AAP Rolling News Bulletin for May 31 at 1400
Economy Preview (CANBERRA)
Australia's economic growth story this year would be pretty lacklustre if not for one saving grace.
With rising interest rates and the Iran war suppressing growth across the economy, a boom in data centre investment has bucked the trend.
March quarter gross domestic product figures to be released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday are expected to show a moderate slowdown to 0.5 per cent, with annual growth tracking for 2.6 per cent.
But the figure would have been even lower without a record $8.6 billion in data centre expenditure - a rise of 96 per cent.
The national accounts data will likely show new investment accelerated to six per cent in the quarter and 10.3 per cent annually - the strongest quarterly growth since 2012 - said Westpac senior economist Pat Bustamante.
One Nation (CANBERRA)
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has declared she has what it takes to become prime minister, saying she could pull together an effective cabinet to run the government.
As support surges for her right-wing party, Senator Hanson said she "won't knock the job" of prime minister while conceding she didn't know if she would ever be elected to the job.
"I believe that I have the ability to do it," she told Sky News on Sunday.
"I'm not going to underestimate myself or say no, I can't do it, because ... have a look at what we've got now... and that's why we're in a mess.
"Whether it's Pauline Hanson as prime minister or we've got someone else to take on that job ... I will look at who's the best person to do it."
UK Starmer (LONDON)
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is considering holding a snap general election if he becomes UK prime minister, the Sun newspaper reports citing Labour insiders.
He is also lining up UK interior minister Shabana Mahmood to be his chancellor, the newspaper reported, adding that talks between Shabana's team and Burnham had been going on for a while.
Former United Kingdom deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who said earlier this month that she has been cleared of deliberate wrongdoing over her tax affairs, is expected to be brought back into the cabinet if Burnham succeeds in his leadership bid, the report said.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Burnham, Rayner and Mahmood did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ebola (BUNIA)
The World Health Organisation chief has travelled to the province hardest hit by an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, urging residents to seek treatment and practice safe burials as officials scramble to contain the fatal disease.
The outbreak - the 17th in the DR Congo and the third-largest since Ebola was discovered half a century ago - is outpacing the global response, something WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged this week before travelling to Kinshasa on Thursday.
His visit came as Brazil said on Saturday it was investigating a suspected Ebola case in Sao Paulo state involving a man who recently visited DR Congo.
Authorities said the patient was in isolation at a specialist hospital.
After meeting Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka on Friday, Tedros flew on Saturday to Bunia, capital of Ituri province, where the first cases were confirmed earlier this month.
Iran (TEHRAN)
The US military has stopped another merchant vessel trying to break through the United States blockade of Iranian ports, a US official says.
The Gambia-flagged bulk carrier Lian Star ignored multiple warnings from US forces overnight as it tried to enter an Iranian port, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said.
The ship was disabled by US aircraft in the Gulf of Oman and remains adrift there, the official said, adding that US forces have not boarded it.
With the latest action, the US military has stopped six ships trying to breach the blockade.
One was allowed to proceed.
The US launched the blockade on April 17 in response to Iran largely closing the strait after the war began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28.
Ukraine (MOSCOW)
Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom says a Ukrainian drone has struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest, causing no damage to key equipment but leaving a hole in the wall of a turbine hall.
"This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a subsequent detonation," Rosatom's head Alexei Likhachev said in a statement.
"The explosion caused no damage to the primary equipment; however, it tore a hole in the turbine hall wall."
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Likhachev called the incident "deliberate".
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was captured by Russia in March 2022 and remains close to the frontline in the southeastern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region.
Ebola (BUNIA, CONGO)
The World Health Organisation chief has called on communities in the centre of the Congo's latest Ebola outbreak to play a central role in fighting the disease.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo to co-ordinate the response to the Ebola outbreak, for which 1028 suspected cases had been recorded by Friday, according to Congolese authorities.
"The communities understand the problems better and they know the solution as well," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters after arriving in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, a hotspot of the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
"Yes, the international community is involved, under the leadership of the government of DRC. At the same time, community ownership is important. That's why we are here to discuss with the community to see how the response is running and, if there are challenges, to help."
AUKUS (SINGAPORE)
The United States, Britain and Australia are working together to develop unmanned undersea vehicles as part of their trilateral AUKUS defence pact, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth says.
The program comes under AUKUS' so-called Pillar Two to develop advanced defence technology including quantum computing, undersea, hypersonic, artificial intelligence and cyber technology.
"The signature project will deliver a suite of highly adaptable multi-mission UUV payloads designed to support undersea operations and maintain our collective advantage in the maritime domain," Hegseth told reporters in Singapore on Saturday.
Formed by the three countries in 2021, AUKUS is part of their efforts to push back against China's growing power in the Indo-Pacific region.
China has called the AUKUS pact dangerous and warned it could spur a regional arms race.
In finance ...
China Economy (BEIJING)
China's factory activity was flat in May, raising questions about how much further the country's economy can shield itself from the fallout of the ongoing Iran war and pressure on demand.
The official manufacturing purchasing managers index moderated to 50 from 50.3 in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics official survey released on Sunday.
Measured on a scale between 0 and 100, a PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.
The new orders sub-index dropped to 49.9 from 50.6 in April, while the sub-index on production edged down to 51.2 from April's 51.5. The sub-index for raw material stockpiles fell to 48.6 from 49.3 in April.
China has been less affected by the global energy shock from the Iran war than many other countries, which face inflationary pressures as as oil prices have surged due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is shipped in peacetime.
US Tariffs (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
US businesses big and small have started receiving tariff refunds after the United States Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump lacked the constitutional authority to impose higher import taxes on goods from nearly every other country.
The process could grind to a halt, however, after Trump's administration said on Friday that it intended to appeal a federal judge's order to allow all companies that paid the invalidated duties to seek refunds, not just the ones that filed lawsuits.
Until the Department of Justice informed the judge of its planned appeal, the refund system overseen by US Customs and Border Protection had been working fairly smoothly.
Refunds reached the bank accounts of the first successful applicants on May 12, about three weeks after importers and their customs brokers could start submitting claims through an online system, according to CBP.
In entertainment ...
Trump Centre (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
President Donald Trump has branded the federal judge who blocked his renovation of the Kennedy Center as "an anti Trump Hater" and predicted the nation's premier performing arts centre he wanted to shutter for a two-year overhaul will "soon be closed, probably never to open again".
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, Trump fumed about the Friday decision from US District Judge Christopher Cooper who also ordered Trump's name removed from the centre.
Clearly angered by his latest legal setback, he said it was "impossible for me to be treated fairly", tying Cooper's ruling to earlier losses, including the Supreme Court's rejection in February of his sweeping tariffs.
His post aimed to make the case for the project even as he says he's giving up on it.
Obit Lee Curtis (LONDON)
Jamie Lee Curtis has announced the death of her sister Kelly Lee Curtis, her "first friend and lifelong confidant".
The 67-year-old actress posted a tribute on Instagram to Kelly, who died on Saturday aged 69.
"A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis. She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace.
"She was my first friend and lifelong confidant. She was jaw droppingly beautiful, and a talented actress. She played a mean game of hearts, collected turtles, loved her family, nature, music, thrifting, travel, Facebook, and Pokémon Go. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish ancestry and was a devoted American patriot," she wrote.
"She will be remembered for her loving generosity, fierce opinions, endless curiosity, unique style, and her powdered, almond, crescent cookies at Christmas, hence her name, Auntie Cookie.
In sport ...
Cri Aust (LONDON)
Josh Inglis suffered defeat in his first game as new Australia captain as Pakistan's debutant teenage Arafat Minhas bagged a stunning five-wicket haul and then smashed the winning runs to secure a comprehensive victory in Rawalpindi.
Inglis, handed the task to lead the side with Mitch Marsh ruled out with an ankle injury, saw his side struggle to handle Minhas' tricky left-arm variation as the 19-year-old plundered 5-32 to put the visitors on the backfoot.
Australia' own teen debutant, Oliver Peake, who became the tourists' youngest ever specialist ODI batter at 19, could only make seven as his side struggled to post 200 in the opening match of the three-game series.
And Pakistan always looked comfortable overhauling their target thanks mainly to a solid century partnership between Babar Azam and Ghazi Ghori with Minhas capping a brilliant performance by striking a towering six to seal the five-wicket victory with 45 balls remaining.
WC26 Aust (PASADENA)
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic will watch how his charges handle the heat of a high-intensity friendly against World Cup co-hosts Mexico before making the final brutal cuts to his squad.
The Socceroos will face a capacity crowd full of Mexico fans at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena on Saturday night (Sunday AEST) ahead of Popovic naming his 26-player squad.
The training squad is 30 players after Cristian Volpato's shock defection from Italy, though the attacker seems destined for a cameo at best in that game.
Rather than picking his final squad early like some other coaches, Popovic filtered an extended squad through a training camp, cutting some players and bringing others in later.
He has been personally meeting with players who don't make the squad.
Ends Bulletin
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