AAP Rolling News Bulletin for May 26 at 2300
Climate Europe (PARIS)
Temperature records have toppled as a spring heatwave continues to scorch parts of Western Europe, triggering government warnings about risks to life.
Several drownings were reported in Britain and France as people tried to cool down.
London recorded a rare "tropical night", defined as one in which the temperature does not fall below 20C, and Britain's Met Office weather service said the temperature in southern England could reach 35C on Tuesday.
Monday was the UK's hottest May day on record, with the temperature hitting 34.8C at Kew Gardens in London, smashing the previous record of 32.8C set in 1922 and 1944.
Records also fell in France, where temperatures reached 36C on Monday and widely remained above 20C at night.
The national weather service, Météo-France, said a "heat dome", with heat held in place by a high-pressure weather front, was producing temperatures more than 10C above what used to be usual for this time of year.
Brereton (CANBERRA)
The first head of Australia's national corruption watchdog rejects suggestions he should have been more transparent about connections with the defence establishment that led to his resignation.
But National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton has conceded the issue had become a distraction.
A day after announcing plans to step down in July after a turbulent three years as commissioner, Mr Brereton said he did not need to give the government more details about his defence ties because it was like asking what church he attends.
During an at times tense appearance before a parliamentary inquiry, Mr Brereton said questions about his ongoing work with the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force - one of the agencies the National Anti-Corruption Commission had the power to investigate - had made it hard for the commission to get clear air.
White (DARWIN)
A year after a disabled Aboriginal man's death in a supermarket, his family has learned the two plain-clothes officers who forcibly restrained him will not be charged.
Kumanjayi White, 24, died in Alice Springs in May 2025 after the officers held him down, sparking national outrage and rallies calling for an independent investigation.
Northern Territory Police confirmed on Tuesday that the Director of Public Prosecutions had provided advice on the investigation into the death.
Police Commissioner Martin Dole said advice from prosecutors was that there was "no reasonable prospect of a successful prosecution".
He said the decision would cause "distress, pain and anger" for Mr White's family and the broader community and he urged a peaceful response to the decision.
Legal: Freeman (MELBOURNE)
The deadly shooting of cop-killer Dezi Freeman has exposed that specialist police continue to work without body-worn cameras, eight years after a state force began to roll out the technology.
None of the officers who gunned down Freeman in March at a remote property in Thologolong near the Victoria-NSW border were wearing body-worn cameras.
The officers were members of Victoria Police's special operations group, who conducted covert surveillance on the fugitive's location for a week before moving in and attempting to negotiate with him over several hours.
Victoria Police confirmed to AAP on Tuesday body-worn cameras currently in use were not compatible with the officers' specialist operational equipment, although a trial was nearing completion.
"Findings from this evaluation will inform any future decisions regarding broader implementation across the unit," a force spokesperson said.
AI CBA (SYDNEY)
The adoption of artificial intelligence in Australia and the world hasn't quite gone as expected, but it has underlined our need for human connection, according to one of the market leaders.
Founder and chief executive Sam Altman of OpenAI, which has been going for three and a half years, says while there's been strong take-up, the human element has turned out to be more intriguing.
And there have certainly been situations where he's found himself unwilling to use AI.
"I've felt that threshold - most strongly when I briefly tried to let AI do my messaging. You know, write my emails, my text messages, do Slack for me," he told business leaders at a conference in Sydney.
"Yet, I found it, like, surprisingly dehumanising to watch, even when I had it reply to messages.
Antisemitism (MELBOURNE)
Online harassment and intimidation has been directed at witnesses who have appeared before the anti-Semitism royal commission, with at least one incident referred to police.
The commission is probing the intelligence and law enforcement response leading up to the Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14 which claimed the lives of 15 innocent people.
In a first block of hearings, witnesses from the Jewish community gave evidence about their experiences of anti-Semitism.
Commissioner Virginia Bell opened Tuesday's hearing with a warning to those engaging in online harassment and intimidation of witnesses.
"The commission is keeping a close eye on these instances and recording these offensive social media posts," she said.
"Quite what this undiluted level of hatred and bigotry directed towards members of the Jewish community is thought to benefit by those who post these remarks is lost on me.
Energy (CANBERRA)
Power prices in eastern states are forecast to go down by 10 per cent, driven by an uptick in renewable energy and batteries.
The final Default Market Offer, which sets out the maximum amount retailers can charge on plans, shows price reductions for households and even bigger drops for small businesses.
Some households are expected to save more than $200 a year in their power bills when the offer comes into effect in July.
Household standing offer time-of-use prices will fall by up to 10.7 per cent across South Australia, NSW and Queensland's southeast.
Small business standing offer time-of-use prices are set to fall by up to 20.9 per cent.
The Australian Energy Regulator sets the default market offer as a benchmark for residential and small business electricity bills in NSW, southeast Queensland and South Australia.
Iran (DUBAI/NEW DELHI)
The US military has carried out strikes in southern Iran against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, in what it described as defensive actions.
US Central Command said in a statement the strikes on Monday were designed "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces".
"US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire," said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesman.
The strikes came as Iran's top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with the US to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi earlier that the US would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before considering whether to deal with Iran in "another way".
In finance ...
AI Business (SYDNEY)
Australia is well-positioned to take advantage of the global boom in artificial intelligence but governments and regulators need to get the policy settings right so they don't stifle start-ups.
That's the message from two of the country's biggest entrepreneurs in the AI space, including the head of an infrastructure company that operates a network of energy-efficient data centres, which power the technology.
"This is unquestionably the significant industrial transformation in modern history," the head of stock exchange listed NextDC, Craig Scroggie, told a conference in Sydney on Tuesday.
Mr Scroggie echoed comments made earlier in the day by OpenAI founder and chief executive Sam Altman about Australia potentially sitting in a sweet spot in AI development.
Both noted the nation's stable security and political environment, clear regulatory regimes, and natural energy resources, which could underpin its future as a global leader,
Aroa (SYDNEY)
Sales of a high-tech wrap derived from sheep guts that assists in human healing is behind solid traction and profits in the United States for an ASX-listed Kiwi company.
Aroa Biosurgery made $NZ103.9 million ($84.9 million) in revenue in the year ended March 31, up 23 per cent from 2024/25, the company announced on Tuesday.
Its gross profit rose 23 per cent to $NZ88.8 million ($72.5 million) and Aroa posted normalised earnings of $NZ11 million ($9 million), beating guidance of $5 million to $8 million, in what the company called a "breakout year".
Sales of Aroa's Myriad collagen matrix, which is made from sheep forestomach tissue, were up 54 per cent to $NZ49.5 million ($40.4 million).
Aroa chief executive and founder Brian Ward told analysts the company makes a 90 per cent profit margin on Myriad sales and its healing properties are backed by strong clinical evidence.
In entertainment ...
Wilson (LONDON)
Rebel Wilson's daughter Royce is already following in her footsteps.
The 46-year-old Hollywood star has revealed her and wife Ramona Agruma's three-year-old daughter Royce Lillian, who arrived via surrogate in November 2022, has landed her first acting role in the US.
In a post on her Instagram Story, Rebel shared a photo of Royce smiling in a fold-out chair as she holds onto a children's book.
She captioned the photo: "Roycie's first US acting job."
Rebel didn't confirm or even tease any details about the mysterious project.
The announcement comes days after the Pitch Perfect star and her partner Ramona revealed they have become parents for a second time.
Alongside a snap of her daughter, Rebel wrote on Instagram: "Proud to announce the birth of our 2nd daughter Rose Estelle! What a gorgeous blessing to have another little girl! Now on May 4th it's now 4 of us! Ramona and I are feeling so incredibly grateful and blessed to grow our family, thank you everyone for all the well wishes"
Idol (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
British rocker Billy Idol has been honoured for a music career spanning 50 years that he thought would only last six months.
The Rebel Yell singer received the lifetime achievement accolade to a standing ovation at the American Music Awards (AMAs), held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday night.
The 70-year-old closed the glitzy star-studded ceremony with Eyes Without a Face, followed by Dancing with Myself, his first breakout solo hit back in 1981 after leaving his punk band Generation X.
"I've been able to live my dream, and it's really all because of you," he said, thanking fans after being presented with his award.
"When I started out in punk rock back in 1976, we thought it may only last about six months, let alone 50 years.
In sport ...
AFL Bombers (MELBOURNE)
Essendon have sacked coach Brad Scott with more than a year remaining on his contract, with former Bombers premiership star Dean Solomon shaping as the likely interim replacement .
Scott, 50, pays the price for the Bombers' dismal start to the AFL season, having won just one of their first 11 games.
The final straw was seemingly Essendon's ugly loss to Richmond on Friday night that anchored the Bombers to the bottom of the ladder.
"Ultimately, whilst we know we are a young team, we are not comfortable with our current position which led us to meet as a board to assess and make a decision on the future of the senior coach position," president Andrew Welsh said in a statement.
Bkb Aust (MELBOURNE)
Australian basketball great Joe Ingles believes the new-look Boomers are capable of anything as they set their sights on Olympic medals in Los Angeles and Brisbane.
Ingles, a veteran of five Olympics and four World Cups, is yet to completely shut the door on his own Boomers career.
But after returning to the NBL with Melbourne United following 12 seasons in the NBA, the 38-year-old is realistic about his prospects of featuring in LA in two years time.
Regardless of whether he gets there, Ingles is adamant a group now led by NBA stars Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels, alongside Jock Landale, Matisse Thybulle and Josh Green, can do damage on the global stage.
The Boomers are set to head to next year's FIBA World Cup and the LA Olympics under new head coach Adam Caporn - a Washington Wizards assistant and former NBL guard - who has taken the reins from coaching legend Brian Goorjian.
Ends Bulletin
Rolling News Desk inquiries : 02 9322 8611
