AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 18 at 0330
Legal: US Mangione (NEW YORK)
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive in Manhattan, plans to argue at his murder trial that he was undergoing an extreme mental health crisis at the time of the alleged killing, a judge has revealed at a hearing.
The strategy poses steep legal hurdles but could lead to a jury convicting Mangione of the lesser crime of manslaughter, which carries significantly lighter sentences.
Mangione, who appeared in court in a dark suit and white shirt, is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in Midtown in December 2024.
The brazen killing was widely condemned by US officials but became emblematic of the public's frustration with rising healthcare costs and health insurance industry practices.
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.
Legal: Porter (ORANGE)
As a teenager descended into psychosis, killing animals, having visions and hearing voices, her mother consulted a naturopath believing the girl's behaviour was due to a hormonal imbalance, an inquest has been told.
Two weeks after the 14-year-old confessed to her mother she thought about killing people, including her parents, "all the time", the girl killed 10-year-old Biddy Porter at a property in rural NSW.
Biddy, remembered as a vibrant, clever and creative child, died of multiple injuries while staying at the property in the school holidays on July 8, 2020.
The NSW Supreme Court found Biddy's killer, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was not criminally responsible due to mental illness in 2021.
Two psychiatrists found the teenager had schizophrenia and was in acute psychosis at the time of the killing.
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."
In finance ...
Legal: Star (SYDNEY)
A failure by Star's ex-head to "blow the trumpet" on criminal risks presented by overseas gamblers has led to a $700,000 fine after a judge almost halved a sought-after penalty.
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.
Justice Michael Lee on Wednesday imposed the penalty on Mr Bekier whose senior position at the casino materially aggravated the seriousness of his misconduct.
"The community tolerates casino operations upon the premise that those controlling them will exhibit vigilance equal to the risks inherent in the enterprise," the judge said in his decision.
Markets Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's share market has clutched a fourth straight session of gains, buoyed by miners as oil prices extended losses with more details of the US-Iran peace deal emerging.
The S&P/ASX200 overcame an early slump to gain 48.6 points on Wednesday, up 0.54 per cent, to 8,966.3, as the broader All Ordinaries advanced 54.6 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 9,185.9.
Energy stocks fell more than two per cent as oil prices dropped to levels not seen since the first days of the Persian Gulf conflict, amid reports both Iran and the US claim the Hormuz Strait - a thoroughfare for a fifth of global crude and natural gas supplies - could be open by Friday.
Resurgent investor confidence helped ASX-listed miners rally as gold stocks bounced and the heavyweight financial sector firmed to three-week highs.
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.
Spo Funding (BRISBANE)
Kieren Perkins has urged the International Olympic Committee to better explain their stance on prize money for athletes, labelling it a "wicked problem with no perfect answer".
The Australian Sports Commission chief, who famously defended his 1500m freestyle Olympic title in Atlanta 30 years ago, stood alongside a host of current Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes on Wednesday welcoming $513 million in high performance government funding over the next two years.
Importantly, $42.8 million has been allocated to the daily living and training expenses of close to 1000 athletes.
The record investment - up from $489 million in the last round of funding - comes after IOC president Kirsty Coventry lit a fuse last month when asserting Olympic athletes should not win prize money.
Ends Bulletin
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