AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 17 at 1200
Legal: Star (SYDNEY)
The ex-chief of Star has been fined $700,000 for ignoring criminal risks from overseas gamblers after a judge slashed the sought penalty due to a previous lenient deal.
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.
On Wednesday, Justice Michael Lee imposed the penalty on Mr Bekier, finding the casino boss headed an organisation that had been allowed to operate despite its inherent risks as long as it remained vigilant.
"When it came to Star, that vigilance was found wanting," the judge said.
Qantas (TOULOUSE)
Qantas is set to unveil the first destination for the world's longest non-stop flights from eastern Australia to London or New York, tackling one of the few unbroken barriers of air travel after years of delays.
The "Project Sunrise" plan will bypass Middle Eastern and Asian hubs on London flights and offer direct services on modified Airbus long-haul jets has been in the works since 2017 and is due to enter service by the end of next year.
The aim is to compress what was once a five-day trek on the "Kangaroo Route" to London to 22 hours at most, depending on routes and winds. The trip now takes 24-to-25 hours via Singapore.
New York, which Qantas currently serves from Sydney via Auckland, is also among the initial destinations, but the airline has so far not said which will be introduced first.
Sandilands (SYDNEY)
Radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands has reached a settlement with his former employer, bringing half of a bitter legal battle to an end.
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.
"This agreement brings certainty for ARN and resolves the legal dispute," ARN chief executive officer Michael Stephenson said.
Mideast (CAIRO/GAZA)
An Israeli strike has killed at least two Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, as residents of an area in the north of the enclave flee their homes after Israeli forces expanded their control in the territory.
Medics said an Israeli strike near a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, killed two brothers, Ahmed and Mahmoud Abu Heen. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
An October 2025 truce brokered by US President Donald Trump has so far failed to halt Israeli attacks in Gaza or to secure the disarmament of Hamas militants.
The new deaths brought to nearly 1000 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since October, according to the Gaza health ministry. Israel says four of its soldiers have been killed by militants in that period.
G7 (EVIAN-LES-BAINS)
G7 leaders have discussed a plan to grant select "trusted partners" access to advanced AI models from US firms such as Anthropic, three diplomatic sources say, potentially opening a path around restrictions on non-American use.
Anthropic on Friday disabled access for all users to Fable 5 and Mythos 5, its most advanced AI models.
The company made that move after US President Donald Trump ordered Anthropic to block foreign nationals from accessing its most advanced AI models, citing national security concerns.
One of the diplomatic sources said a number of country representatives attending the annual summit of leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations discussed the idea of widening access to advanced AI models with US representatives.
This was mainly with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, on the sidelines of the opening G7 summit dinner on Monday in the French lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains.
Ukraine (KYIV)
A Ukrainian drone attack has started a fire at the refinery that is the largest fuel supplier to the Moscow region and two industry sources have told Reuters it had halted operations.
The sources said the strike on Gazprom Neft's refinery in southeast Moscow damaged a primary refining facility that accounts for 53 per cent of the plant's capacity.
A second unit is expected to resume operations soon, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Witness footage verified by Reuters showed a fierce blaze and dense black smoke rising from the refinery after the attack.
Local emergency services later said the fire had been put out and had not affected operations - information that was contradicted by the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Ebola (DAKAR)
Armed assailants have removed a woman and her daughter from a health centre in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities say, raising fears of further spread of the Ebola virus.
The attackers, armed with bladed weapons, stormed a clinic near Butembo, North Kivu province, late on Monday and took the pair away, according to a provincial notice seen by Reuters.
The notice did not identify the assailants or give their motives.
It said the six-year-old child had tested positive for Ebola.
The incident underscores how insecurity and community distrust of health workers are undermining efforts to contain the outbreak in eastern DR Congo, where repeated attacks on medical staff and response teams have disrupted efforts to trace contacts and isolate suspected cases.
Economy (CANBERRA)
Australia's economy is heading for the slowdown it had to have.
With the nation's decades-long productivity growth malaise showing no sign of improving, Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock admitted the harsh reality after the central bank's monetary policy board held interest rates steady on Tuesday.
Inflation is still too high and the only way it will subside is if economic growth slows and households wear the cost.
"We are not forecasting that the economy is going to shrink this quarter," Ms Bullock told reporters after the RBA's first meeting of the year which did not result in a rate rise.
"We are forecasting that growth is going to slow, but growth has to slow.
"The key reason for that is that we have excess demand, and unless demand grows more slowly than the supply side of the economy for a time, we're not going to get inflation down."
In finance ...
Economy (CANBERRA)
Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has not ruled out hiking interest rates again if inflation keeps rising, after the bank left rates on hold for the first time in 2026.
Following three consecutive rate rises, the central bank's monetary policy board voted unanimously to leave the cash rate steady at 4.35 per cent on Tuesday.
The decision was anticipated by the majority of economists and financial markets.
But economists were split on whether it heralds the end of the bank's hiking cycle or is merely a pause before the next move upwards.
Amid the opposing challenges of a slowing economy and persistent inflation pressures, economists differed on how much weight to put on each impulse, Ms Bullock said.
Rate rise expectations had come down since lower-than-expected headline inflation and higher-than-expected unemployment figures were released after the previous rate meeting in May.
Tax (CANBERRA)
Concerns controversial tax changes are being rushed have been hosed down as experts dismiss claims businesses will flee overseas due to the measures.
Under changes proposed by the federal government, the capital gains tax discount of 50 per cent will be replaced with an inflation-indexed model and a 30 per cent minimum rate.
That means the maximum marginal tax rate for startup founders, who often have a negligible initial capital base, will double to nearly 47 per cent.
The changes have been put under the spotlight during a two-day senate inquiry, with the government aiming for the measures to pass parliament by the end of June.
While opponents have hit out at the inquiry's limited time, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said attacks over the length of consultation were being put forward by critics of the whole proposal.
In entertainment ...
Diddy (LONDON)
US hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs will be getting released from prison sooner than expected.
Combs is serving a 50-month prison sentence after being convicted on two prostitution-related charges and was initially due to walk free in mid-2028.
The disgraced star's release date has been shifted by authorities several times. It was recently stated to be June 4, 2028 before shifting to April 25, 2028 but it has changed again and Combs is due for release on February 23, 2028, according to official records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, viewed by PEOPLE.com.
Combs, 56, has been behind bars since his arrest in September 2024 and was convicted in July 2025 on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Arts Mackenzie (MELBOURNE)
Ask playwright Yve Blake about the rave reviews of her latest show Mackenzie, and she's actually more excited about what the audience is wearing.
"People are really showing up to this experience as though it's a concert, and I am tickled pink," said Blake.
Audiences are arriving at Sydney's Neilson Nutshell theatre in velour tracksuits, butterfly clips, and low slung jeans, to see her noughties-era adaptation of Macbeth.
The play imagines the main character not as a Scottish general but as 13-year-old pop star Mackenzie, complete with a flip phone and a ruthless stage mum named Ruth.
Mackenzie has a modest part on a children's television show, until a make-up artist has a vision that she is destined to be the world's biggest pop star.
In sport ...
Ath Spike (MELBOURNE)
Teen sprint sensation Gout Gout has flown home to finish third behind his training mate and new 150m world record holder Noah Lyles at the Golden Spike track and field meet in Ostrava.
Paris Olympics gold medallist Lyles clocked 14.67 seconds in the rarely-contested distance, smashing the previous previous mark of 14.92 set by Jamaica's Kishane Thompson earlier this year in Florida.
Second-placed South African Sinesipho Dambile (14.78) also dipped under Thompson's previous record, while the fast-finishing Gout was third in a national record of 14.96.
It was a huge improvement on Gout's Diamond League debut last week in Oslo, when the 18-year-old struggled out of the blocks and could only finish sixth in the 200m.
"This is definitely a race I was needing after Oslo, and I am glad I got it, and I am ready for more," told the Straight At It podcast.
AFL Tribunal (MELBOURNE)
North Melbourne forward Paul Curtis has failed to overturn a three-match suspension for rough conduct at the AFL tribunal.
Curtis was offered the ban after his tackle last Saturday left West Coast's Hamish Davis with concussion.
The action was deemed careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
Curtis, who did not give evidence at Tuesday's tribunal hearing, argued through his counsel Justin Graham KC against both the "rough conduct" charge and "severe impact" grading.
Graham said a "low impact" grading was more appropriate, while claiming ball carrier Davis's momentum was a significant factor in the incident.
He added there was no double action in the tackle and that the force went first through Davis's knees and hands before he hit his head.
Ends Bulletin
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