AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 17 at 2130
Iran (EVIAN-LES-BAINS)
Leaders of the G7 countries have demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and say they will diversify energy supply routes to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz in response to the war in Iran, as they welcome an interim deal to end the conflict.
The leaders met for a summit on Lake Geneva in France while details of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement trickled out of Washington and Tehran before its expected unveiling on Friday across the nearby Swiss border.
The US-Iran agreement will launch negotiations towards a final settlement to end the war, which has killed more than 7000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.
"We underline the need for the negotiation ... to address the threats posed by Iran in the region and beyond and ensure that they never obtain a nuclear weapon," the leaders said in a statement on Wednesday.
Legal: Maguire (SYDNEY)
A former Liberal MP allegedly said he did not want further details after being informed by a concerned business owner of cash payments to bring Chinese non-citizens into Australia.
Daryl Maguire, 67, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to create false and misleading visa applications for 10 Chinese nationals purporting to employ them at businesses in Wagga Wagga in the NSW Riverina region.
"It's a bit odd that they're paying me cash, what is going on here?" one of the business owners asked him in early 2015.
"I don't want to know about it," the then state Liberal MP for Wagga Wagga allegedly said.
Maguire fronted a jury trial at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday where this conversation and many other details of the claimed visa fraud conspiracy from January 2013 to August 2015 were spelled out.
Sandilands (SYDNEY)
Australia's most notorious radio pairing are heading back to court, where one half will finalise his legal battle with his former employer.
Shock jock Kyle Sandilands reached a settlement with ARN Media to bring his bitter legal battle to an end, but former on-air partner Jackie "O" Henderson will push on with her Federal Court bid on Thursday.
ARN Media revealed it would pay Sandilands $12 million in an ASX announcement published on Wednesday.
He will also receive $1.5 million worth of advertising services on the radio network's partner platforms, while ARN will be given a 19.9 per cent contribution from any of his new ventures for up to three years.
Though the former KIIS FM radio host has said he intends to pursue independent media opportunities, he will not be able to engage with any of ARN's direct competitors for up to nine months from the date of settlement.
Ukraine (KYIV)
Russian attacks on cities in Ukraine's east and southeast have killed four people and set ablaze a residence and a shopping centre.
Prosecutors in the Donetsk region, the focal point of Ukraine's front line, said three people died in two bomb attacks in the city of Sloviansk on Tuesday and five were injured.
Sloviansk is part of the country's "fortress belt", heavily defended by the military and seen as key to containing a slow-moving Russian offensive in Donetsk.
In the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, national police said a wave of dozens of drones killed one person in his car and injured seven others.
Pictures posted online showed flames inside a building and on a rooftop and at least one facade reduced to rubble.
G7 (EVIAN-LES-BAINS)
The leaders of the G7 countries have announced they stand united to support Ukraine, including its territorial integrity, and have agreed to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy.
"In this context, we will strengthen our sanctions (against Russia), including those on the oil and gas sectors," the leaders said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
Separately, the leaders, who are meeting for a summit in the French town of Evian-les-Bains, have also welcomed the deal between the United States and Iran and said they are ready to contribute to its implementation.
They said they would make efforts to diversify energy supply routes and reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz and increase energy stocks.
Polymiadis (ADELAIDE)
A diabetic woman was recorded confessing to God she had killed her elderly parents days before being accused of murdering them with insulin, a court has heard.
Raelene Polymiadis, 65, is on trial in the South Australian Supreme Court charged with murdering Brenda and Lynton Anderson, who were both aged 94 when they died in March 2022 and May 2023 respectively.
Prosecutor Michael Foundas said a police listening device recorded her alone in her car praying to God on two separate occasions confessing to God that she had killed her parents.
"Please, Lord, you know, yes, I have sinned. I have. Thou shall not kill," she allegedly says in the recordings.
"I have sinned twice in my life, and I hate it, but I also know … your blessing, Lord, that they did not want to go to a nursing home, that was their wish."
Legal: Ahmad (MELBOURNE)
An accused "ISIS bride" has been refused bail after a magistrate found she posed an unacceptable risk of endangering the community.
Zeinab Ahmad, 31, looked straight ahead as Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan handed down her decision in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Ahmad was charged with slavery offences in May after returning to Australia with other family members of former Islamic State fighters.
Ahmad moved to Syria with her first husband Dawod in January 2015 and he became a member of Islamic State before he was killed in a drone strike in May 2016, the court was told.
Federal police allege it was while she was living with her family in 2017 that Ahmad's father Mohammad bought a teenage girl as a slave for $US10,000.
Legal: Explosives (BRISBANE)
A teenager accused of plotting a terrorist attack on then-opposition leader Peter Dutton had a "how to make a bomb in the kitchen" manual, a court has been told.
The boy had also sketched a picture of a shrapnel-filled improvised bomb left on a city street and exploding, a jury heard.
The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to acts in preparation for a terrorist attack and is facing trial in Brisbane Supreme Court.
The jury on Wednesday heard the teen had downloaded an explosives manual from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation.
The manual was titled "how to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum", former counter-terror officer at Queensland Police Steven Gibb said.
In finance ...
Legal: Star (SYDNEY)
The ex-chief of Star has been fined $700,000 for ignoring criminal risks from overseas gamblers after a judge slashed the sought penalty due to a previous lenient deal.
Former Star chief executive Matthias Bekier failed to inform the company's board of suspicious conduct committed by Chinese junket operator Suncity in 2018 and 2019, the Federal Court found in March.
Mr Bekier and former Star general counsel Paula Martin have been successfully sued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for breaches of their duties.
On Wednesday, Justice Michael Lee imposed the penalty on Mr Bekier, finding the casino boss headed an organisation that had been allowed to operate despite its inherent risks as long as it remained vigilant.
"When it came to Star, that vigilance was found wanting," the judge said.
Qantas (TOULOUSE)
Qantas is set to unveil the first destination for the world's longest non-stop flights from eastern Australia to London or New York, tackling one of the few unbroken barriers of air travel after years of delays.
The "Project Sunrise" plan will bypass Middle Eastern and Asian hubs on London flights and offer direct services on modified Airbus long-haul jets has been in the works since 2017 and is due to enter service by the end of next year.
The aim is to compress what was once a five-day trek on the "Kangaroo Route" to London to 22 hours at most, depending on routes and winds. The trip now takes 24-to-25 hours via Singapore.
New York, which Qantas currently serves from Sydney via Auckland, is also among the initial destinations, but the airline has so far not said which will be introduced first.
In entertainment ...
Clarkson (LONDON)
Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer.
The former Top Gear host shared the news in the latest episodes of the fifth season of his series Clarkson's Farm, saying the disease was "aggressive" but had been discovered early.
"I've got cancer," Clarkson told farm manager Kaleb Cooper and farmhand Charlie Ireland during discussions about harvest planning.
The TV presenter said he expected to be "fine" but would be out of action "for a while".
Speaking from a hospital bed at the end of the season finale, Clarkson revealed he had experienced complications during treatment.
"We started season five with me in a hospital bed and here we are at the end of season five and I'm back in a hospital bed," he said.
Dench (LONDON)
Judi Dench is to be immortalised in London's West End with a theatre renamed in her honour.
The Shaftesbury Theatre will be known as the Judi Dench Theatre from February 2027 to recognise her "extraordinary talent and extensive contribution" to the arts while the renaming also celebrates Dench's links to the venue.
"The Shaftesbury Theatre has always held a special place in my heart. My relationship to the Theatre of Comedy and to the Taffner family goes back many years, and to have this beautiful theatre renamed after me is truly overwhelming," Dench said in a statement.
"Live theatre continues to be so important as a way of telling stories and entertaining audiences, something I have aimed to do all my working life."
In sport ...
RL Origin (MELBOURNE)
NSW coach Laurie Daley has resisted any temptation to make late changes with the Blues and Queensland set to take the field as named for State of Origin game two.
Daley was under pressure to start bench forward Cameron Murray in a middle forward position as the Blues look to clinch the series at the MCG but had been adamant on match eve that wouldn't be happening.
He was true to his word, keeping Payne Haas and Mitch Barnett in the front-row and captain Isaah Yeo at lock for Wednesday night's showdown.
Queensland are listed 1-19 as expected with coach Billy Slater's men needing a win to square the series after losing game one 22-20 in Sydney after leading 20-0.
Ath Spike (MELBOURNE)
Teen sprint sensation Gout Gout has flown home to finish third behind his training mate and new 150m world record holder Noah Lyles at the Golden Spike track and field meet in Ostrava.
Paris Olympics gold medallist Lyles clocked 14.67 seconds in the rarely-contested distance, smashing the previous mark of 14.92 set by Jamaica's Kishane Thompson earlier this year in Florida.
Second-placed South African Sinesipho Dambile (14.78) also dipped under Thompson's previous record, while the fast-finishing Gout was third in a national record of 14.96.
It was a huge improvement on Gout's Diamond League debut last week in Oslo, when the 18-year-old struggled out of the blocks and could only finish sixth in the 200m.
"This is definitely a race I was needing after Oslo, and I am glad I got it, and I am ready for more," told the Straight At It podcast.
Ends Bulletin
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