AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 16 at 1130
Mideast (CAIRO)
Israeli strikes and gunfire have killed at least four Palestinians in Gaza, as mediators prepare for further ceasefire talks in Cairo to safeguard a US-brokered peace plan for the tiny war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.
Medics said an Israeli airstrike on Monday killed a woman in the town of Zawayda in the central Gaza Strip, while another strike killed one person in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp.
Later on Monday, an Israeli airstrike targeted the rooftop of a building in Gaza City, killing two people, a medic and his son, health officials said.
The Israeli military said it killed two Hamas militants in separate strikes in the Gaza Strip. It said the militants were planning to carry out attacks against Israeli troops, without providing further details.
Tax (CANBERRA)
The federal government's planned tax changes will dump compliance costs on taxpayers and their advisers, an accounting body warns.
Under Labor's reforms, the capital gains tax discount of 50 per cent will be replaced with an inflation-indexed calculation and a 30 per cent minimum rate.
Negative gearing of investment properties will also be scaled back to only apply to new houses from July 2027.
The Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand will tell a senate inquiry on Tuesday a statutory review of the legislation should take place within 12 months due to the short consultation time and complexity of the changes.
This would act as a safeguard mechanism to ensure the legislation was operating as intended and to provide an opportunity for any "fixes" that needed to be made.
Ukraine (KIEV)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he had proposed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France this week but that the Kremlin had rejected the idea.
"Before the start of the G7 summit, we made it clear that we were prepared to meet with Putin during the G7 summit, as (US President Donald) Trump and (French President Emmanuel) Macron would be present there," Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv.
He made the remarks while inspecting damage to the main cathedral of the Pechersk Lavra monastery complex following a major Russian air attack.
The damage to the Kyiv monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1051, drew international condemnation.
France's foreign minister said the attack was akin to bombing Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.
Economy (CANBERRA)
Borrowers can be reassured interest rates are likely to remain on hold for now, but with the inflation dragon still rampant, they should not expect the Reserve Bank to come to their rescue any time soon.
During economic slowdowns, the central bank has often been the "knight in shining armour" for households, cutting interest rates when times are tough to give the economy a boost, HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham said.
A sluggish GDP print for the March quarter and rising unemployment suggest Australia is already in a downswing.
But while he predicted no more hikes from the Reserve Bank this cycle, mortgage holders were unlikely to receive any rate relief until at least 2027, Mr Bloxham said.
The board should take a lesson from 2025, when it cut interest rates three times as inflation was still coming down, and not turn its back on the inflation dragon until it is sufficiently tamed, he said.
Legal: Porter (ORANGE)
For years after Bridgette Porter was killed, her family felt like the 10-year-old girl had been erased.
Bridgette, also known by the nickname Biddy, was killed by a teenager known to her in rural NSW in 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.
Much of the case was anonymised due to the ages of Biddy and the perpetrator, while graphic details surrounding the killing are protected by a court order.
Biddy's identity was made public in mid-2024, when her parents and campaigners from Advocacy Australia launched a petition calling for an inquest and a review of the handling of the case.
The inquest is due to open on Tuesday before NSW State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan.
Iran (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
A memorandum of understanding aiming to end the war in the Gulf has already been signed by US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf who heads its negotiating team, a US official says.
Speaking at a briefing with reporters, the US official added that there will also be a signing ceremony on Friday.
"You will see significant increase in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, actually starting already, and that will ramp up slowly over time," the US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.
"We probably won't return to normal in two weeks but we will see a significant increase in strait traffic," the official said.
The US and Iran said they had agreed terms to end their war and reopen the strait, news that brought relief to markets, although the pact may hinge on an end to hostilities in Lebanon and defers talks on Iran's nuclear program.
Ukraine (KYIV)
A 1000-year-old monastery that symbolises Ukraine's spiritual and cultural heritage has been badly damaged in the heaviest Russian aerial attack on Kyiv in a fortnight, while at least 10 people were killed in air strikes.
France's foreign minister said the attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1051, was akin to bombing Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.
The Russian strikes came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had discussed with US President Donald Trump efforts to secure an end to the more than four-year conflict, ahead of a G7 meeting in France this week.
"A Russian strike on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra set the Dormition Cathedral on fire - a church whose history dates back to the 11th century. And this is one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date," Zelenskiy said on X.
Iran (DUBAI)
US and Iranian officials have reached an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Tehran's nuclear program to further negotiations.
While still a framework, the deal marked the biggest breakthrough towards resolving the conflict that has killed thousands and upended energy markets since it began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
His post came shortly after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, announced a deal had been struck early on Monday.
The memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland.
In finance ...
Tax (CANBERRA)
Parliamentarians are being urged to pass laws limiting tax breaks for property investors and not "let the perfect be the enemy of the good".
Looming tax reforms would help make the tax system more equitable, independent economist Saul Eslake said on day one of a snap two-day inquiry into the tax changes on Monday.
While he had reservations about the proposal to replace the 50 per cent discount for capital gains tax with a rate tied to inflation and a 30 per cent minimum and limit negative gearing, Mr Eslake said other criticisms of the changes were unwarranted.
"I'm never one to let the perfect, in my eyes, be the enemy of the good, and I think that the changes that the government has proposed would be an improvement," Mr Eslake told a Senate committee hearing.
KPMG (SYDNEY)
Consultancy firms working with federal government departments must uphold the highest ethical standards, a minister says, as departmental review into the conduct of a top four supplier gets underway.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher issued the warning after her department placed a moratorium on KPMG bidding for any new contracts until September 30.
The temporary ban is in place while the department commissions an independent review into KPMG's governance, culture, ethics and integrity frameworks.
"We expect suppliers who earn the privilege of working for the public service should have the highest ethical standards," Senator Gallaher told ABC radio on Tuesday.
"We're concerned about issues and allegations that have been raised and are responding in a very strong way."
The issues surrounding KPMG fully erupted on May 29 during a hearing before the Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services in Canberra, where allegations made by a whistleblower were raised.
In entertainment ...
Tyler (LONDON)
Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler is "no longer in a coma" but remains "very unwell" in intensive care, according to a post on her official website.
She has also cancelled or postponed all her remaining shows this years.
It had been announced that the 75-year-old was taken to a hospital near to her home in Faro, Portugal for emergency intestinal surgery earlier this month.
"Bonnie's family and team would like to update everyone on how she is progressing with her recovery," the statement said.
"Bonnie is no longer in a coma but remains very unwell and in intensive care in hospital in Portugal. Although her condition is improving it is a slow process.
"Her doctors remain confident that she will make a good recovery but it is going to take time.
Dylan (LONDON)
Bob Dylan has broken his customary silence via The New York Times, contributing to an op-ed tied to US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
The 85-year-old rock legend offered some words of wisdom with selection of octogenarians on what it means to reach the milestone age.
"The old fire in your heart still tells you to do this and that, but your body says we already did it. Also, nothing surprises you," Dylan wrote in the New York Times.
"It sounds like a luxury but it's not, and also you've run out of illusions.
"The really worst part about being 80 is that you find, at last, you've got an understanding of something that might have altered everything in the past, had it come at a time when something could still be altered.
In sport ...
WC26 Aust (OAKLAND)
The Socceroos don't have to look too far back to know the danger of getting ahead of themselves at the World Cup.
Australia has one foot in the knockout stage after a brilliant opening 2-0 win over Turkey.
But the coaches and players are well aware things could easily change with a poor result against co-hosts the United States in Seattle on Friday (Saturday 0500 AEST).
Assistant coach Hayden Foxe pointed to Saudi Arabia's famous opening win over eventual champions Argentina at the 2022 tournament - and what happened next.
"It's one game, and you winning the first game doesn't dictate where you go in the tournament," assistant coach Hayden Foxe said.
"There was a good example of Saudi doing that in the past tournament, they beat Argentina first game, and we're talking about Saudi - 'how fantastic' ... which is great.
Com26 Ath (MELBOURNE)
Australia's fastest man knows what he wants - and he wants it now.
If sprint king Lachie Kennedy has his way, Commonwealth Games gold and breaking Patrick Johnson's long-standing national 100m record may only be weeks away.
The 22-year-old was a whisker off Johnson's mark of 9.93 seconds, set in 2003, when he ran a personal best 9.96 to win the national 100m title in Sydney in April.
"I'm not too far off it. I think it will fall pretty soon, to be honest," Kennedy told AAP.
"My goal this year was to run 9.80, so I think definitely before the end of the year.
"I don't like putting a limit on how fast I can go, but all I know is it's fast. I see no reason why I can't be one of the best."
Ends Bulletin
Rolling News Desk inquiries : 02 9322 8611
