japan – also called for a "a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient" and when they held a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit overnight.

The leaders met after next week's planned meeting at the Sydney Opera House was cancelled.

9News chief political editor Charles Croucher said while the Quad leaders' statement did not mention China, the ambitions of the rising superpower occupied a major part of the meeting.

"The Quad calling for peaceful, prosperous, stable region, but the next sentence was free from cohesion and any intimidation.

"I don't think think you have to look too far to realise who they are taking about.

"That was the whole purpose of the Quad was to contain China, not now but into the future as well by brings these four democracies together, four powers of the Pacific and working as a unified front."

On the margins of the summit, US President Joe Biden held talks with Albanese in lieu of the now-scrapped visit to Australia.

The focus of the meeting as focused on the stability of the Indo-Pacific as China continues to expand its power in the region.

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Biden apologised for skipping Australia. Albanese said he understood the circumstances.

"I would have done exactly the same thing," he told Biden, adding, "I'm very much looking forward to the state visit."

The leaders signed a compact pledging to deepen their partnership on developing the raw materials used in clean energy technologies — as they each seek to move supply away from reliance on China. They also issued a joint statement outlining new areas of cooperation in space, trade and defence.

"This is about creating an enormous opportunity for Australia and I can't underline how significant this is," Albanese said during a press conference.

"I want to thank President Biden for it."

A clean energy pact was also signed with Biden to provide "economic support, social and environmental support".

It will combine resources and enable the expansion of clean energy supply chains.

"The president will support the [US] Congress taking action to treat Australian suppliers and activity as domestic activity in the United States, for the purpose of the Defence Production Act," Albanese said.

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Australians are warned to get their children vaccinated for the flu ahead of winter, as new data shows only 1 in 10 children have had their jab.

Royal Children's Hospital pediatrician Dr Anthea Rhodes said more than 40,000 cases have already been recorded this year, with the most affected age group children between 0 and 14.

"The flu season is well and truly here," she told Weekend Today.

READ MORE: Flu season 2023: When should you get your influenza vaccine?

Rhodes said flu in children, particularly very young children could lead to a "very serious illness".

She said it was vital for parents to "get that jab done" for their kids this winter.

"In some instances, it can have severe affects on the chest and lungs causing pneumonia," Rhodes said.

"It can also cause inflammation of the heart and inflammation of the heart and inflammation of the brain and in some instances death."

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Rhodes said new data released today also found 1 in 5 parents aren't planning to vaccinate their kids at all.

"For many of those parents, there are still miss beliefs and confusion about the flu vaccine," she said.

"We need to remind people that flu is serious, particularly in young children.

"It's more fatiguing to face a dose of influenza and all the flow-on effects for the child and everyone in your home than it is to have another vaccine."

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There is also misinformation spreading online, Rhodes said.

"We have a number of parents who believe you can catch the flu from the flu vaccine," she said.

"The flu vaccine is not a live vaccine. There is no way you can catch the flu from the flu vaccine."

"About 70 per cent of parents also didn't know that they need a new flu vaccine every year. Even if you or your child had a vaccine last year, it will no longer be protecting you."

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Kindergarten could be made free to thousands of families across Queensland, under a cost-of-living shake-up.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the measure was being "seriously considered" ahead of the state budget next month.

The move would save families save thousands a year, with the premier warning of an "increasing gap" in the development of children who attend kindergarten and those who skip it.

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"We want to close the gap," she said.

Kindergarten is currently free for 14,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged children, and is cheaper for another 26,000.

Palaszczuk said it was important to expand that number by relieving the cost of living pressures.

"These early years are so important," she said.

"What we hearing from our prep teachers is that there is a big gap between those children who have had kinder and those who have not.

"We want to know what you think, will this cost of living measure help you and your family?"

The state budget will be handed down June 13.

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A drink driver has narrowly escaped injury after his car was hit by a train in Melbourne's north this morning.

Police allege the man drove straight through the boom gates at the intersection of Epping and Settlement roads, before the car was hit by a passenger train about 3.10am in Thomastown.

The 36-year-old driver along with the passengers from the train, were not injured.

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Police say the man was breath tested at the scene and returned a positive result before returning an evidentiary breath test reading of .113.

It is expected the Doveton man will be charged on summons with drink driving and traffic related offences.

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