Putin dampens peace talk hope, what parents think of YouTube, could Toronto’s house price slump happen here? | The Guardian

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Moscow has dismissed US talk of a three-way summit, saying it ‘was not discussed’ with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff.

08/08/2025

Putin dampens peace talk hope, what parents think of YouTube, could Toronto’s house price slump happen here?

Paul Gallagher

Good morning. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, is pouring cold water on hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough in the Russia-Ukraine war, claiming that he is “far from” meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed Israel intends to take military control of all of Gaza, temporarily.

Three years ago house prices in Sydney and Toronto in Canada looked the same, but since then they have widely diverged. We ask: could a similar property slump happen here?

Plus: we look at why some Australian netballers are choosing to turn their backs on the sport.

Australia

Increased destruction of remnant forests, which support endangered species, is the ‘most alarming’ revelation in Queensland land clearing data, conservationists say.

‘Shocking’ | Forest across an area more than 1,000 times the size of the Sydney CBD was bulldozed in Queensland in 2022-23, new figures have revealed – sparking warnings of risks to endangered species.

Analysis | At the start of 2022, Sydney and Toronto had equivalent home prices. But while Australia’s urban property values have kept rising, Canada’s have crashed. Could Australia see a similar slump?

‘Cannot be trusted’ | As the government plans to include YouTube in its ban on social media accounts for children under the age of 16, Guardian readers shared insights into how their kids use the platform.

Gender pay gap | A landmark report has found that workplace gender segregation is “a handbrake” on Australia’s economy, as figures reveal men are paid more than women in 98% of jobs.

AI debate | The government is facing rising pressure to confirm how it plans to regulate fast-growing AI technology, with the Coalition critical of what it sees as mixed messaging from Labor ministers.

World

A Ukrainian serviceman fires a howitzer towards Russian positions in the Donetsk region this week.

Russia-Ukraine war | Vladimir Putin has said he is not ready to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a refusal that could derail prospects of a face-to-face bilateral summit with Donald Trump next week; Kyiv has opened a war crime inquiry into the head of a notorious Russian prison.

Trump tariffs | More than 60 countries are scrambling to respond to the latest wave of US tariffs announced by Donald Trump, amid dire warnings of job losses and trade impacts; Narendra Modi says India is ready to “pay a heavy price” as it seeks to resist US tariffs.

Gaza crisis | Benjamin Netanyahu says he intends to push ahead with a full military occupation of Gaza – but says Israel doesn’t want to “keep it”; the footballer known as “Palestinian Pelé” has been killed by an Israeli attack in Gaza.

‘Significant step’ | OpenAI says it has taken a leap forward with its latest upgrades to ChatGPT – though there are still “many things” missing in its quest to create a system able to do humans’ jobs.

Tackling plastics? | More than 200 industry lobbyists are attending the UN’s meeting to hammer out a global plastics treaty, raising fears that moves to curb plastic production may be undermined.

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Full Story

Newsroom edition: the politics of the Sydney Harbour Bridge protest

A sea of people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the weekend to protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza. But police, organisers and the protesters themselves all portrayed the same public event in a very different light. Bridie Jabour speaks with Lenore Taylor and Mike Ticher about the political fallout from the Harbour Bridge protest.

In-depth

Pari Nikau with his belongings. He is homeless and sleeping rough at Sydney’s Central Station.

Pari Nikau just wants to get a good night’s sleep – but each morning he’s woken by NSW police telling him to move on. He is among the rough sleepers at Sydney’s Central Station who have faced increasingly restrictive rule changes. Officials say they’re “surging” support services in the area – but, as Caitlin Cassidy discovers, Nikau and his friends want them to start with compassion.

Not the news

Ashley Zukerman in Melbourne’s Capitol theatre, where his new movie, One More Shot, will screen during the Melbourne International Film festival.

Ashley Zukerman is that guy: you’ll know him from something and you’ll have enjoyed him in it. It might be from Succession, Apple Cider Vinegar, or Apple’s dystopian drama Silo. Next, Melbourne International film festival-goers will see him in One More Shot, alongside Emily Browning and a magic bottle of tequila. He talks to Sian Cain about disliking heroes, playing “punchable men” – and finally being proud of his work.

Sport

Some Australian netball players spend years waiting for an elusive Super Netball contract and for many it stays out of reach.

Netball | Australia’s netballers are turning their backs on the sport in search of viable careers elsewhere, Georgia Rajic writes.