AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 14 at 1800
G7 (GENEVA)
Up to 50,000 demonstrators are expected to march through the Swiss border city of Geneva to protest against capitalism, exploitation and a range of other issues ahead of the G7 summit in the French town of Évian.
The protest on Sunday is being organised by a No G7 coalition of several dozen groups.
The demonstration is taking place in Geneva because France declined to issue permits for any protests near the G7 summit venue, the Geneva city government said, criticising the decision.
Geneva lies around 50km southwest of Évian.
Geneva airport will also serve as the arrival point for the leaders attending the summit and their delegations on Monday, as it is the nearest airport to the venue.
Geneva's city centre has been in a state of emergency for days: Hundreds of luxury shops and banks, as well as hotels and supermarkets, have boarded up their facades and shop windows with plywood panels out of fear of unrest.
Economy Preview (CANBERRA)
Mortgage holders could get a brief reprieve from further interest rate hikes, but economic uncertainty in the Middle East will still loom for the Reserve Bank.
Economists are tipping the central bank to keep the official cash rate on hold at 4.35 per cent when it meets on Tuesday.
Should the predictions hold, it would be the first time the Reserve Bank has kept rates steady since the start of 2026.
Despite inflation levels remaining above the Reserve Bank's target band of two to three per cent, economists expect it will consider the impact of consecutive hikes.
Westpac economists Luci Ellis and Neha Sharma said the mixed data on inflation and the labour market supported the case for a pause.
NDIS (CANBERRA)
Criticism of looming changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme by states and territories is overblown, the minister who oversees the scheme says.
Carve-outs from the reforms were unlikely despite disapproval from the disability sector and state and territory disability ministers, federal Health Minister Mark Butler said on Sunday.
About 160,000 people will be removed from the NDIS and transferred to other state-run support programs as part of changes designed to cut the cost of the $56 billion scheme.
But in a submission to a Senate inquiry examining the reforms, state and territory disability ministers said jurisdictions were not prepared and many NDIS participants would fall through the cracks.
Mr Butler said the jurisdictions were exaggerating in their criticisms.
"There's a bit of posturing going on through this process," he told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday.
Ukraine (KYIV)
A Ukrainian drone attack has killed one person and injured three in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, local officials said, as part of Kyiv's campaign of strikes on military and energy targets deep inside Russia.
Drone debris sparked a fire at a sea terminal, local Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Saturday. He did not give details, but Russian news outlets reported that a Black Sea export terminal transporting terminal crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied gas in the village of Volna was damaged.
Ukraine's General Staff did not comment on the Krasnodar strike on Saturday, but said that its forces had hit an oil preparation and pumping station overnight in Russia's Volgograd region, as well as Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine's Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Iran (DUBAI/WASHINGTON)
US President Donald Trump and mediator Pakistan say an initial deal to end the war in the Middle East will be signed in hours, although Iran denies the signing will take place so soon.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides had agreed on a framework for a peace deal and that Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing on Sunday, to be followed by technical-level talks next week.
Trump also said in a social media post that the deal with Iran was scheduled to be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies which Iran has blocked, would be immediately "open to all" after it was signed.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei cautioned against commenting on the timing the signing.
Shark (MELBOURNE)
Multiple city beaches remain off limits to board riders and swimmers after a woman mauled by a shark up to 4m long was left critically injured.
The attack happened just metres from shore and between the flags at Sydney's popular Coogee Beach shortly after 11am on Saturday.
The woman, thought aged in her 30s, was airlifted to hospital after being brought from the water by an off-duty lifeguard said to have paddled towards the incident.
Footage from a Westpac Life Saving Rescue Helicopter appears to show a lone shark swimming near the beach after the assault.
All of Sydney's eastern suburbs beaches remain closed.
Randwick City Council made the call to prohibit anyone entering the surf during the 24 hours following the attack.
Iran (DUBAI)
The United States and Iran have agreed on a framework for a peace deal after more than three months of war and are expected to sign the initial deal in the next 24 hours, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says.
Sharif, whose country has been mediating in the war, said Pakistan was preparing for an electronic signing that would be followed by technical-level talks next week.
"We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week," Sharif wrote on X.
"We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace."
Haiti Kidnap (PORT-AU-PRINCE)
Armed men in Haiti have kidnapped a senior government and police official in Port-au-Prince, the highest-ranking abduction in recent years, in a country gripped by gang violence.
James Boyard, cabinet director at the defence ministry and inspector general of Haiti's national police, was seized on Thursday in the Bourdon neighbourhood, according to the Associated Press, which cited a person familiar with the case.
Boyard is widely regarded as a leading security expert and his abduction marks a significant escalation in the targeting of senior officials in Haiti, where gangs have tightened their hold over the capital.
Kidnappings have surged in Haiti as criminal groups expand their influence, undermining government authority and worsening a deepening humanitarian and security crisis.
Authorities have not publicly commented on efforts to secure Boyard's release.
In entertainment ...
Royals Harry (SAN ANTONIO)
Prince Harry has made a surprise appearance at the NBA Finals in San Antonio.
Harry, 41, was spotted in the crowd at game five of the finals series between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks on Saturday.
He attended the match with US Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient JP Lane and sat beside NBA Commissioner Adam Silver a few rows back from the court.
The duke was already in Texas for the Warrior Games - an event for wounded, injured or ill military personnel organised by the US Government.
Other recognisable faces at the match included Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney attended with boyfriend Scooter Braun, actor Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller.
Neither Meghan nor the couple's children were in attendance at the game, which ended with the New York Knicks claiming their first NBA title since 1973 on the back of a 94-90 win.
Pacino
Oscar-winner Al Pacino says it is a "profound honour" to be the recipient of the Sam Wanamaker Award, which recognises his connection to the works of William Shakespeare.
The award was established by Shakespeare's Globe in 1994 to honour the work of individuals who have increased the understanding and enjoyment of the celebrated playwright.
Pacino, 86, is known for his starring roles in films such as Scarface and the Godfather trilogy, as well as celebrated performances in many of Shakespeare's plays.
These include as Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, and the title role in Richard III.
"Throughout my life, the theatre has given me a sense of purpose and belonging, and Shakespeare has always been a guiding force in that journey," Pacino said.
In sport ...
NBA (SAN ANTONIO)
Jalen Brunson and the Comeback Knicks did it again and now they're the Champion Knicks, beating San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
It secured New York a 4-1 series win and their first NBA title in 53 years.
Brunson scored 45 points, including 13 straight for New York in the fourth quarter on Saturday night (Sunday AEST).
The Knicks have overturned double-digit deficits in all four of those victories. The deficit was 16 on Saturday night but Brunson and the Knicks were never fazed.
Brunson, fittingly, closed with a flourish. He set a Knicks record for points in a finals game; it had been 38 by Willis Reed against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the 1970 series.
WC26 Aust (VANCOUVER)
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has pulled a massive selection shock for Australia's World Cup opener against Turkey, dropping captain Maty Ryan for two-cap goalkeeper Patrick Beach.
Popovic has also left out vice-captain Jackson Irvine for 21-year-old midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler while dynamo Nestory Irankunda, 20, will start in attack alongside Mohamed Toure.
Striker Toure proved his fitness for the game, which kicks off at Vancouver's BC Place at 9pm Saturday (2pm Sunday AEST), after missing training on Wednesday.
There are 10 World Cup debutants in the starting line-up, and an average age of 24.6, with central defender Harry Souttar the only player to have previously experienced the tournament.
On paper, Popovic and goalkeeping coach Frank Juric are taking a massive gamble on 23-year-old Beach, who only played his second international match against Switzerland last week.
Ends Bulletin
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