Tag Archives: oceania

What we know about Trump and Putin’s historic meeting in Alaska tomorrow

The eyes of the world will be on Alaska tomorrow as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin come face-to-face for a highly anticipated meeting.

The visit will mark the first time Putin has travelled to the US since his appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2015.

Ahead of the historic meeting, Trump holds hopes Putin will "make a deal" on the conflict in Ukraine but White House officials are managing expectations by downplaying the meeting as a "listening exercise".

READ MORE: Trump 'disappointed and disgusted' with Albanese

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will come face to face for an historic meeting.

When is the Trump and Putin meeting?

Putin's foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov has told reporters the world leaders would meet at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military site in Anchorage, Alaska at 11.30am on Friday (local time).

This is 5.30am (AEST) on Saturday in Australia.

The leaders are expected to first have a one-on-one discussion with the help of interpreters.

Ushakov told reporters this would be followed by a business lunch.

He said the length of the discussions "will depend on the presidents".

"Following the talks, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will hold a joint press conference, in which they will sum up the results of the negotiations," Ushakov told reporters.

Trump said he could give solo remarks if the meeting "doesn't end well".

What are they discussing?

The world leaders are expected to discuss the settlement of the war in Ukraine.

We can also expect Trump and Putin to talk about potential economic cooperation between Russia and the US.

In the lead-up to the meeting, Trump has threatened Russia with "very severe consequences" if Putin doesn't agree to end the war in Ukraine.

However, when reporters asked if this meant new sanctions or tariffs, he simply said: "I don't have to say."

Trump has previously threatened Moscow with new sanctions as a punishment for the Ukraine war but has not followed through on the threats to date.

Before his journey to the US, Putin said the current US administration had made "energetic and sincere efforts" to stop the conflict in Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Trump indicated there could be some "land swapping" to end the war but this was a move both the Ukraine and Russia have rejected.

Why isn't Zelenskyy there?

Trump suggested his goal was to move toward a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly after the summit if discussions went well.

A Ukrainian source has told CNN it would not be logistically feasible for Zelenskyy to meet with the US President and Russian president in Alaska immediately after their talks.

"Remember that every international trip out of Kyiv starts with a 12-hour train journey. Getting to Alaska would take nearly two days," the source told the news outlet.

However, the Ukrainian source said "if a trilateral meeting is to be held, Ukraine would want Russia to agree to a ceasefire as a first step", before any talks could happen.

They added Trump is expected to call Zelenskyy to debrief him on the outcome of the Alaska summit and discuss future steps.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Barking dog alerts woman with partial deafness to arson attack on home

A barking dog alerted a woman with partial deafness to a firebombing attack on her home in Sydney's west. 

Melanie Sullivan and her dog were inside her home on Hope Street in Penrith when flames erupted about 10pm yesterday.

CCTV shows two hooded men making their way around the brick home moments before one threw accelerant on the front door.

READ MORE: Beloved film critic David Stratton dies aged 85

They can then be seen lighting it up, with one man appearing to have burnt himself in the process.

The other man was seen setting the liquid alight.

The footage shows one of the men appearing to have burnt himself.

The pair then quickly fled the scene.

Sullivan told 9News she lives with epilepsy and partial deafness and was only alerted to the fire because of her barking dog, Buddy.

"I'm deaf in my right ear. If it wasn't for my dog barking, it might have been too late," she said.

Sullivan ran out of her home and grabbed a garden hose in an attempt to control the blaze.

"Lucky I had fire extinguishers and a fire blanket. Managed to put the fire out before the fire brigade even got here," she said. 

READ MORE: All states and territories agree to rush through urgent childcare reforms

No one was injured, and there was only damage to the front door. 

Sullivan said she has no idea who the hooded men were or why they would firebomb her home.

"I feel like crap. I'm really shaking, it was a really big ordeal," she said.

"It could have killed me. I could have lost everything and my dog and me." 

Police are investigating what they say was a targeted attack.

"It's obviously a very brazen attack," Detective Inspector Michael Cantrell said. 

"At this stage, we've got a number of lines of inquiry. We believe it is a targeted attack."

Police are searching for the two men. Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Government considers challenge to teen killer’s lesser sentence

A state attorney-general says she will consider a High Court challenge after a teenage murderer was granted a reduced sentence on appeal.

The teenager, who murdered a mother of two during a Christmas holiday home invasion, has had his time in detention reduced by almost 18 months on appeal.

The boy, who cannot be named as he was aged 17 at the time of the offences, fatally stabbed Emma Lovell in the heart after he broke into her family's house north of Brisbane about 11.30pm on Boxing Day in 2022.

READ MORE: Warning illegal pregnancy devices could be associated with baby deaths

Following a successful appeal on Friday, the teen will now serve a minimum of about eight years and four months in detention instead of about nine years and nine months before he is released under supervision.

Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the appeal was an unacceptable outcome and claimed it was caused by the previous Labor government's "weak laws".

"I am now looking at my options to make an appeal to the High Court," she said.

Queensland Labor has been contacted for comment.

READ MORE: Police smash alleged $10 million shoplifting network

Emma Lovell died after she was stabbed in a home invasion. Her husband Lee was also injured.

Mrs Lovell's husband, Lee, who was wounded during the home invasion, was unable to attend court on Friday when the appeal decision was handed down.

The home invasion led to "adult crime, adult time" changes in Queensland law that allow for youth offenders to face a mandatory life sentence for murder with a minimum 20 years before parole.

"The murder of Emma Lovell rocked the State and Queenslanders made it very clear enough is enough and change needed to occur," Frecklington said.

"The community and Emma's family will be devastated by this outcome and our thoughts are with them on another very difficult day they should never have had to endure."

Justice Tom Sullivan in May 2024 sentenced the teen, then aged 19, to a maximum of 14 years with a requirement to serve 70 per cent of that time in detention, after he found the crime to be "particularly heinous".

The Court of Appeal on Friday allowed the teen's appeal against the length of his sentence, finding it was "manifestly excessive".

Justice David Boddice found the 14-year sentence should stand but reduced the detention period to 60 per cent.

He cited the teen's guilty plea, "genuine remorse and prospects of rehabilitation" as special circumstances justifying his release from detention after serving less than the statutory 70 per cent.

The teen had appealed Sullivan's "particularly heinous" finding in a bid to get his overall sentence reduced to 10 years.

However, Boddice found Sullivan's decision to impose the maximum overall sentence available at the time to be "plainly correct".

"The death of an entirely innocent person, on their own front lawn, as the consequence of a knife attack by a youthful offender… is properly described as provoking a sense of outrage," Boddice stated.

READ MORE: Putin praises Trump's efforts to end Ukraine war ahead of summit in Alaska

The teen now has five years left to serve in detention after 500 days of pre-sentence custody in May 2024 were recognised as time served.

The teen's male co-offender, also a juvenile, was acquitted of murder at a judge-only trial in October.

He was found guilty of burglary and the assault of Mr Lovell and in December he was sentenced to 18 months' detention – time he has served.