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Key posts
- Documents expose divisions between Canberra and Tokyo on abducted children
- NATO warns not to underestimate Russian forces
- This morning’s headlines at a glance
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Documents expose divisions between Canberra and Tokyo on abducted children
The Australian government raised the abduction of dozens of Australian children in meetings with Japan at the Quad and rejected the Japanese ambassador’s objection to using the term abduction, highlighting the deep division between Tokyo and Canberra on one of their most sensitive diplomatic disputes
New documents released under freedom of information laws show Australian officials slapped down claims by former Japanese ambassador Shingo Yamagami that the removal of the Australian children by a Japanese parent was not abduction or in breach of Japan’s international obligations.
Former Japanese ambassador Shingo Yamagami.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“We have reviewed the use of the terminology ‘abduction’,” the documents state.
“The term is appropriate for both the Australian domestic context and is consistent with international legal definitions and The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.”
Read the rest of the exclusive here.
NATO warns not to underestimate Russian forces
NATO’s chief said the power of Russia’s military shouldn’t be underestimated following the weekend mutiny against it by Wagner Group mercenaries, and said the alliance has increased its readiness to confront Russia.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance may decide to further boost its strength and readiness to face Russia and its ally Belarus when NATO leaders meet in Lithuania next month.
“So, no misunderstanding and no room for misunderstanding in Moscow or Minsk about our ability to defend our allies against any potential threat,” Stoltenberg said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: Reuters
At a meeting in The Hague of eight NATO leaders, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that neighbouring countries would face a heightened danger if the Wagner Group deploys its “serial killers” in Belarus.
Stoltenberg said it was still early to draw any conclusions about what Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his forces might do or whether they all might end up in Belarus.
The leaders agreed that, given the short-lived revolt by Wagner fighters in Russia over the weekend, that the allies should continue to bolster their forces along NATO’s eastern flank to discourage Russian President Vladimir Putin from attempting to widen his war.
NATO responded to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by deploying multinational battlegroups in Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
They complement another four deployed in 2017 in the three Baltic states and Poland, to expand NATO’s presence from the Baltics to the Black Sea. On Monday, Germany said that it stands ready to permanently base forces in Lithuania, if needed.
Rutte and Stoltenberg met with the presidents of Romania and Poland and leaders of Belgium, Norway, Albania and Lithuania at the Dutch leader’s official residence in a leafy suburb of The Hague.
AP
This morning’s headlines at a glance
Good morning, and thanks for your company.
It’s Wednesday, June 28. I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.
Here’s what you need to know before we get started:
- A national row over the Indigenous Voice to parliament has emboldened the Liberal Party in its bid to hold a key federal seat in a looming byelection.
- Strong commodity prices and a super-tight jobs market have swelled the federal budget surplus beyond the $4.2 billion forecast, but economists are warning there is now a 50-50 chance of a recession.
- Military experts questioned how the Albanese government’s latest aid package to Ukraine adds up to an impressive-sounding total of $100 million.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will reveal today that the larger-than-expected surplus will take some heat out of the economy.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
- Former Morrison minister Stuart Robert’s dealings with consulting firm Synergy 360 and the PwC tax scandal are at the top of the Greens’ referral list for the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
- Senator David Van billed taxpayers for accommodation in the Whitsundays region while he was onboard an all-expenses-paid voyage on a defence ship.
- Uber says Australian drivers are at risk of being among the last in the world to buy an electric car for the same price as a petrol car unless rules force manufacturers to boost imports of greener models.
- Overseas, Russian President Vladimir thanked his military and security forces for preventing a civil war during an address to troops at the Kremlin.
- The Australian government raised the abduction of dozens of Australian children in meetings with Japan at the Quad meeting earlier this year.
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