☕️ What happened with the U.S. and Ukraine?

Overnight, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Europe is at “a crossroads in history”.

He was referring there to supporting Ukraine, after a big weekend involving U.S. and Ukrainian leaders.

Not sure what we’re talking about? First, watch this. Then, read our 2 minute section below. You’re going to be hearing a lot about Ukraine in the news over the next few months, so let’s dive into it.

“There’s a lot of acronyms in this business and, you know, we all get thrown … from time to time."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking about U.S. President Donald Trump. When Trump was asked by reporters if he'd be discussing AUKUS with his Australian and UK counterparts, the President responded: "What does that mean?"

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The company that owns New Zealand’s Whakaari White Island has successfully appealed its conviction over the 2019 volcanic eruption that killed 22 people and injured 25 others.

In 2023, a judge found Whakaari Management Limited (WML) didn’t properly assess the risks of a potential eruption on the island to tourists.

Its conviction was overturned in the High Court in Auckland yesterday.

Whakaari is a privately owned island about 50 kilometres off the northeast coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

It was a popular tourist attraction before a volcanic eruption on the island killed 22 people, including 17 Australians, in December 2019.

In 2020, WorkSafe NZ charged WML and several tour operators, arguing they failed in their health and safety obligations on the day of the eruption.

Six parties pleaded guilty ahead of a trial, and six others had their cases dismissed. WML was the only one to go to trial.

In 2023, a judge found WML didn’t do enough to minimise the risk of a volcanic eruption.

It found the company undermined tourists’ safety by failing to access full or frequent information from NZ’s volcano monitoring systems.

WML was found guilty of failing to comply with a “duty to ensure the health and safety of those on the island because of its business.”

The company was fined $NZ1 million ($AU940,000) and ordered to pay nearly $NZ5 million to “the victims of the eruption.”

WML’s appeal was granted on two grounds.

Its arguments were:

NZ High Court Justice Simon Moore ruled as follows:

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a tense conversation in front of media on Friday (local time).

Zelenskyy was visiting the White House to sign a minerals deal with the U.S, but left after the exchange. The deal remains unsigned. Following the meeting, Trump said: “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved.”

In the days since, a coalition of European leaders have rushed to publicly back Ukraine’s leader, announcing a four-point plan to increase their defence assistance for Ukraine. Here’s what you need to know.

Last week, the White House announced Zelenskyy would visit Washington D.C. on Friday (local time) to sign a deal reached between the U.S. and Ukraine.

Under the proposal, the U.S. would have access to Ukraine’s profits from rare earth elements in exchange for investment and security for Ukraine.

Rare earth elements are a group of minerals used in many modern products, like smartphones and wind turbines. Ukraine holds many deposits of these minerals.

Zelenskyy met with senior members of the Republican and Democratic parties on Friday morning.

He then spoke with President Trump and Vice-President JD Vance.

At the end of this meeting, reporters were invited into the President’s office – ‘the Oval Office’ – to hear a short statement from both leaders, followed by some questions.

During the broadcasted press conference, Zelenskyy argued Russia cannot be trusted to end the war diplomatically.

In response, Vance claimed it was “disrespectful” of Zelenskyy “to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media”.

Trump added Zelenskyy was “gambling with the lives of millions of people,” and “gambling with World War III”. Trump then criticised Zelenskyy for “not acting at all thankful” for U.S. support.

Vance also asked him to “offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the President who’s trying to save your country”.

In response, Zelenskyy said he had thanked the U.S. many times in the three years since Russia’s invasion.

When asked about “problems” in Ukraine, Zelenskyy asked Vance: “Have you ever been to Ukraine? Have you seen the problems we have? Come once.”

The press conference concluded with Trump saying: “You’re not acting at all thankful, and that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest, that’s not a nice thing.”

“Alright, I think we’ve seen enough, what do you think?... This is going to be great television, I will say that”.

Shortly after the meeting, Zelenskyy left the White House, prior to signing the deal. He was reportedly asked to leave by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior staff.

The Trump Administration later confirmed the two countries had not signed the deal.

Writing on Truth Social after Zelenskyy’s exit, Trump said: “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved… He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

A short time later, Zelenskky posted on X, saying: “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you [President Trump], Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

In a series of tweets, Zelenskyy also thanked other world leaders, who reaffirmed their support for the Ukrainian leader in the wake of the press conference.

On Sunday (local time), European leaders met in London with Zelenskyy to work on a peace plan described by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a way to support “a just and enduring peace for the good of all of us”.

He announced increased military funding and the formation of a “coalition of the willing” of European nations to “work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting”. Starmer said European nations would then “discuss the plan” with the U.S and “take it forward together”.

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The Heimay Island community’s ‘Puffling Patrol’ initiative helps puffin chicks who lose their way due to light pollution. The small Icelandic island boasts the largest breeding colony of Atlantic puffins in the world. Each year, fledgling seabirds fly to open waters from the island. However, some chicks become disorientated by the town lights and fly towards residential areas instead. Residents have come together to conduct search and rescue missions after dark, taking lost pufflings to safety. Experts say this "Puffling Patrol" plays a vital role in protecting these iconic seabirds, which are vulnerable to predators on land.

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Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Katy Perry is going to space.

U.S. company Blue Origin (owned by Jeff Bezos) has named an all-woman flight, taking six women “leading their industries” with the aim to empower and impact generations to come.

The mission will launch this autumn, led by Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez.

Katy Perry was named amongst the crew who will take a 10-minute trip just outside the cusp of the Kármán line — the border of our atmosphere and space.

As Katy Perry would say, this sounds supernatural, extraterrestrial.

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

The 97th Oscars are upon us, with today’s ceremony set to show us what Hollywood considers the best films of 2024. On today’s podcast, we’ll be breaking down everything you need to know about the Academy Awards, from Adrien Brody to Zoe Saldaña.