AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 5 at 1200
Ebola (KINSHASA)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has raised the number of confirmed Ebola cases to 389, including 63 deaths.
DR Congo Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said Ebola infections had now spread across 17 out of 36 health zones in Ituri province.
Ituri remains the epicentre of the outbreak declared in the eastern part of the country on May 15, accounting for approximately 95 per cent of reported cases.
North Kivu has reported 19 infections, and South Kivu has reported three.
The steady increase of confirmed cases come after residents attacked an Ebola burial team in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province this week, forcing responders to abandon a coffin and raising fears of further transmission, the health ministry said.
Tax (CANBERRA)
Ministers have denied tax-reform measures are being rushed through parliament despite just two days being set aside for an inquiry into the "once-in-a-generation" changes.
Changes limiting negative gearing to new houses from July 2027 and scrapping the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount to a rate based on inflation passed the House of Representatives on Thursday.
But the laws face an uncertain future, with the Greens yet to indicate if they will back the federal budget reforms through the Senate.
A two-day Senate inquiry will scrutinise the laws later in June before they go to the upper house, with the opposition and crossbenchers saying the measures are being rushed.
Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino said the laws were not being raced through as issues surrounding tax and housing had been on the agenda for a long period, alongside 17 hours of debate in parliament so far.
Mideast (GAZA)
Israeli strikes have killed at least 10 Palestinians, including five members of the same family, in separate attacks in the Gaza Strip, health officials say.
Medics said Israeli aircraft struck four apartments before dawn, including the family's home, killing nine people and wounding at least 15.
Later on Thursday, a separate air strike killed one person and wounded others near Wehda Street in Gaza City, medics said, taking the day's death toll to at least 10.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Reuters footage after the first strike showed a blown-out building with charred and damaged furniture, with debris strewn across the road.
A video circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed people entering an apartment with blankets to recover bodies.
Ukraine (MOSCOW)
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he does not rule out signing a peace deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, if an agreement can be reached.
Putin has previously said that Zelenskiy is not a legitimate leader because he has remained in office beyond the end of his elected term.
Ukrainian law forbids the holding of new elections under martial law, which was imposed after Russia's 2022 invasion.
Putin told foreign journalists in St Petersburg that if it came to a peace deal, Russia would sign an agreement with legitimate Ukrainian representatives, perhaps "even with Zelenskiy".
Putin also said on Thursday that Russia will strengthen its air defences to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country.
Legal: Williams (SYDNEY)
A psychic scammer who defrauded victims over two decades through fake blessings to combat curses and evil spirits has admitted running off with hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Maria Williams robbed people of significant savings and led to one woman being evicted from her home.
The now 50-year-old marketed herself out as a "Master Psychic" through pamphlets and newspaper ads offering spiritual cleansing from 2004 until her arrest in 2024.
Using the pseudonyms "Celina" and "Anna", she told her victims they had been cursed or affected by evil or ancestral spirits.
The Lakemba woman then asked for large amounts of money to be sent so they could be blessed and the bad luck cleansed away.
She promised each victim the money would be returned.
US Aust (CANBERRA)
Australia will likely be lumped with higher tariffs by the US, as analysts warn the nation doesn't stand a good chance of negotiating an exemption.
The US has proposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on Australian goods as part of plans for new levies on 60 countries, drawing condemnation from the nation's political leaders.
The White House says the taxes are in response to inadequate anti-slavery laws, but the move is widely considered to be a work-around after the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump's original "Liberation Day" tariffs.
But Australian beef and gold will maintain their exemptions from the American levies.
While Australian diplomats would voice their concerns over the new measures, it would unlikely result in a carve-out, United States Studies Centre director of economic security Hayley Channer said.
Iran (DUBAI/BEIRUT)
The Iran-aligned Hezbollah movement has rejected a new ceasefire in Lebanon and Israel says it will not withdraw troops from the country, undermining US President Donald Trump's efforts to halt fighting there to forge peace with Iran.
Iran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace deal with the United States, and has suggested in recent days that it could intervene directly in support of Hezbollah if Israel keeps up or escalates attacks there.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the ceasefire would come into force within 24 hours of all concerned parties approving it.
However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the Washington DC declaration, insisting "resistance will continue".
There was no immediate response from Israel, Lebanon or the US to Qassem's remarks.
Iran (DUBAI)
Israel and Lebanon have agreed on a new ceasefire after US-mediated talks, raising hopes for progress towards ending the wider US-Israeli war with Iran.
Tehran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace deal with Washington, and has suggested it could intervene directly in support of its proxy Hezbollah if Israel keeps up its attacks there.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday the ceasefire would come into force within 24 hours of all concerned parties approving it, appearing to refer to Hezbollah, which has not commented on the agreement.
But casting doubt on the robustness of the truce, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military would continue to strike in Lebanon for the time being and would not withdraw from the south.
In finance ...
Greensill (LONDON)
Britain will ban Australian financier Lex Greensill, founder of supply chain financing firm Greensill Capital, which collapsed with huge losses in 2021, from acting as a company director for nine years.
The company collapsed after one of its main insurers declined to renew its cover.
Its UK arm had liabilities of more than Stg1.6 billion ($A3 billion), causing heavy losses for investors and prompting lawsuits and regulatory probes.
"A nine-year ban is a significant period - above the average for director disqualifications - and reflects the serious nature of Lex Greensill's conduct," Insolvency Service chief executive Duncan Beach said in a statement on Thursday.
Greensill's conduct breached his legal duty under British rules to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence as a company director, the agency's statement said.
Markets Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's share market is on track for a negative week as US-Iran tensions and and wobbles in the US tech narrative weighed on an already grim outlook for growth.
The S&P/ASX200 fell 99.6 points on Thursday, down 1.13 per cent, to 8,686.1, as the broader All Ordinaries lost 100.3 points, or 1.11 per cent, to 8,916.9.
Investors retreated to safety, bolstering defensive sectors like health care, utilities and consumer staples, while energy stocks also advanced as ongoing US-Iran tensions kept oil prices supported after three sessions of gains, despite a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Miners weighed heavily, with basic materials tumbling more than three per cent as iron ore futures, gold and copper prices lost ground.
The Australian dollar is buying 71.29 US cents, down from 71.59 US cents on Wednesday at 5pm.
In entertainment ...
Television (MELBOURNE)
Australia's once-thriving children's television industry is facing collapse despite a legacy of producing Hollywood stars and shaping generations of young people.
RMIT University research published on Friday reveals the industry remains under pressure due to a significant drop in investment paired with rising production costs.
The sector has helped shape culture for decades through programs such as H2O: Just Add Water, Round the Twist, Blinky Bill, and more recently, Bluey, launched in 2018.
Lead author Jessica Balanzategui believes screen policy settings are failing to support the local stories young audiences need.
"Commercial broadcasters have retreated, streamers are not commissioning new children's programs, and public institutions are being left to carry an increasingly heavy load," she said.
The report reveals there has been a 97 per cent drop in commercial children's television investment since a 2020 decision to remove commercial quotas.
Prince (LONDON)
The Prince Estate has announced the upcoming release of Timeless, a posthumous album featuring 10 rare and previously unreleased recordings.
Timeless will be made up of songs from across the legendary rock star's four-decade career, all carefully curated by the estate and never before released.
The record will be released on August 28 via Legacy Recordings.
The album comes following the 10th anniversary of Prince's death in 2016 from an accidental fentanyl overdose at the age of 57.
Timeless includes recordings between 1977 and 2016, and it includes With This Tear, a song shared in April on the exact anniversary of the star's passing.
A new single titled Stone has been released and is a previously unreleased recording from 1995 written by Sandra St. Victor, Tom Hammer, and Jules Van Even.
In sport ...
Com26 Swi (SYDNEY)
Australian swimmer Shayna Jack has added her voice to growing calls for Olympic prize money, believing athletes are missing out on what they financially deserve.
International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry lit a fuse just days after the controversial Enhanced Games were staged last month, declaring she didn't believe in awarding cash bonuses for medals.
The pro-doping Enhanced Games had offered a total prize pool of US$25 million, dangling carrots of $US250,000 for event winners and a $US1 million bonus for breaking official world records.
While winners of Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals aren't financially compensated by the IOC, some member nations have incentive programs.
Through the Australian Olympic Committee's medal incentive fund, athletes can earn $20,000 for winning gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze.
Ten Open Aust (PARIS)
Maya Joint, Australia's No.1, has opened up on her calamitous year, admitting there have been moments during her alarming slump in form when she's asked herself if she should be playing at all.
But the 20-year-old Queensland-based youngster, given a boost by the encouragement of her BJK Cup captain Sam Stosur, is determined to kick start her revival this week in the Netherlands, promising "I'll be back."
Joint goes into the 's'Hertogenbosch grass-court tournament on a nightmarish run, her first-round thrashing by Anastasia Potapova in the French Open being her 10th successive defeat in an injury-affected losing streak that drags back to January.
It's all a far cry from last year when, as a teenager, she was arguably the breakout player on the women's tour, winning two tournaments and shooting up the rankings from 118 at the start of 2025 to No.28 by this February.
Ends Bulletin
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