AAP Rolling News Bulletin for May 31 at 0630
Ebola (BUNIA)
The World Health Organisation chief has travelled to the province hardest hit by an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, urging residents to seek treatment and practice safe burials as officials scramble to contain the fatal disease.
The outbreak - the 17th in the DR Congo and the third-largest since Ebola was discovered half a century ago - is outpacing the global response, something WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged this week before travelling to Kinshasa on Thursday.
His visit came as Brazil said on Saturday it was investigating a suspected Ebola case in Sao Paulo state involving a man who recently visited DR Congo.
Authorities said the patient was in isolation at a specialist hospital.
After meeting Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka on Friday, Tedros flew on Saturday to Bunia, capital of Ituri province, where the first cases were confirmed earlier this month.
Iran (TEHRAN)
The US military has stopped another merchant vessel trying to break through the United States blockade of Iranian ports, a US official says.
The Gambia-flagged bulk carrier Lian Star ignored multiple warnings from US forces overnight as it tried to enter an Iranian port, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, said.
The ship was disabled by US aircraft in the Gulf of Oman and remains adrift there, the official said, adding that US forces have not boarded it.
With the latest action, the US military has stopped six ships trying to breach the blockade.
One was allowed to proceed.
The US launched the blockade on April 17 in response to Iran largely closing the strait after the war began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28.
Ukraine (MOSCOW)
Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom says a Ukrainian drone has struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest, causing no damage to key equipment but leaving a hole in the wall of a turbine hall.
"This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a subsequent detonation," Rosatom's head Alexei Likhachev said in a statement.
"The explosion caused no damage to the primary equipment; however, it tore a hole in the turbine hall wall."
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Likhachev called the incident "deliberate".
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was captured by Russia in March 2022 and remains close to the frontline in the southeastern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region.
Ebola (BUNIA, CONGO)
The World Health Organisation chief has called on communities in the centre of the Congo's latest Ebola outbreak to play a central role in fighting the disease.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo to co-ordinate the response to the Ebola outbreak, for which 1028 suspected cases had been recorded by Friday, according to Congolese authorities.
"The communities understand the problems better and they know the solution as well," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters after arriving in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, a hotspot of the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
"Yes, the international community is involved, under the leadership of the government of DRC. At the same time, community ownership is important. That's why we are here to discuss with the community to see how the response is running and, if there are challenges, to help."
AUKUS (SINGAPORE)
The United States, Britain and Australia are working together to develop unmanned undersea vehicles as part of their trilateral AUKUS defence pact, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth says.
The program comes under AUKUS' so-called Pillar Two to develop advanced defence technology including quantum computing, undersea, hypersonic, artificial intelligence and cyber technology.
"The signature project will deliver a suite of highly adaptable multi-mission UUV payloads designed to support undersea operations and maintain our collective advantage in the maritime domain," Hegseth told reporters in Singapore on Saturday.
Formed by the three countries in 2021, AUKUS is part of their efforts to push back against China's growing power in the Indo-Pacific region.
China has called the AUKUS pact dangerous and warned it could spur a regional arms race.
Laos Cave (BANGKOK)
Rescuers have pulled out four people trapped in a flooded cave in Laos, Thai rescuers say.
Saturday's operation comes hours after another man was rescued from the flooded cave on Friday night.
The five people rescued are among seven Lao nationals who had entered the cave in Xaisomboun province to prospect for gold, but their exit was blocked, leaving them trapped for more than a week.
Video footage showed rescuers guiding a mud-smeared man on Friday wearing a headlamp from the tight cave entrance.
It took about 37 minutes to bring him through the passages to safety, the team said in a Facebook post.
A team of volunteers from neighbouring Thailand joined the rescue efforts on Sunday and further reinforcements from France, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Australia, the group posted on Facebook.
Liberals (MELBOURNE)
Plans to undo Labor's tax-break reforms and net-zero commitments have dominated a key address by Angus Taylor.
The opposition leader fronted a Liberal Party federal council meeting in Melbourne on Saturday, with the national gathering of party heavyweights an opportunity for him to firm up support and confidence after taking the top job in February.
Since his ascension, Pauline Hanson's One Nation has claimed a historic victory in the Farrer by-election and the outspoken right-wing senator has surged in popularity.
"Ours is the only party capable of defeating and replacing this rotten Labor government," Mr Taylor told the meeting.
Accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of starting a war on aspiration with the recent federal budget, Mr Taylor promised to scrap sweeping reforms to negative gearing, capital gains taxes and trusts, which he labelled "toxic".
Iran (WASHINGTON/DUBAI)
US President Donald Trump says he will soon decide on a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran, though the two countries still appear to differ on significant issues that have been central to the conflict.
Trump on Friday said he would meet in a secure White House room to make a "final determination" on the proposal, which would extend an early-April truce for another 60 days, giving negotiators time to forge a permanent end to the war.
A White House official said the meeting in the Situation Room lasted about two hours, but did not address whether Trump had made a decision.
"President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his redlines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon," the official said.
In finance ...
Markets (NEW YORK)
Wall Street's main indices have posted weekly and monthly gains as Dell results drove tech shares higher while investors awaited details on a potential US-Iran deal.
US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he would make a final decision on the Iran deal on Friday.
An Iranian official earlier said Iran was looking for action, not words, when it came to an agreement.
Dell surged 32.8 per cent after raising its full-year profit and revenue forecasts on Thursday.
The tech sector climbed 1.87 per cent, fuelled by gains in chip stocks.
Peers Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Super Micro Computer gained 12.6 per cent and 11.6 per cent respectively.
Microsoft climbed 5.4 per cent.
The software services index also advanced by more than 6.0 per cent, erasing all losses since January-end when concerns over AI disruption had weighed on the sector.
In entertainment ...
Aerobatics (SYDNEY)
Tumbling through the sky at 400km/h means leaving all ego outside the cockpit, even for Australia's top aerobatic pilot.
Paul Bennet has spent decades carving up the skies, as he pulls off torque rolls, double hammerheads and flips to the delight of audiences hundreds of metres below.
Growing up at Old Bar on the NSW mid-north coast, Bennet later moved to Newcastle where he truly fell in love with the sport and began to stretch his wings.
"When you close the cockpit, the world changes," he told AAP.
"It's just you, the air and the airplane.
"You become one with the plane and your wings become your arms - it's pretty cool."
Bennet began competing in aerobatic championships during the 2000s.
US 250 (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
US President Donald Trump says he is considering cancelling a planned series of concerts on Washington DC's National Mall commemorating the country's 250th anniversary after a string of artists withdrew from the event, and replacing them with a speech and political-style rally instead.
The concerts were planned as part of the larger Great American State Fair, a 16-day event running from June 25 to July 10, 2026.
Organisers said the fair, organised by the Freedom 250 group, would stretch on the National Mall from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument, with concert stages, state pavilions, exhibits, rides and other attractions spread across the Mall.
But the musical line-up has been hit by a series of cancellations.
On Friday, Bret Michaels, the lead singer of the rock band Poison, became the fifth performer to withdraw from the concerts, saying that the event was not the non-partisan celebration that he thought it would be.
In sport ...
Cri Aust (LONDON)
Josh Inglis suffered defeat in his first game as new Australia captain as Pakistan's debutant teenage Arafat Minhas bagged a stunning five-wicket haul and then smashed the winning runs to secure a comprehensive victory in Rawalpindi.
Inglis, handed the task to lead the side with Mitch Marsh ruled out with an ankle injury, saw his side struggle to handle Minhas' tricky left-arm variation as the 19-year-old plundered 5-32 to put the visitors on the backfoot.
Australia' own teen debutant, Oliver Peake, who became the tourists' youngest ever specialist ODI batter at 19, could only make seven as his side struggled to post 200 in the opening match of the three-game series.
And Pakistan always looked comfortable overhauling their target thanks mainly to a solid century partnership between Babar Azam and Ghazi Ghori with Minhas capping a brilliant performance by striking a towering six to seal the five-wicket victory with 45 balls remaining.
WC26 Aust (PASADENA)
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic will watch how his charges handle the heat of a high-intensity friendly against World Cup co-hosts Mexico before making the final brutal cuts to his squad.
The Socceroos will face a capacity crowd full of Mexico fans at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena on Saturday night (Sunday AEST) ahead of Popovic naming his 26-player squad.
The training squad is 30 players after Cristian Volpato's shock defection from Italy, though the attacker seems destined for a cameo at best in that game.
Rather than picking his final squad early like some other coaches, Popovic filtered an extended squad through a training camp, cutting some players and bringing others in later.
He has been personally meeting with players who don't make the squad.
Ends Bulletin
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