AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 17 at 1400
Legal: Explosives (BRISBANE)
A teenager accused of plotting a terrorist attack on then-opposition leader Peter Dutton had a "how to make a bomb in the kitchen" manual, a court has been told.
The boy had also sketched a picture of a shrapnel-filled improvised bomb left on a city street and exploding, a jury heard.
The boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to acts in preparation for a terrorist attack and is facing trial in Brisbane Supreme Court.
The jury on Wednesday heard the teen had downloaded an explosives manual from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation.
The manual was titled "how to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum", former counter-terror officer at Queensland Police Steven Gibb said.
Legal: Porter (ORANGE)
The mother of a child killer did not believe in mental illness and consulted a naturopathic herbalist about concerns for her teenage daughter, an inquest has been told.
Two weeks after the 14-year-old confessed to her mother she thought about killing people "all the time", the girl killed 10-year-old Biddy Porter at a property in rural NSW.
Biddy, remembered as a vibrant, clever and creative child, died of multiple injuries while staying at the property in the school holidays on July 8, 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.
She has been in custody since her arrest and is overseen by the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
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.
In finance ...
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."
Markets Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's share market is edging higher, as gold stocks continue to rebound and oil falls to its lowest price since the Persian Gulf conflict began.
The S&P/ASX200 gained 49.2 points by midday on Wednesday, to be up 0.55 per cent to 8,966.9, as the broader All Ordinaries improved by 52.7 points, or 0.58 per cent, to 9,184.
Energy and utilities stocks weighed heavily, each sector down more than two per cent in early trade as Brent oil futures fell below $US80 a barrel, the lowest price since the beginning of March and shortly after US-led air strikes on Iran sparked the biggest energy supply shock in history.
Ampol and Viva Energy both sold off, but the refinery operators' share prices are still up roughly 20 per cent on their pre-conflict prices.
In entertainment ...
Toy Story (LONDON)
Tim Allen sought help from a voice coach after being told his Buzz Lightyear sounded "old" when he started working on Toy Story 5.
The 73-year-old actor - who was 42 when the first film in the franchise opened - admitted he "didn't know how to take" the notes he received after his first recording session, but learned the importance of warming up his voice.
"Early on when we did this first radio plug for this one, T5, in a nice way some of the engineers were going, 'Buzz sounds a little old,' and I didn't know how to take that," he told Entertainment Weekly.
"So I got together with a voice coach from New York City Opera [that] they put me with. She said, 'You're not old. Don't get that in your head. You do have to warm up at your age. You can't just get right into [it].'"
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 ...
Gol Open Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's golf stars are adopting a "pick your battles" mindset as they brace for the most brutal test of the year at the 125th US Open in New York.
The beautiful but beastly Shinnecock Hills will host the sport's most gruelling annual major championship for a sixth time and the first since Brooks Koepka ground out a one-over par winning total in 2018.
Part of the genius of the William Flynn-designed layout on Long Island are three sections of holes that form a triangle, ensuring players face a different wind for each of them.
The USGA has done its part to make sure conditions don't become unplayable, like they almost did eight years ago when six-times US Open runner-up Phil Mickelson infamously putted a moving ball on the green while racking up a 10.
WC26 Aust (OAKLAND)
Alessandro Circati has had enough of the Socceroos being underdogs.
Now he hopes a World Cup campaign where Australia have already caused a boilover and their players are attracting attention from big clubs can help shed that tag.
Parma defender Circati has been linked to Atletico Madrid, while 18-year-old Lucas Herrington has attracted attention from Barcelona.
The 22-year-old hopes it means the world is starting to recognise Australia's talent, ahead of a clash with co-hosts the United States in Seattle on Friday (5am Saturday AEST) headlined by pundits writing the Socceroos off.
"I hope we're starting to gain a little bit more respect," Circati said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).
"I don't want to be the underdogs for the rest of my life. I want to be a team which everyone faces like 'oh, we've got to play Australia.'
Ends Bulletin
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