AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 11 at 0030
Social (MELBOURNE)
There is little sign of a dip in cyberbullying or image-based abuse in the six months since teenagers under 16 have been banned from social media.
But, even without a clear fall in reports of online harm, the early results are not necessarily discouraging, experts say, as the nation remains at the front of efforts to restrict under-16 access to social media.
The world-first ban, which stipulates users must be 16 or older to create or hold social media accounts, made international headlines in December.
Call patterns remained largely unchanged since the ban was introduced, a helplines operator said.
Non-profit yourtown operates Kids Helpline and virtual services manager Tony FitzGerald told AAP it was too early to gauge any real difference.
UK Stab (BELFAST)
Masked men have burned families out of their homes in Belfast in a wave of anti-immigrant violence after a Sudanese man was charged over a knife attack.
Hundreds of protesters, many with their faces covered, attacked police and burned vehicles in a number of locations across Northern Ireland on Tuesday after a video of the knife attack, which left one person with serious neck and head wounds, went viral.
A number of homes could be seen burning in the city on Tuesday evening, with video broadcast by the BBC showing police helping a family escape from a burning house.
"There can be no excuse and no justification for these attacks tonight," Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said in a statement.
Legal: Cutmore (BRISBANE)
A man accused of wielding a knife in a violent home invasion and carjacking spree has been stripped of bail.
Darren Brian Cutmore, 35, is in a mental health unit after allegedly sparking a police chase across Brisbane's north in May 2025 that ended when good Samaritans fought back.
A police helicopter tracked Cutmore who allegedly drove the wrong way down busy roads and threatened motorists during a six-hour rampage.
Cutmore on Wednesday had his bail revoked after a Supreme Court judge ruled he was an unacceptable risk to the public.
Cutmore allegedly began his spree when he broke into a home and held a woman at knifepoint before leaving in her blue BMW coupe.
He is accused of driving dangerously before pulling in front of a young woman, brandishing a large knife and demanding she get out of her vehicle.
Ukraine (KYIV)
Ukrainian drones have hit a historic museum in Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea.
The museum commemorates the 1853-1856 Crimea War between the Russian Empire and a coalition that included the Ottoman Empire. Russia was defeated in that war.
Sevastopol's Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said on Telegram the museum's roof was hit. He did not provide details about the damage or whether there were any casualties.
"The enemy will pay for this sacrilege!" Razvozhayev said in his post early on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in Crimea, authorities cut train schedules for night hours, the peninsula's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram, after a drone attack this week injured a train driver and killed his assistant.
The Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, is facing a fuel shortage following recent Ukraine drone attacks just as the holiday season starts.
Daniher (MELBOURNE)
A sea of blue beanies has streamed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground as punters join sporting royalty to farewell AFL legend and motor neurone disease crusader Neale Daniher.
Daniher, who became the symbol of the fight against MND, died on May 25 aged 65 after a 13-year-long public battle with what he called The Beast.
On Wednesday, thousands of people flocked to the same hallowed grounds where Daniher played for and coached both Melbourne and Essendon, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leading tributes at the state funeral.
Wife Jan Daniher will offer the first eulogy, which will be followed by tributes from Daniher's four adult children Bec, Lauren, Luke and Ben.
His brother, Anthony Daniher, will offer a tribute along with Brisbane's 2025 Premiership coach, Chris Fagan.
Legal: Joannidis (MELBOURNE)
The son of a woman killed in a horrific crash has declared the justice system "absolutely broken" after prosecutors lost their appeal of the driver's three-year prison term.
Christopher Joannidis ignored a police warning about the dangerous roads in Strathmerton, in Victoria's north, disregarded signs and crossed three sets of rumble strips before killing five people and a dog.
He had just been given a speeding ticket before he crashed into a ute, which was pushed into the path of a truck towing two trailers along the Murray Valley Highway in 2023.
Ute driver Deborah Markey, 62, her dog Sophie and four farm workers from Taiwan and Hong Kong who were staying at her home - Zhi-Yao Chen, Pin-Yu Wang, Wai Yan Lam and Hsin-Yu Chen - all died instantly.
Iran (WASHINGTON/DUBAI)
The United States has launched strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said Tehran had shot down a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, deepening doubts over a potential peace deal and further straining a fragile ceasefire.
The US military said "self-defense" strikes had targeted Iranian air defence, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command described the operation as a "proportional response" to Iran's downing of a US Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman and recent attacks on US forces and commercial shipping.
"CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from US Air Force and Navy fighter jets," the post on X said.
BudgetACT (CANBERRA)
The ACT will become the first state or territory to abolish stamp duty for first home buyers in the centrepiece measure of a housing-centric budget.
Set to be unveiled in the territory budget on Wednesday, exemptions will be extended to every resident entering the property market from July 1.
Currently, only homes under $1 million are exempt and purchasers must be below income eligibility thresholds.
"It's the result of a long-term plan to remove what is an inefficient and unfair tax, whilst, of course, continuing a progressive removal of stamp duty across the entire system," Chief Minister Andrew Barr told ABC Radio.
Stamp duty will also be dumped for pensioners, some National Disability Insurance Scheme recipients, anyone who has not owned a property for five years and owner-occupiers purchasing new builds.
In finance ...
Boresight (SYDNEY)
An Australian company that makes cheap drones for armies to destroy during training has soared after making its stock exchange debut.
Boresight shares were changing hands at 36c on Wednesday afternoon, up 80 per cent from the 20c offer price in its $8 million initial public offering, giving the company a market value of $75 million.
"I wouldn't say we're surprised at the result," Boresight managing director and chief executive Justin Olde told AAP.
"There was a lot of interest in the lead-up to the bell-ringing, so you're always cautiously optimistic.
"The fact that things did well, it's great, we're thrilled to bits with it.
"We're in a great position in a very fast, expanding and growing market, and that's reflected in what's happened to the share price."
Kmart (SYDNEY)
Two dozen more Kmarts will be refurbished with a new format that moves the cash registers back to the store entrances, and the group is also trialling a new concept store for home goods.
Kmart Group managing director Aleksandra Spaseska told analysts on Wednesday that 16 of the roughly 300 Kmarts in Australia had already been converted to the "Plan C+" format, which features entry and exit gates and relocated cash registers.
"It is delivering improved space allocation, better visual merchandising, and an enhanced beauty experience," Ms Spaseska said.
The format is also driving higher sales through increased cross-shop between departments, with shoppers buying more items per basket, she said.
As a result Kmart Group is increasing its investment in the transformation program and expects to have 40 stores trading in the new format by the end of 2026/27.
In entertainment ...
Arts Philanthropy (MELBOURNE)
Arts philanthropy is a distant dream for organisations in some of Australia's most remote communities, with generous donors far away in capital cities.
A parliamentary inquiry into arts and cultural philanthropy is trying to work out how to encourage more donations from the private sector, for groups such as the Northern Territory's peak music body, Music NT.
Current policies to encourage philanthropy favour city-based organisations and need structural reform, Music NT executive director Mark Smith told the federal inquiry.
"(Remote) organisations face thin local donor markets, higher delivery costs across vast distances, and limited access to major foundations," he said.
"We see this inquiry as a genuine opportunity to make cultural philanthropy work for the whole country."
The federal government will spend $1.1 billion on Australia's arts and cultural sector in 2026/27, according to budget figures.
Swift (LOS ANGELES)
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has made a surprise appearance in Hollywood at the premiere of animated movie Toy Story 5.
Swift sat at a piano in a full-length gown on stage at the Dolby Theatre and sang I Knew It, I Knew You, the song she wrote for the new Toy Story instalment.
The singer said she has been a longtime fan of the movie franchise.
"It means the world to me to be a small part of these films," she said on Tuesday.
Swift then introduced another unexpected guest - Randy Newman, composer of the musical scores and many of the breakout songs from the Toy Story movies.
The pair sang a duet of You've Got a Friend in Me, one of Newman's hits from the first Toy Story in 1995.
In sport ...
Com26 Cyc (BRISBANE)
Leigh Hoffman can see why cycling casuals will fire up for the Commonwealth Games Ashes battle on wheels and admits it will get his blood pumping too.
The Australian sprint star, fresh off a rare three-medal haul at last year's world championships, will headline the 25-strong cycling team to race at Glasgow's Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome next month.
He will defend the team sprint gold won in Birmingham alongside Matthew Glaetzer and Matthew Richardson as Australia again look for a Games gold rush to pave the way to LA's 2028 Olympics.
Both Matthews have gone though, with Glaetzer retired and Kent-born, Perth-raised Richardson controversially defecting to his native England barely a week after winning three medals for Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Com26 Swi (SYDNEY)
Australian star Cameron McEvoy is quietly confident the opportunity to outdo his world record swim will present itself in the near future.
All eyes will be on the world's fastest 50m freestyle swimmer when McEvoy competes for a Commonwealth Games spot at Sydney Olympic Park.
Wednesday's splash-and-dash at Australia's swim trials will be the 32-year-old's first meet since stamping himself as the fastest swimmer of all time at the China Swimming Open in March.
In Shenzhen, McEvoy powered to an extraordinary 50m freestyle world record of 20.88 seconds to obliterate the 17-year-old benchmark.
The Paris Olympic gold medallist clipped three-hundredths of a second off the 20.91 set by Brazilian Cesar Cielo in 2009, during the sport's "supersuit'' era.
While he admitted motivation "was kind of blown out of the sails" after China, McEvoy said he's not yet at his full potential following Wednesday's 50m heats.
Ends Bulletin
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