AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 18 at 0500
Ukraine (KYIV)
Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov says his country's forces aim to isolate the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula through drone strikes targeting Russian supply lines.
"It looks as if Crimea will soon turn into an island," Fedorov said in an interview posted on Wednesday by the PRESSING YouTube channel.
The attacks on logistics routes had opened a "window of opportunity" for Ukraine, he said, adding: "For the Russians, a hell is beginning that will be difficult for them to overcome."
Disruptions to Russian logistics are already having a direct effect on the number of Russian attacks along the front line, he said.
In a sarcastic reference to Crimea's popularity as a holiday destination for Russian tourists, Fedorov said the peninsula would be visited this year mainly by "our drones".
One Nation (CANBERRA)
Pauline Hanson is being warned she needs to address Australia's economic grievances if the party is to retain surging support and turn anger against the two major parties into electoral success.
The One Nation leader addressed the National Press Club in Canberra for the first time in her 30-year political career, calling on migrants to assimilate into Australia's "monoculture" and vowing to reduce migrants from countries "immersed in extremism, like radical Islam".
She also labelled the increasing number of households facing financial hardship as "appalling" given the nation's wealth.
The ultra-conservative party's rise was a reflection of working people feeling they were going economically backwards in a wealthy country, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said.
"Our polling shows that the number one reason for backing One Nation is not the leader, but the feeling of being unrepresented by the two major parties," he told AAP.
Electricity (CANBERRA)
Retailers forced to come clean on the number of customers charged too much for their loyalty features in a comprehensive review of the electricity pricing system.
Tackling the "loyalty tax" was one of the goals of a self-initiated review by Australia's electricity rule-maker aimed at bringing the electricity pricing framework into the modern era.
The Australian Energy Market Commission also has a blueprint to reform network tariffs to ensure households with solar and batteries are both properly rewarded and supporting the grid, and renters and other customers without such kit are not overpaying.
Disengaged electricity customers ending up on uncompetitive offers after their attractive introductory deals lapse has been a long-standing bugbear.
The AEMC wants to "shine a light" on the problem to nudge more consumers to switch, including forcing retailers to notify long-term customers of foregone savings.
Migration (CANBERRA)
Migration's contribution to Australia's population growth is set to be revealed as political parties lock horns over how many arrivals to cut and consensus on diversity frays.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release figures on Thursday for migration levels for the 12 months to June as part of annual population data.
The Liberals and One Nation have attacked Labor for underestimating net overseas migration in previous years, with the government revising their forecast upwards by 55,000 arrivals in May's federal budget.
Having projected an intake of 240,000, they now believe just shy of 300,000 foreigners will have made Australia home in the past year.
That's almost identical to the 2024/25 figure of 306,000 and well below bumper years in 2022 and 2023, where a post-pandemic boom caused net arrivals to swell to a record 538,000.
Legal: Haines (ORANGE)
It's been more than 38 years since teenager Mark Haines was found dead on rural train tracks.
"It's 38-and-a-half and counting," his uncle Don Craigie told AAP.
Mr Craigie has spent each of those years fighting for answers after his 17-year-old nephew's body was found on the tracks outside Tamworth, in northern NSW, on the morning of January 16, 1988.
He hopes for new insights when Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame delivers her findings on Thursday, marking the end of a lengthy and complex inquest into Mark's death.
"We're hoping it can give us some kind of answers, but I don't know if it will give us any relief from our bloody angst," Mr Craigie said.
Mark's body was found on a rainy Saturday morning, near a crashed stolen Holden Torana.
Housing (CANBERRA)
First home buyers are in no better position to crack into the property market despite house prices falling in Sydney and Melbourne.
While home values have dipped for consecutive months in Australia's two largest markets, 2026's interest-rate hikes have raised the affordability hurdle even higher.
The income required to buy a median house in Sydney eclipsed $178,000 a year in May, up from $170,000 at the start of the year, data from property analytics firm Cotality showed.
In Melbourne, households had to earn more than $108,000 a year, compared to under $104,000 in January.
While the Reserve Bank held rates steady on Tuesday, its three interest rate hikes in February, March and May have collectively added about $450 in monthly interest payments for borrowers with a $1 million mortgage.
Legal: US Mangione (NEW YORK)
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive in Manhattan, plans to argue at his murder trial that he was undergoing an extreme mental health crisis at the time of the alleged killing, a judge has revealed at a hearing.
The strategy poses steep legal hurdles but could lead to a jury convicting Mangione of the lesser crime of manslaughter, which carries significantly lighter sentences.
Mangione, who appeared in court in a dark suit and white shirt, is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in Midtown in December 2024.
The brazen killing was widely condemned by US officials but became emblematic of the public's frustration with rising healthcare costs and health insurance industry practices.
Iran (EVIAN-LES-BAINS)
Leaders of the G7 countries have demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and say they will diversify energy supply routes to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz in response to the war in Iran, as they welcome an interim deal to end the conflict.
The leaders met for a summit on Lake Geneva in France while details of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement trickled out of Washington and Tehran before its expected unveiling on Friday across the nearby Swiss border.
The US-Iran agreement will launch negotiations towards a final settlement to end the war, which has killed more than 7000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.
"We underline the need for the negotiation ... to address the threats posed by Iran in the region and beyond and ensure that they never obtain a nuclear weapon," the leaders said in a statement on Wednesday.
In finance ...
Sandilands (SYDNEY)
Australia's most notorious radio pairing are heading back to court, where one half will finalise his legal battle with his former employer.
Shock jock Kyle Sandilands reached a settlement with ARN Media to bring his bitter legal battle to an end, but former on-air partner Jackie "O" Henderson will push on with her Federal Court bid on Thursday.
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.
US Rates (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
The US Federal Reserve has held the benchmark interest rate steady and policy makers expect a hike in borrowing costs later this year amid growing concerns about inflation lodged above the United States central bank's two per cent target.
New quarterly projections showed nine Fed officials anticipate a rate hike by the end of 2026 and an updated policy statement removed language that had been used to flag the likelihood of further reductions in borrowing costs in 2026.
Indeed, the statement, in an early sign of new Fed chairman Kevin Warsh's influence, removed any guidance about future rate moves altogether, with a revised format that simply stated the rate decision and reaffirmed the central bank's intent to keep "ample reserves in the banking system."
In entertainment ...
BonJovi (LONDON)
Rock star Jon Bon Jovi says his band "never doubted me" as he prepares to return to touring after four years, saying he is "fully recovered" from his vocal injury.
The 64-year-old US musician has kept a low profile since he underwent vocal cord surgery after they began to atrophy, and has spent the last few years recovering from the procedure.
Frontman Bon Jovi and his rock band will kick off their first tour since his injury next month, with the singer hailing his comeback as a "rebirth".
In an interview with People magazine, the singer said: "I'm fully recovered. It was longer than I'd ever expected but it had to be right. We never lost faith."
"I think that this is a rebirth. It is simply about the joy," he added.
Clarkson (LONDON)
Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer.
The former Top Gear host shared the news in the latest episodes of the fifth season of his series Clarkson's Farm, saying the disease was "aggressive" but had been discovered early.
"I've got cancer," Clarkson told farm manager Kaleb Cooper and farmhand Charlie Ireland during discussions about harvest planning.
The TV presenter said he expected to be "fine" but would be out of action "for a while".
Speaking from a hospital bed at the end of the season finale, Clarkson revealed he had experienced complications during treatment.
"We started season five with me in a hospital bed and here we are at the end of season five and I'm back in a hospital bed," he said.
In sport ...
RL Origin (MELBOURNE)
Laurie Daley has issued a rallying cry to his NSW troops, the coach declaring they have a chance to be remembered "for all time" if they can pull off a State of Origin series win in Brisbane.
The 2026 title will be decided at Suncorp Stadium on July 8 after Queensland levelled the series in Melbourne, running in six second-half tries to turn a four-point halftime deficit into a 44-24 victory.
Rampaging winger Selwyn Cobbo scored a hat-trick while fearless young halfback Sam Walker earned man-of-the-match honours in just his second Origin match, engineering their attack and also adding 16 points with his boot.
Queensland skipper Cameron Munster was forced off for a HIA late in the first half and said he could see something brewing as he watched the game from the change-rooms.
AFL Dockers (PERTH)
Revenge will be in the back of Fremantle's mind when they host Geelong in a blockbuster AFL clash in Perth on Thursday night.
The Dockers have surged to premiership favouritism on the back of a club-record 12-match winning run, with their star-studded squad taking it all before them this year.
Fremantle's only slip-up came in round one, when the Dockers blew a 35-point lead late in the second quarter on the way to a 10-point loss to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
The Dockers are keen to make amends when they face the Cats in Thursday night's re-match at Optus Stadium.
"A little bit, yeah," Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce replied when asked if revenge was in his thoughts.
"You learn a lot from your losses, and we learnt a lot from that game.
Ends Bulletin
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