AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 2 at 1400
Legal: RobertsSmith (SYDNEY)
Former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith will not know of the full suite of war crimes allegations against him for months due to classified information included in the case.
The 47-year-old was arrested in April and charged with murdering or ordering the murders of five unarmed detainees while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012.
But the case against him is mired in delays stretching to September due to national security issues, Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court was told on Tuesday.
Crown prosecutor Chelsea Brain said Roberts-Smith could not be given the full brief of evidence against him until certain orders protecting sensitive information were made by the court.
The application over this top secret material was made by the federal government.
Legal: Catalano (MELBOURNE)
Media mogul Antony Catalano can return to his Byron Bay home after his bail conditions were varied to allow interstate travel.
Catalano, 59, watched the Melbourne Magistrates Court hearing on a video link from his Victorian home on Tuesday, two months after he was charged over an alleged attack against his wife Stefanie.
The co-owner of Australian Community Media is accused of intentionally choking, strangling or suffocating the woman at a St Kilda property in the early hours of March 13.
It's also alleged Catalano unlawfully imprisoned his wife and detained her against her will.
Catalano is facing eight criminal charges, including recklessly cause injury, making threats to kill and assault.
His lawyer Tony Hargreaves on Tuesday sought an adjournment to July, telling the court the case had yet to resolve.
Ebola (KINSHASA)
The head of the World Health Organisation has concluded his visit to Democratic Republic of Congo by briefing the president on the response to the Ebola outbreak, which an aid agency warns is likely much larger than official figures show.
The outbreak, already the third-largest on record, persisted for weeks undetected, say health officials, who are now behind the curve and struggling to bring it under control.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for more international support to stop the disease's spread before he travelled to Congo's Ituri province where the first cases were confirmed.
There he said he saw some encouraging signs - including five certified recoveries - as well as the need to ramp up testing and treatment capacity and promote trust in health workers.
Hantavirus (AMSTERDAM)
A cruise ship that was at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak has been disinfected and is ready to set sail again with passengers, its operator says.
The Hondius is to depart on Saturday for the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
From there, it is due to set off on June 13 on a voyage through the Arctic Ocean, the Dutch cruise line Oceanwide Expeditions said.
Specialists from Dutch health authorities carried out a comprehensive cleaning and disinfection of the ship.
Authorities cleared the vessel for service over the weekend, and there is no longer any risk of infection, the company said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the hantavirus was brought aboard by passengers and did not originate on the ship, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
Iran (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
US President Donald Trump says Israel and the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon have agreed to halt their attacks on each other for the time being.
Trump also said Israel would not send troops into the Lebanese capital Beirut, despite earlier threats to do so.
The US president said the development followed a "very productive" phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a "very good" conversation with senior Hezbollah representatives.
"I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back," he wrote on Truth Social.
"Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop - That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel."
Ukraine (KYIV)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov says he believes agreeing a deal to end the war against Russia by the northern hemisphere winter is a "realistic" outcome.
Zelenskiy said in an interview aired on Sunday that he wanted to press on with talks on securing peace with Russia, which have stalled in recent months, before the onset of winter to take account of Ukraine's improved strategic position.
Talks brokered by the United States on moving toward a peace accord have ground to a halt as US officials have focused on the conflict in Iran.
Budanov said he expected a US delegation to visit Moscow and Kyiv in the near future, without giving details.
"This is the president's instruction: to try to end this war as soon as possible ... preferably before winter," he told reporters at a press conference.
Wages (CANBERRA)
Almost three million workers will learn how much their pay packets will increase as the industrial umpire hands down its highly anticipated annual wage review.
The Fair Work Commission's decision, to be revealed on Tuesday, sets the increase for minimum and award wage scales from July 1.
With the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz exacerbating already high inflation pressures, unions have been pushing the commission for a bumper pay rise to ensure workers don't go backwards.
Peak body the Australian Council of Trade Unions has called for an increase of six per cent, which would be the biggest increase to award wages on record.
"The Fair Work Commission must not allow low-paid workers like those in the hospo, retail and care industries to go backwards," said ACTU secretary Sally McManus.
Iran (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
Iran and the United States say they both carried out strikes on military targets, and each accused the other of acting aggressively as diplomatic efforts to end three months of war drag on.
The US military said it had at the weekend struck Iranian air defences, a ground control station and two drones that were threatening ships after "aggressive Iranian actions", including shooting down a US drone over international waters.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday it had targeted an air base used by the US in response to an attack on southern Iran.
It did not identify the base, but Kuwait activated air defences on Monday and denounced Iranian missile and drone attacks, which it said were undermining efforts to reduce tensions in the region.
In finance ...
Star (MELBOURNE)
Players were allowed to gamble non-stop for more than a day and a half at Sydney's Star casino, exceeding legal time limits by more than 24 hours.
Star Sydney has been hit with $10 million in fines for regulatory breaches, including exceeding gaming time limits and failing to properly vet patrons for links to criminal and terrorist activity.
The casino will be required to set aside a further $5 million to bolster its financial crime risk management operations by the independent body behind the fines, the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC).
A $1.5 million fine was imposed for allowing customers to exceed gaming time limits on multiple occasions between May 2024 and April 2025, the commission revealed on Monday.
In some cases, patrons were able to gamble for more than 36 hours straight despite regulations limiting gambling to no more than 12 hours in 24 hours.
Markets Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's share market is pointing downward, after oil prices rebounded as Iranian officials threatened to abandon US peace talks should Israel's attacks on Lebanon continue.
The S&P/ASX200 fell 81.9 points by midday on Tuesday, to be down 0.94 per cent to 8,647.5, as the broader All Ordinaries dipped by 83.9 points, or 0.87 per cent, to 8,891.9.
The drop came after crude oil jumped around six per cent overnight after tensions in the Middle East escalated.
"The news raised concerns the conflict could broaden, prompting fears of potential disruptions to energy supply and so driving oil prices higher," Moomoo dealing manager Chris Strazzeri said.
Local energy stocks rose 0.9 per cent as Brent crude hovered near $US95 a barrel, as Woodside, Santos and coal miners forged ahead.
In entertainment ...
Stones (LONDON)
Mick Jagger says he "can't wait" to get back on the road with The Rolling Stones but admits there are not likely to be any live dates in 2026.
Raising fresh hopes the veteran rockers could yet embark on another tour, Jagger made the declaration while appearing on BBC Radio 2's Tracks of My Years alongside fellow Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood.
Jagger, 82, was asked whether fans could expect to see the band touring again in the near future, and replied: "I'd love to go on tour. Can't wait."
"I don't think it's going to be this year, but hopefully as soon as possible."
The frontman, whose career with the Stones has spanned more than six decades, made the comments as the legendary band prepare to release their 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, on July 10.
Charli xcx (LONDON)
Charli xcx will release the Brat follow-up Music, Fashion, Film on July 24.
The Von Dutch hitmaker has a passion for all three sectors and has been involved in a string of movie projects, including her soundtrack album for Wuthering Heights and her Brat mocumentary The Moment, alongside upcoming roles in I Want Your Sex, The Gallerist, and Faces of Death.
The album artwork features a trio of heavy‑hitters: Velvet Underground legend John Cale, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, and filmmaker Martin Scorsese, signalling Charli's intention to blur the lines between pop, style and cinema.
Her new material has already stirred conversation. On the glitch‑driven Rock Music, Charli declares: "I think the dancefloor is dead," a line that instantly split listeners.
In sport ...
AFL Bombers (PERTH)
Essendon great Matthew Lloyd has strongly denied he is part of the push for James Hird to be the Bombers' next AFL coach.
Brad Scott's sacking last week, followed immediately by Hird's declaration that he wants the job, has fuelled a media frenzy around the embattled club.
Kevin Sheedy and Michael Long have backed Hird to coach Essendon again. Media speculation has suggested Lloyd, now a media commentator, is also supporting Hird.
"I don't know how I got dragged into that at all," Lloyd said on the Nine Network's Footy Classified program..
"I think James should be able to be part of the process. I'm not pro-James, I'm not against James, I just want James to be part of the process.
Gol Women Aust (MELBOURNE)
Karis Davidson is set to be swapping tournament tips over Weet-Bix with her fellow Australian golfers after getting a late start in the US Women's Open.
Davidson was granted the final spot in the 156-player field for the second women's major of 2026, with play getting underway at the iconic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The Scotland-born Queenslander placed joint third at a qualifying event in Seattle in late April, making her the first alternate.
The winner of the ShopRite PGA last Sunday earned an Open start but with France's Celine Boutier already exempt, that spot went to Davidson.
It will be her third major, playing the PGA Championship in 2025 and the 2026 Chevron Championship in April when she tied for 67th.
Ends Bulletin
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