AAP Rolling News Bulletin for May 22 at 1800
Iran (DUBAI)
The United States and Iran have stuck to directly opposing stances over the Middle East country's uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait of Hormuz, although Secretary of State Marco Rubio says there have been "some good signs" in talks.
Speaking before departing for a NATO meeting, Rubio said there were "some good signs" in Pakistan-mediated negotiations. However, he added that he did not want to be "overly optimistic."
Rubio also repeated the US assessment that Iran's leadership system was "itself is a little fractured" and stressed that US President Donald Trump preferred a negotiated settlement.
"But if we can't get a good deal, the president's been clear, he has other options," Rubio said.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters while no deal has been reached, the gaps have narrowed.
Legal: Chong (MELBOURNE)
A man has been found guilty of keeping a vulnerable woman as a slave and assaulting her.
Chee Kit "Max" Chong, 47, faced a Melbourne County Court trial accused of intentionally possessing a slave and three counts of assault
He pleaded not guilty and a jury was empanelled in the trial which began at the end of March.
The jury was told the 61-year-old Malaysian woman, who cannot be legally identified, escaped from Chong's Melbourne home in October 2022.
She died in 2024, however her recorded interview with police in 2022 was played to the jury.
The woman was found with bruises and injuries to her leg and ears, which prosecutors said had been caused by assaults on her committed by Chong.
Paton (SYDNEY)
An Australian police officer who fell to his death while hiking to Peru's famed Machu Picchu is being remembered as a dedicated family man with a passion for travel.
The body of Victorian Sergeant Matt Paton was recovered by Peruvian rescuers on Thursday local time in an abyss about 300 metres from a trail leading to Machu Picchu.
Sgt Paton fell from the Inca Trail on Wednesday afternoon while with a guided group headed to the ancient Inca citadel, one of the South American nation's most visited sites.
The 52-year-old's relatives said they were "shattered by this loss".
""It seems surreal at the moment - everyone is bereft," the family said in a statement on Friday.
"Family was the most important thing to Matt. He was dedicated to his family including his wife of 31 years and their three children. He adored his family. And we adored him."
Legal: Sushames (BURNIE)
A man who shot dead a beloved police officer who was attempting to repossess his home had earlier told a friend "I will kill them, no one is going to take my house off me".
Leigh Geoffrey Sushames, 47, hid behind a blue Ford Falcon holding a rifle in the carport of his rural property in northwest Tasmania on June 16, 2025, as two officers approached.
He had been told 12 days earlier by police they would be returning to follow through on a court's repossession order over outstanding mortgage payments spanning years.
Sushames was first spotted behind the car by Constable Keith Smith, 57, who asked him how he was going.
Sushames replied "not good" before standing up and fatally shooting Const Smith from less than two metres away, once in the back and a second time in the head.
Ministers (BRISBANE)
A state premier has been blindsided by a federal police probe into a senior minister, saying he found out about the investigation after media broke the news.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said he was passed a note in a budget meeting telling him Tim Mander had been reported to the Australian Federal Police about enrolment status concerns, a day after the minister was informed.
Mr Mander - the Olympics minister - announced late on Thursday he would stand aside from cabinet as federal police decided whether to launch a full-blown probe.
He had been investigated after enrolling to vote at a staffer's home during the breakdown of his 40‑plus year marriage.
The Australian Electoral Commission referred the matter to federal police on Tuesday, and Mr Mander was reportedly informed on Wednesday night, while on a ministerial visit to New Zealand, but did not tell the premier.
Ukraine (MOSCOW)
Russia has launched nuclear-capable missiles and issued nuclear munitions to some units as part of major nuclear exercises amid heightened tensions with NATO over the Ukraine war and drone activity in the Baltic.
Russia is conducting some of the biggest nuclear exercises in years, involving 64,000 people to drill its forces in "the preparation and use of nuclear forces in the event of aggression".
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and top generals the use of such weapons would always be an exceptional and extreme measure of last resort.
"Given the growing tensions in the world and the emergence of new threats and risks, our nuclear triad must continue to serve as a reliable guarantor of the sovereignty of the Union State of Russia and Belarus," Putin said in the Kremlin.
Budget (CANBERRA)
Controversial tax changes in the budget are a "step in the right direction" but the Greens want the government to go further before pledging to give their support.
The progressive minor party's vote is crucial to Labor's hopes of getting legislation through the Senate, given the coalition has vowed to repeal the changes to investor tax breaks if elected.
While the government has faced significant blowback from small business owners and landlords over the changes to the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing, Greens economics spokesman Nick McKim said Labor hadn't gone far enough.
"Faced with a once in a generation opportunity to shift more of the tax burden onto super wealthy people, and in particular super wealthy property speculators, Labor blinked," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
NATO (HELSINGBORG, SWEDEN)
The White House is "very upset" with NATO members for "going into hiding" during the Iran war, US secretary of state Marco Rubio says.
America's top diplomat levelled his latest criticism as he headed to a meeting of the military alliance in Sweden.
US President Donald Trump has fiercely criticised NATO members for not doing more to help the US-Israeli military campaign. He has said he is considering withdrawing from the alliance and questioned whether Washington was bound to honour its mutual defence pact.
NATO officials have stressed the US did not ask the 32-member alliance to take part in the Iran war, but many members have honoured commitments to allow US forces to use their airspace and bases on their territory.
In finance ...
Markets Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's share market continues to recover on optimism about a potential peace deal between the United States and Iran, despite division remaining on key issues.
The S&P/ASX200 rose 41.4 points by midday on Friday, to be up 0.48 per cent to 8,663.1, as the broader All Ordinaries lifted by 45.2 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 8,886.
"Iran suggested that the latest US proposal 'has narrowed the gaps to some extent' between the two sides," Westpac economist Mantas Vanagas said.
"However, the two countries still appear to be drifting further apart on the two central issues - Iran's nuclear ambitions and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz."
ASX-listed miners were doing some heavy lifting heading into the weekend, with materials up 1.4 per cent with strong leads from BHP and Rio Tinto.
Guzman (SYDNEY)
An Aussie-born Mexican-themed fast food chain is pulling out of the United States in a spectacular turnaround on its American market ambitions.
Stock exchange-listed Guzman y Gomez made the announcement on Friday, saying its restaurants in Chicago will cease trading immediately.
The decision was made because the financial performance of the US business was not acceptable or meeting targets.
"I have always been confident in the differentiation of our food and guest experience, however this was not translating to an improvement in sales momentum," founder and co-chief executive Steven Marks said.
Guzman's US experiment lasted about six years, after it opened its first store in Chicago in January 2020.
"I realised this was going to take significantly more time and capital than we had expected," Mr Marks said.
In entertainment ...
Legal: Gillham (MELBOURNE)
The former managing director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has been accused of lying to the organisation's board about cancelling a concert by pianist Jayson Gillham.
The British-Australian performer dedicated a composition at a 2024 MSO performance to journalists killed in Gaza, saying they had been deliberately targeted by Israel, and the orchestra responded by cancelling his next concert.
The pianist is suing the orchestra for unfair dismissal in the Federal Court.
Former managing director Sophie Galaise was accused of lying when she told the organisation's board that Gillham had withdrawn from the upcoming concert, knowing it had actually been cancelled.
"Like any human you use words, and for me this was probably interchangeable," she said, under cross-examination by Gillham's barrister Sheryn Omeri KC.
Colbert (NEW YORK CITY)
Stephen Colbert opened the final episode of his long-running reign on The Late Show with a tribute to viewers, calling the program a "joy machine" after 11 years on air.
In a star-studded farewell from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on Thursday night, the 62-year-old was joined by the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Paul Rudd.
Colbert said his role on the CBS talk show was not only to recap the news, but to "feel the news" alongside them.
"We call (the show) the joy machine, because to do this many shows, it has to be a machine. But the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn't hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears," he said.
In sport ...
Soc ALM Grand (AUCKLAND)
An A-League Men grand final against his former side can only be described by Auckland FC coach Steve Corica as weird.
Corica's nearly two-decade history with Sydney FC weighs on his mind ahead of Saturday's sold-out grand final at Go Media Stadium in New Zealand.
Auckland are out to become the first Kiwi team to claim an ALM grand final, while the Sky Blues are eyeing a record-extending sixth championship.
Corica had guided Sydney FC to their two most recent grand-final wins in 2019 and 2020, and was also at the helm in the 2021 loss to then-coach Patrick Kisnorbo's Melbourne City.
But the Auckland coach's past with the competition's most successful club goes deeper.
Corica has been associated with the club since its inception in 2005, when he also scored the winning goal in that season's grand final win over Central Coast Mariners.
WC26 Aust (MELBOURNE)
Finally able to put his best foot forward with the Socceroos after years of injury hell, Mathew Leckie is adamant he's not slowing down and has plenty to give if selected for a fourth World Cup.
Leckie has never played under coach Tony Popovic due to recurring soft-tissue injuries.
But he returned for Melbourne City at the back end of the season before earning a call-up to the training camp after a mammoth 120-minute elimination final midfield shift against Auckland.
Leckie has been in the thick of Australia's gruelling pre-World Cup training camp, which the 35-year-old described as a "mini pre-season" in hot and humid Sarasota.
"It's been very different to what I was used to, obviously, it almost felt like it was my first time into camp again," Leckie said on Friday.
Ends Bulletin
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