AAP Rolling News Bulletin for May 22 at 0100
Ebola (KINSHASA)
A case of Ebola has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province - hundreds of kilometres from the outbreak's epicentre - the rebel alliance that controls the area says.
The case, in a rural area near the provincial capital Bukavu, signals the spread of an outbreak that experts believe circulated undetected for around two months in Ituri province, several hundred kilometres to the north, before being identified last week.
The outbreak has been linked to 139 deaths, with 600 suspected cases reported in Ituri and North Kivu provinces as of Wednesday, according to the World Health Organisation.
Two cases have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda.
The Alliance Fleuve Congo, which includes the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who seized swathes of eastern DR Congo last year, said that the 28-year-old patient had died and been buried safely.
Ukraine (KYIV)
Ukrainian drones have smashed into another Russian refinery, starting a fire that produced huge clouds of black smoke, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, in what appears to be the latest long-range attack on Moscow's vital oil industry.
The drones targeted the Syzran oil refinery, more than 800km inside Russia, Zelenskiy said on social media, where he posted a video of the aftermath.
The governor of Russia's Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said two people were killed by Ukrainian drones in Syzran but he did not mention the refinery.
Russia's Astra news outlet said Ukrainian drones struck the Syzran refinery owned by oil and gas giant Rosneft.
Ukraine has expanded its mid- and long-range strike capabilities, deploying eye-catching drone and missile technology that it has developed domestically as it battles to defeat Russia's four-year-old invasion.
UK Andrew (LONDON)
Documents show Queen Elizabeth II was "very keen" that the former Prince Andrew be given the job of UK trade envoy.
The UK government on Thursday released the confidential papers related to Andrew's appointment, just months after MPs accused the King's brother of putting his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein ahead of the nation.
"The Queen is very keen that the Duke of York should take on a prominent role in the promotion of national interests," the head of Britain's trade body wrote in a letter.
Another document, a government memo sent to UK trade staff around the world, said "HRH's high public profile" would require "careful and sometimes strict media management", in a reference to Andrew.
The involvement of the late queen will confirm previously held beliefs that the monarch held a soft spot for her son - an empathy that might have influenced her lack of decisiveness in dealing with allegations of Andrew's connection to Epstein.
Mideast (JERUSALEM)
Gaza flotilla activists who were detained by Israel and later pinned to the ground to the taunts of Israel's far-right police minister have been released from prison and will be deported to Turkey.
The activists, including 11 Australians, were arrested at a port in southern Israel after the Israeli navy intercepted their protest flotilla in international waters.
Their treatment by police officers under Itamar Ben-Gvir's direction drew an international outcry and a rebuke from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ben-Gvir and at least one other minister in Netanyahu's government, transport chief Miri Regev, posted campaign-style videos of themselves visiting the port and lambasting the protesters, attention-grabbing antics before potential early elections in Israel.
Flotilla organisers say they aim to break Israel's blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian assistance, something aid bodies say is still in short supply despite a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in place since October 2025 that includes guarantees of increased aid.
Iran (DUBAI)
Pakistan is stepping up diplomatic efforts to hasten US and Iran peace talks, as Tehran says it's reviewing Washington's latest responses and President Donald Trump suggests he could wait a few days for "the right answers" from Iran but is also willing to resume attacks on the country.
Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire took effect, talks to end the war have made little progress, while soaring oil prices have raised concern over inflation and the impact on the global economy.
Trump also faces domestic pressure before November's midterm elections, with his approval rating dropping close to its lowest since he returned to the White House on the surge in fuel prices.
Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir would decide on Thursday whether to travel to Tehran as part of the mediation effort, three sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.
Legal: Plane Boy (MELBOURNE)
A teen accused of trying to hijack a commercial plane ate Hungry Jacks, drew up a bomb plan and noted down a reminder to check his weapons before sneaking onto the aircraft.
The fresh allegations came in court documents released by a children's court on Thursday, a day after the now-19-year-old opposed an application to have his case heard in a higher court.
It's alleged the teen, dressed in high-vis clothing and carrying a tool box, sneaked his way onto the Jetstar flight at Avalon Airport in Melbourne's southwest shortly before 3pm on March 6, 2025.
The teen, who appeared sweaty and clammy, told cabin crew staff he had bombs in his bags and he needed to go into the cockpit, the documents said.
Camera (SYDNEY)
A camera belonging to a Bondi massacre victim will be returned to his widow after it was allegedly stolen in the chaos of the mass shooting.
Retired police officer and photographer Peter Meagher, 61, was among 15 people killed on December 14, when two gunmen opened fire on a crowd at Bondi Beach.
Naveed Akram has been charged with murder and terrorism offences over the massacre, while his father and fellow gunman Sajid was fatally shot by police.
In the pandemonium, Mr Meagher's camera equipment was allegedly stolen by a 35-year-old man hired as a photographer at the Hanukkah event.
Mr Meagher, a beloved figure at Randwick Rugby Club, had also been working as a photographer at the religious celebration when he was shot.
Budget (CANBERRA)
Former prime minister Paul Keating is facing criticism from female business founders, who claim his support for a controversial tax overhaul is "dismissive and out of touch".
The federal government is coming under sustained pressure from startups and small businesses over its decision to remove the 50 per cent discount on capital gains tax and replace it with an inflation-adjusted scheme.
Mr Keating, who introduced capital gains tax as treasurer, said the campaign against the changes amounted to "howls for continuing preference".
"A couple of smarties, John Howard and Peter Costello, thought they could do their used-car selling and dodgy accounting mates a favour by jacking a 50 per cent discount onto the taxation of capital profits," the Labor elder statesman said in a statement.
In finance ...
AACO (SYDNEY)
Strong demand for Australian beef in the US, Asia and at home has helped the nation's largest cattle and beef producer to record earnings, despite herd losses because of flooding.
Australian Agriculture Co turned a $71.6 million operating profit, up 23 per cent, in fiscal 2026, marking its best annual result since the metric was introduced in 2016.
AACo's bottom-line result came in at $107.3 million, a sharp turnaround from a $1.1 million loss in 2025, as its herd value rose despite the loss of 7000 cattle during the north Queensland floods of late 2025 and early 2026.
Revenue grew nine per cent to $422.1 million, as beef sales rose seven per cent to $314.4 million and cattle sales jumped 15 per cent to $107.7 million.
Economy (CANBERRA)
Australia's unemployment rate has jumped to 4.5 per cent, surprising economists and adding to the case for the Reserve Bank to keep interest rates on hold.
About 19,000 jobs dropped out of the economy in April, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday.
Economists had expected the unemployment rate to hold at 4.3 per cent and an extra 15,000 jobs added to the economy in the month.
The number of unemployed people rose by 33,000, ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick said.
"Compared to what we usually see in April, more people remained unemployed this month," he said
Ahead of the release, IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said a resilient result in line with expectations would support the case for more Reserve Bank rate hikes, while an uptick in unemployment would see the rates market dial back expectations.
In entertainment ...
Willis (LONDON)
Rumer Willis says her father Bruce Willis has developed a "sweetness" amid his battle with dementia.
The Die Hard actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023 following an earlier aphasia diagnosis in 2022.
And his eldest daughter with ex-wife Demi Moore has seen her father go from the "macho" man seen in Hollywood to a much gentler person.
Speaking on The Inside Edit podcast, she said: "I'm so grateful I get to go see him.
"Even though it's different now, I'm so grateful."
Rumer said: "There's a sweetness. He's always been this kind of macho dude and there's like a - fragile is not the right word but - just a tenderness that maybe being Bruce Willis might not have allowed him in a certain way."
Vinyl (MELBOURNE)
Music lovers can drop the needle on a new exhibition that celebrates the rich culture of vinyl records.
The Vinyl Factory: Reverb opens at ACMI, Australia's museum of screen culture, in Melbourne on Friday in an early taste of the city's annual RISING arts festival.
The show was originally staged at London's 180 Studios in 2024, with films and installations exploring the influence of vinyl on art, fashion and society.
Music firm The Vinyl Factory acquired the EMI Records facility about 25 years ago and now runs the only large-scale record pressing plant in the UK.
Its vinyl is created on the original machines that first pressed albums by The Beatles, Pink Floyd and the Sex Pistols.
The label has so far released about 500 records by musicians such as Daft Punk, Massive Attack, Pet Shop Boys and Thom Yorke.
In sport ...
Ten Open Draw (LONDON)
Teenage tennis star Emerson Jones has been handed the dream, nothing-to-lose French Open draw against a nightmarish opponent as she has to tackle four-time champion Iga Swiatek on her Roland Garros main draw debut.
As Alex de Minaur, Australia's top hope in Paris, contemplated a potentially gentle route into the men's tournament with a first-round clash against a qualifier, 17-year-old wildcard Jones landed arguably the most difficult draw of all against the Wimbledon champion on her favourite surface.
Jones, the former world No.1 junior, has so far been handed only glamour draws in her fledgling grand slam career, but also hugely difficult ones, losing to sixth seed Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open in 2025 and to Canadian 16th seed Victoria Mboko.
AFL Hawks (LAUNCESTON)
Blake Hardwick has booted four goals in a role up forward to help Hawthorn hold off Adelaide by nine points in their home-away-from-home in Tasmania.
The Hawks extended their winning streak in Launceston to 12 games on Thursday night with a 10.15 (75) to 9.12 (66) victory.
It came two days after the club was told by the AFL their association with the island state would finish at the end of 2027 ahead of the Tasmania Devils' entry into the competition.
The pain was compounded for the Crows, who lost gun midfielder Izak Rankine to a calf problem early in the third quarter.
Adelaide went on a run of four goals to reduce the margin to one point before veteran Hardwick stepped up with a pack mark inside 50 and first goal since round 12 last season with less than three minutes to play.
Ends Bulletin
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