AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 12 at 1230
Ukraine (KYIV)
Two people have been killed and another 10 injured in a Ukraine attack on Russia's border region of Bryansk.
Two were killed and another two injured in shelling of the Suzemka area close to the border, with another seven wounded in an attack on petrol stations in Starodub some 110km away, Acting Regional Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said on Thursday.
A five-year-old boy was also injured in a separate drone attack.
In Ukraine's northern Sumy region, a 44-year old woman was killed and another 33-year-old woman seriously wounded in a Russian drone attack, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said early on Friday.
Three more people were injured in a drone attack in Ukraine's southern city of Mykolaiv, local authorities said on Telegram.
Legal: Griffith (BRISBANE)
One of Australia's worst pedophiles, former childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith, has failed in his bid to reduce the life sentence he received for hundreds of sex offences against young children.
Lawyers for the notorious 48-year-old predator in May argued in the Queensland Court of Appeal that the 27‑year non‑parole period he was handed in 2024 was ''manifestly excessive'' as they sought leave to appeal.
Justice David Boddice on Friday handed down the Court of Appeal's decision to dismiss the appeal during a brief sitting in Brisbane.
"The appeal against sentence is refused," he said.
Griffith pleaded guilty to 307 child sex offences against 65 victims aged between one and nine.
It included 28 counts of rape against girls mainly aged three to five at Queensland childcare centres between 2007 and 2022.
Ebola (DAKAR)
Congo's Ebola outbreak has spread to three new health zones, according to a government report that shows the number of confirmed cases had risen to 676, including 136 deaths.
The figure represented the total number of confirmed cases as of Wednesday, the report published on Thursday said.
The new health zones impacted by the outbreak were in North Kivu and Ituri.
A health zone in Congo's healthcare system covers a defined area with a network of clinics and a referral hospital, covering around 100,000 to 150,000 people. There are more than 500 health zones in the country.
When presenting the new figures, Africa Centre for Disease Control Director General Jean Kaseya expressed particular concern about the low number of contacts of Ebola patients in Congo that had been identified and traced.
SpaceX (NEW YORK CITY)
SpaceX has priced the biggest-ever US initial public offering at $US135 per share, making Elon Musk's rocket and spacecraft manufacturer one of the world's most valuable companies.
The IPO raised a record $US75 billion ($A106 billion) on the sale of 555.56 million shares, valuing the space, satellite and AI provider at $US1.77 trillion ($A2.51 trillion), a record for an initial offering.
Thursday's pricing caps off a months-long effort that realised Musk's most ambitious project yet even as he stood a handful of financial traditions on their head, and as some analysts question whether its lofty valuation is justified.
SpaceX will rank seventh among US-listed firms when its shares begin trading on the Nasdaq on Friday, though it lost money in 2025 and other mega-caps far outpace its revenue. That values the company more highly than firms as varied as JPMorgan Chase, Berkshire Hathaway and Eli Lilly, as well as tech giants such as Meta Platforms and Musk's own Tesla.
Rights (HOBART)
In July 2009, Father Frank Brennan was wrapping up his historic national human rights consultation, a job assigned by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
The task was mighty: to investigate whether Australia - the only developed democracy without a bill of rights - needed one, and how it might work.
Across the previous six months, Fr Brennan led roundtables in every state and territory, in cities, in Aboriginal communities, on Torres Strait islands, and even Christmas Island.
Over that time, the Jesuit priest moved from a self-declared fence-sitter to a reform-backer. The final report championed a human rights act.
But in winter 2009, as the group was writing up its 622-page report, he was asked to meet with Mark Arbib, then a NSW senator and factional leader.
Iran (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
US President Donald Trump says he has cancelled strikes against Iran that had been scheduled for later in the evening.
"Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said "discussions and final points" have been approved by the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and others.
"The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalised - Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly," he said.
NDIS (CANBERRA)
A controversial overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme appears to be on rocky ground after a snap three-day inquiry, during which almost all witnesses criticised the proposed changes.
Government officials have revealed a total of 350,000 people will either be kicked off the scheme or diverted to other programs by 2031, prompting accusations from the opposition the plan is a "cost-shifting" exercise.
The federal government hopes to legislate the reforms with the support of the Liberals and Nationals before parliament rises for the winter break on July 2.
While opposition NDIS spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh has agreed change is needed, she said advocates, states and territories had raised genuine fears about Labor's proposal.
"Throughout the hearings, witnesses have been telling the committee that people will die as a result of these changes. It is our responsibility to listen to their concerns," she said.
Economy (MELBOURNE)
Australians are working longer hours but it's not showing up on the productivity scoreboard as levels tumble to a post-pandemic low.
The Productivity Commission's quarterly bulletin reinforces the scale of the challenge confronting Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
Breaking down Australian Bureau of Statistics data, the report highlights labour productivity fell by 0.6 per cent in the March quarter while hours worked grew by 0.9 per cent.
In the year to the end of March, labour productivity was up a paltry 0.3 per cent compared with 2.2 per cent growth in hours worked.
"Australia's labour productivity growth is going from bad to worse," commission deputy chair Alex Robson wrote.
"The accounting is straightforward: the value of goods and services we produce is increasing, but not by as much as hours worked.
In finance ...
IVF (SYDNEY)
Australia's second-largest fertility services provider has downgraded its full-year earnings outlook, due to fewer would-be parents seeking its help.
Monash IVF, which has an assisted reproduction market share of about 20 per cent, now expects to report an underlying net profit between $17 million and $18 million for the 2025/26 financial year.
"The key driver for the revised FY26 earnings outlook is lower than expected Australian ART (assisted reproductive technology) market activity in the second half," it told the stock exchange on Friday.
It had previously expected a result of around $20 million.
Australian stimulated cycle volumes are down 4.7 per cent in the three months to April, from the same period last year, according to Medicare data cited by the company.
WorldBank (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
The World Bank expects the weakest global economic growth since the start of the coronavirus pandemic this year, thanks to the ramifications of the Iran war.
The institute has revised its forecast for 2026 downward by 0.1 percentage point to 2.5 per cent, according to a report published by the World Bank.
Last year, the global economy grew by 2.9 per cent.
The reasons for the downward revision are high inflation and rising energy prices, after shipping in the Strait of Hormuz virtually ground to a halt as a result of the conflict.
Whilst motorists in wealthier countries are annoyed by higher petrol prices, the world's poorest are being hit particularly hard, according to the Washington DC-based institute.
For economically weak countries, this means that by the end of 2026, a quarter of developing countries will be poorer than in 2019; among low-income countries, the figure is likely to be a third.
In entertainment ...
Aria (SYDNEY)
Relatives of Australian music royalty say their legendary family member succeeded in his goal of sharing powerful culture with the world.
Gurrumul, the celebrated artist from the Gumatj clan of Elcho Island in Arnhem Land, took his rightful place in the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame on Thursday night.
The Indigenous icon was already on the honour roll as a member of similarly celebrated band Yothu Yindi, becoming one of a handful to be inducted twice.
His family opened Thursday night's celebration of ARIA's 40th anniversary with an emotional tribute to their late relative, who died aged 46 in 2017 after a battle with kidney and liver disease.
Brother-in-law Don Wininba expanded on his family's pride of Gurrumul helping to take Indigenous music to the world.
Aria (SYDNEY)
Australian music greats are reflecting on their journey to the top of the charts as they take in their immortality.
Six artists - Gurrumul, Jenny Morris, Kate Ceberano, Spiderbait, The Living End, and Vika and Linda Bull - were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame on Thursday night.
ARIA, which typically inducts one artist a year, elevated six to top-tier status on Thursday night as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations.
For Melbourne rockers The Living End, the honour signalled a rare moment to stop thinking about what's next and instead take stock of what the band had achieved in its decades-long career.
"We don't spend a lot of time in the rear view mirror, but this has forced us to do it," frontman Chris Cheney told AAP.
In sport ...
RL Origin Qld (BRISBANE)
Sam Walker has the faith of Queensland's brains trust to play his expansive way in State of Origin and the razzle dazzle half won't be changing a thing.
Walker, 23, was on track to win man of the match in game one of the Origin series on debut in Sydney before a Kalyn Ponga send-off turned the match and led to a 22-20 win for NSW.
The man Walker replaced in the team, injured North Queensland half Tom Dearden, was player of the Origin series in 2025 and is on track to be fit for game three in Brisbane after rehabbing an ankle injury.
The Maroons will have to deal with that selection quandary when it arrives but right now the Sydney Roosters No.7 is coach Billy Slater's man for Wednesday night's must-win match.
Gol LIV (ADELAIDE)
Australians are among potential investors in LIV Golf, with Cameron Smith playing a key role in sourcing financial saviours for the breakaway league.
LIV Golf's chief executive Scott O'Neil says unnamed "prominent" Australians are flagging interest in investing when Saudi Arabia ends its funding.
O'Neil and LIV hierarchy are seeking about $US300 million ($A425 million) investment for the league to continue beyond this season.
"We are very tapped in and wired in to the Australian business community and those who might be interested," O'Neil told AAP on Friday.
"Yes, we're having some ongoing dialogue with some prominent Australians."
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will stop funding LIV Golf at the end of the season.
Some reports suggest the funding could soon stop, casting doubt on whether LIV's four remaining tournaments this year will proceed.
Ends Bulletin
Rolling News Desk inquiries : 02 9322 8611
