AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 1 at 1630
Housing (CANBERRA)
Falling home prices in Sydney and Melbourne might just have signalled the end of Australia's 30-year housing super cycle.
Dwelling values fell 0.9 per cent in Sydney and 0.8 per cent in Melbourne during May, according to data from research agency Cotality.
Along with rising rates and poor affordability, the tightening of property tax concessions in the budget and a political shift towards lower migration might mean a decades-long upswing was nearing a close, AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said.
Financial deregulation, low mortgage rates, high migration, generous tax concessions for property investors and the growth of two-income households boosting purchasing power had fuelled a super cycle during the past 30 years, Dr Oliver said.
That took house prices from well below trend to 20 per cent above trend, resulting in record unaffordability.
Beaumont (BRISBANE)
The parents of murdered teenager Angus Beaumont say they escaped their burning home just in time as the family deals with another huge blow.
Ben Beaumont and Michelle Liddle said they fled as their house north of Brisbane was "burning to the ground".
The blaze was allegedly started by Corey Wardle, the 36-year-old son of Ms Liddle from a previous relationship.
He is in a mental health facility after being charged with arson and attempted murder, a Brisbane court was told on Monday.
In March 2020 the family lost 15-year-old Angus after he was fatally stabbed by two teenagers in a Redcliffe car park north of Brisbane.
Six years later they are again reeling after the suspected arson attack destroyed their Clontarf residence and gardening business.
Beaumont (BRISBANE)
The parents of murdered teenager Angus Beaumont say they escaped their burning home just in time as the family deals with another huge blow.
Ben Beaumont and Michelle Liddle said they fled as their house north of Brisbane was "burning to the ground".
The blaze was allegedly started by Corey Wardle, the 36-year-old son of Ms Liddle from a previous relationship.
He is in a mental health facility after being charged with arson and attempted murder, a Brisbane court was told on Monday.
In March 2020 the family lost 15-year-old Angus after he was fatally stabbed by two teenagers in a Redcliffe car park north of Brisbane.
Six years later they are again reeling after the suspected arson attack destroyed their Clontarf residence and gardening business.
Star (MELBOURNE)
Players were allowed to gamble non-stop for more than a day and a half at Sydney's Star casino, exceeding legal time limits by more than 24 hours.
Star Sydney has been hit with $10 million in fines for regulatory breaches, including exceeding gaming time limits and failing to properly vet patrons for links to criminal and terrorist activity.
The casino will be required to set a further $5 million aside to bolster its financial crime risk management operations by the the independent body behind the fines, the NSW Independent Casino Commission.
A $1.5 million fine was imposed for allowing customers to exceed gaming time limits on multiple occasions between May 2024 and April 2025, the commission revealed on Monday.
In some cases patrons were able to gamble for more than 36 hours straight, despite regulations limiting gambling to no more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period.
Legal: El Houli (MELBOURNE)
A woman accused of travelling to Syria, joining the Islamic State and marrying a number of its members has renounced the terror group and violent jihad, her lawyer says.
Rayann El Houli, 34, was due to apply for bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday morning but her barrister Peter Morrissey SC sought an adjournment.
He told the court the prosecution had raised concerns about El Houli's risk of endangering the community, claiming there was a lack of evidence she had renounced IS.
Mr Morrissey said he needed more time to obtain the relevant material but he was instructed to make a statement on behalf of his client.
"She renounces ISIS and violent jihad," he told the court.
"She wants nothing to do with it - not now, not in the future, not directly and not indirectly, not for herself and not for the people she loves, and especially not for her children."
Mideast (CAIRO)
A Palestinian man has been shot and killed by Israeli forces at a concrete barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified him as 26-year-old Imad Haroun Ishtayeh from the village of Salem, east of Nablus.
It said Israeli forces shot him in a thigh in al-Ram town, and he was pronounced dead at the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah on Sunday.
Israeli police said he tried to unlawfully enter Israel by crossing the barrier.
Footage circulating online showed people carrying his body and climbing down a ladder that had been placed against the wire-topped barrier, while traffic continued to roll by and a horn blared.
Ishtayeh was attempting to cross from the West Bank to Israel. Many people have been shot trying to cross the barrier, including a 44-year-old father who was killed in May.
Myanmar Blast (RANGOON)
At least 55 people have reportedly been killed in a blast in Myanmar's Kaung Tat village, which a rebel army says was caused by the accidental explosion of material stored for use in mining.
The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, which is currently in a ceasefire with the Myanmar military and controls the village near the Chinese border, said there had been fatalities, without saying how many.
Local news outlet Shwe Phee Myay News Agency said at least 55 people had died, including 25 women and 30 men, and that dozens more were wounded.
It published photos and videos showing smoke from the explosion and damaged buildings and debris in its aftermath.
"The Palaung State Liberation Front/TNLA expresses its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, were injured, and suffered damage as a result of the explosion," the group said in a Telegram post.
Iran (DUBAI)
Talks and message exchanges with the United States are ongoing, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has told state media.
We should not give importance to speculation and we can not judge the talks until we get to a clear result, Araqchi added.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said earlier on Sunday that Iran would only sign a framework agreement with the US once concrete concessions - including the release of billions in frozen accounts - had been secured.
Ghalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator, reiterated during an online parliamentary session that Iran would not accept any agreement until there was certainty that the rights of the Iranian people were safeguarded, state news agency IRNA reported.
"We trust neither guarantees nor words - only actions count. No measures will be taken until the other side acts," Ghalibaf said on Friday on X.
In finance ...
Markets Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's share market has started the week on the back foot, as investors look for signs of progress in US-Iran negotiations after hopes of a breakthrough amounted to little over the weekend.
The S&P/ASX200 edged 14.6 points lower by midday, down 0.16 per cent, to 8,717.4, as the broader All Ordinaries lost 6.5 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 8,958.5.
"Negotiations between the US and Iran remain an outstanding concern and a source of potential volatility going forward," Capital.com senior market analyst Kyle Rodda said.
"Price action points to a market placing its proverbial bets that a deal will get done, despite the apparent differences between both parties regarding Iran's uranium enrichment, nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz."
US AI (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
The US Department of Commerce has moved to close a potential loophole that may have led companies to export the world's most advanced chips - like Nvidia's most sophisticated Blackwell processors - to subsidiaries of Chinese companies located outside China.
The unexpected guidance suggests that the United States' best AI chips may have been making their way to the subsidiaries of Chinese AI firms based in places such as Malaysia despite broader US efforts to starve Chinese firms of semiconductors needed to develop critical AI capabilities.
The new guidance was posted on the Commerce Department's website on Sunday after a paper about the loophole circulated in Washington, according to people familiar with the matter.
The paper, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, says "the floodgates have quietly opened", dated Friday, the paper does not list any author.
In entertainment ...
Clarke (LONDON)
Emilia Clarke felt like she "cheated death" after surviving two brain aneurysms.
The 39-year-old British actress suffered aneurysms in 2011 and 2013 and has admitted to feeling haunted by the near-death experiences for years.
The brunette beauty - best known for playing Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones between 2011 and 2019, spoke to Variety about her health scares.
"For a number of years, I felt that I had cheated death, and it was coming to get me. I truly felt like I had done something wrong, and I shouldn't be here," she said.
"I also thought it ruined my ability to act - which some people might agree with!"
Clarke starred in Game of Thrones alongside the likes of Sean Bean, Richard Madden, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Kit Harington and Rose Leslie.
Richards (LONDON)
Keith Richards has become a great-grandfather for the first time.
The Rolling Stones guitarist, 82 - whose career has spanned more than six decades – is celebrating the arrival of a new generation after his granddaughter Ella Richards, 30, revealed she had welcomed her first child with her partner Sascha von Bismarck.
Ella announced the birth of daughter Luna, by sharing the family milestone with fans on social media.
She posted a photograph of herself beside her newborn daughter on Instagram and described the occasion as her "best birthday yet".
"30!! Best birthday yet with our baby girl Luna."
The announcement marks a significant moment for one of rock music's most famous dynasties.
Luna is the first child of Ella and Sascha, the photographer son of Count Leopold von Bismarck-Schönhausen and fashion designer Countess Debonnaire von Bismarck.
In sport ...
RL Eagles (SYDNEY)
Manly have begun an audacious push for an exemption to play Tolu Koula in the NRL's round 14 after the centre suffered a head knock in the illegal tackle that defined State of Origin I.
Koula lay sprawled on the ground following a shoulder charge from Kalyn Ponga that led the Queensland fullback to be dramatically banished from the field in NSW's win.
NSW debutant Koula initially reported category-two symptoms before failing a head injury assessment in the sheds after leaving the field.
That meant he was set to miss NRL clashes against Cronulla and South Sydney, both of which fell inside the 11-day stand-down period mandated for any player who fails a HIA.
The Sea Eagles had always planned to rest Koula from last Friday's loss to Cronulla, which was played only 48 hours after his Origin debut.
Super Brumbies (CANBERRA)
Tane Edmed candidly concedes he's had a frustrating season, but he isn't giving up hope of retaining his Wallabies jersey.
Edmed moved to Canberra ahead of the Super Rugby Pacific season, riding high from featuring as one of Joe Schmidt's Test fly-halves in 2025, but he hasn't enjoyed the playing minutes he would have hoped for.
Instead, Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has opted to keep Wallabies hopeful Declan Meredith primarily in the No.10 jersey, with Edmed making his mark off the bench in the majority of matches.
Regardless, Edmed feels he's grown his ability to make the final minutes count, although it hasn't come without its mental challenges.
"It's definitely been a little bit frustrating around my minutes and opportunities, but I'm just trying to execute my role as well as I can for the team," he told AAP.
Ends Bulletin
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