AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 21 at 0900
UK Starmer (LONDON)
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer is expected to resign and set out a timetable for his departure, the Observer newspaper reports.
The newspaper said Starmer would quit on Monday after reaching the conclusion that his position was no longer tenable after speaking to cabinet minister, advisers, donors and trade union leaders.
Starmer was discussing the matter with his wife Victoria at his Chequers country residence before making a final decision, but that senior Labour figures expected a clear statement on his future as early as Monday, the report said.
Ukraine (KYIV)
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Ukrainian drones have struck an oil refinery in Russia's Tyumen Region in western Siberia, more than 2000km from Ukraine.
He also said Ukraine had developed new long-range drones capable of operating over more than 3000km.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy offered thanks to the Ukrainian military's special operations which "have reached Tyumen Region in Russia, including an oil refining facility. More than 2000km from our state border. This is effective work."
Ukraine's military has been engaged for months in a campaign of medium and long-range strikes on Russian targets, focusing mainly on the oil industry, to hinder Russia's capability in funding the war.
The governor of Tyumen Region, Alexander Moor, earlier said that Russian air defences repelled a drone attack on the oil refinery.
Fuel (MELBOURNE)
Cost relief at the bowser has been extended for another month, although the savings won't be as substantial.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a limited extension of the fuel excise, making petrol and diesel 16 cents per litre cheaper than the full price in July.
The current saving is 32 cents a litre after it was cut three months ago, following the outbreak of war in the Middle East and ensuing strangulation of global oil supplies.
That discount is scheduled to expire on June 30, by which time it will have cost the federal budget an estimated $2.9 billion in foregone revenue.
"(The) decision recognises that despite the welcome and substantial drop in the price of petrol recently, we know people are still under pressure," Mr Albanese said.
Flu (SYDNEY)
Australia has been urged to stick to its guns and resist panic as a deadly avian disease arrives on the mainland.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected on mainland Australia for the first time, with a sick brown skua found on a remote beach near Esperance, about 700km southeast of Perth, confirmed to be carrying the disease.
The discovery has fuelled fears among scientists, conservationists and agricultural groups, who point to mass mortality events and species-level population reductions in overseas outbreaks.
"It's a really serious concern," UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science ecologist Simon Gorta told AAP.
"But it's important to remain calm about this.
"There are absolutely measures in place to deal with this as best as we can, we've just got to stick to our guns."
Iran (ZURICH)
US Vice President JD Vance says he expects to go to Switzerland soon for talks with Iran even as the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz shut, alleging US and Israeli truce violations.
The move by the hardline IRGC appeared to raise the stakes ahead of the talks that Pakistani officials said will begin on Sunday as both sides seek to advance the interim deal signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to end their almost four-month war.
The IRGC warned ships not to approach the waterway, a vital conduit for global oil and gas supplies, citing what it called Israeli "crimes" in Lebanon and a US violation of commitments to establish a ceasefire.
Flu (SYDNEY)
A deadly avian disease that has wreaked havoc on wildlife across the world has been confirmed on mainland Australia for the first time.
Detection of the H5 strain of bird flu was announced on Saturday after a sick brown skua was found on a remote beach in Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance, about 700km southeast of Perth.
This strain has already killed millions of animals and could threaten Australia's native wildlife and farmed animals but Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the government had been planning for its spread.
"We all knew that we couldnt be (H5) bird flu free forever," she told reporters.
"Whilst disappointing, this is not unexpected given the global spread of the H5 bird flu virus.
Iran (DUBAI/WASHINGTON)
Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon after an escalation in fighting there jeopardised the chances of an interim agreement on ending the war in Iran turning into a lasting Middle East peace deal.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is travelling to Switzerland for the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal, Axios reported on Friday, citing a US official.
The development comes a day after Vice President JD Vance cancelled plans to attend the talks, which were called off amid the renewed fighting in Lebanon. That escalation has raised fresh uncertainty over the fate of negotiations critical to reopening the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping.
Trump told NBC News he had spoken with Israel and asked it to agree to the ceasefire.
UK Vote (LONDON)
Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to set out plans to quit Downing Street over the weekend after Andy Burnham stormed to victory in the Makerfield by-election.
The British prime minister has repeatedly vowed to fight any leadership challenge, insisting he will not "walk away".
But Burnham's by-election victory has prompted more backbenchers and Labour grandees to call for Starmer to stand down.
Some MPs who had signed a statement rejecting calls for a leadership election in May have now reversed their position while former home secretary Alan Johnson told LBC his message to the prime minister would be: "It's over, Keir."
Starmer is understood to have spoken to a number of cabinet ministers on Friday, some of whom are reported to have told him he should set out a timetable for his departure.
In finance ...
Super (SYDNEY)
Superannuation is set for its most significant change in decades but a week ahead of implementation, many businesses - and potentially the clearance system itself - aren't ready.
From July 1, employee superannuation contributions must land in members' accounts within seven days of payday instead of every quarter.
Australian Tax Office data suggests as many as two in five businesses already pay contributions more often than quarterly.
For Waterfalls Cafe and Gallery owner Rachel Power in Tasmania's Mt Field National Park, the vagaries of regional tourism pushed her towards early payments well ahead of schedule.
"We've actually been paying super weekly for probably a year or two now, only because for cash flow we're very seasonal here," Ms Power told AAP.
"The market forces are pretty insane in Tasmania."
In entertainment ...
Arts Beetlejuice (MELBOURNE)
The juice is no longer on the loose after rising costs forced a major musical to end its Australian run early despite rave reviews.
Beetlejuice The Musical will play its final show on July 5 at Brisbane's QPAC Theatre, with all remaining dates of the national tour in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney cancelled.
The call comes amid high costs, despite a stellar cast, outstanding production values and excellent reviews, a Michael Cassel Group spokesperson told AAP.
"For a production of this scale, the current logistical realities of touring across vast distances between Australian cities have created increasing cost pressures that ultimately made continuing the run unsustainable," the spokesperson said.
"While audience enthusiasm for the show has been encouraging, a more cautious consumer environment combined with the economics of moving a production of this magnitude could not be justified.
Clarkson (LONDON)
TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he has met up with former UK prime minister David Cameron to discuss their prostate cancer diagnoses with other famous faces.
The 66-year-old revealed in the latest episodes of the fifth season of his series Clarkson's Farm that he had been diagnosed with "aggressive" prostate cancer that had been discovered early.
In an interview with The Times, Clarkson confirmed that a PSA test two months ago revealed no indication of cancer and he is officially in remission.
"I was talking to David (Cameron) about it earlier this morning," Clarkson said.
"He said the amount of people that come up to him mostly in public conveniences and say, 'if you hadn't owned up to it, I wouldn't have got checked, and they wouldn't have found it"."
In sport ...
WC26 Aust (OAKLAND)
With the Socceroos' fate in their own hands and everything to gain against Paraguay, all eyes will be on how coach Tony Popovic chooses to attack Australia's final World Cup group match.
The Socceroos boss could trust exuberant young attackers like Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure and Cristian Volpato to try and put Australia on the front foot.
Whether he will is another matter.
Popovic was rightly lauded for his selection and tactical masterclass in Australia's opening 2-0 win over Turkey that set them on the path towards the knockouts.
But his decision to start a more conservative attack against the US, turning to Mathew Leckie and Nishan Velupillay over Turkey goalscorers Connor Metcalfe and Irankunda, backfired in Friday's 2-0 loss.
RL Titans (GOLD COAST)
Gold Coast have shocked competition leaders Penrith 19-18 in one of the best and bravest wins in their history as rising half Zane Harrison announced himself as a star.
The 20-year-old's winning field goal at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night, with 19 seconds left on the clock, was a composed cracker after he set up two second-half tries.
Harrison, playing just his sixth NRL game, was part of a starting side where all 13 players have only played for the club.
More than 70 old boys of the Titans and former Gold Coast franchises formed a guard of honour as the players ran on the field. The club celebrated their own retro round with iconic mascot Captain Charger making an appearance for the first time in 19 years.
Ends Bulletin
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