AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 18 at 1200
Pram (MELBOURNE)
A tight-knit community is reeling after a kindergarten student and her baby brother were killed when a SUV collided with a pram shortly after school pick-up.
The girl and her brother have been identified as Katherine, 5, and Harry, aged 14 months - the only two children of 33-year-old mother Sok Ram.
The children were struck by the vehicle while crossing a street with their mother in Cabramatta, in Sydney's southwest, about 3.15pm on Wednesday.
Katherine was in her first year of kindergarten and had just been picked up after receiving an award, according to an online fundraiser on the family's behalf.
The children's lives were taken in a "split second", the man behind the fundraiser, Patrick Te, said.
"As they were crossing the road together, heading back to the car, an oncoming vehicle suddenly struck both Katherine and the pram where Harry was sitting," he said.
Tax (CANBERRA)
An existing capital gains tax concession for small businesses will be expanded and a new concession will be introduced as Labor tries to ease the blowback from its budget tax changes.
One of four existing small business capital gains concessions, the 50 per cent active asset reduction, will be extended to all businesses with a turnover up to $10 million per year.
The existing threshold was $2 million.
It is the most widely used of the four such concessions used by small businesses and will be eligible to 2.7 million existing small businesses as a result of the change, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.
"We're also proposing to introduce a new innovative business tax concession for startups and will release the consultation paper on the startup sector later this morning," he told reporters in Sydney.
Electricity (CANBERRA)
Retailers could be forced to come clean on the number of customers charged too much for their loyalty features after a comprehensive review of the electricity pricing system.
Tackling the "loyalty tax" was one of the goals of a self-initiated review by Australia's electricity rule-maker aimed at bringing the electricity pricing framework into the modern era.
The Australian Energy Market Commission also has a blueprint to reform network tariffs to ensure households with solar and batteries are both properly rewarded and supporting the grid, and renters and other customers without such kit are not overpaying.
Disengaged electricity customers ending up on uncompetitive offers after their attractive introductory deals lapse has been a long-standing bugbear.
The AEMC wants to "shine a light" on the problem to nudge more consumers to switch, including forcing retailers to notify long-term customers of foregone savings.
Iran (EVIAN-LES-BAINS)
US President Donald Trump has defended his interim agreement with Iran, saying it has averted a global economic catastrophe while warning the United States could launch new attacks if Iran fails to honour its commitments.
Speaking at the close of a G7 summit in France, Trump also said maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had risen sharply since the truce was announced three days ago and expressed hope it could mark the start of a wider peace across the Middle East.
"So the one thing I didn't want to see is, I didn't want to see economic catastrophe. If you kept this going, that could have happened," Trump said.
He thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for being "neutral" during the conflict, saying they had not thwarted his efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Qantas (TOULOUSE)
Qantas has announced London as the first destination for the world's longest non-stop commercial flight, a roughly 20-hour trip from Sydney eliminating the traditional stopover on the "Kangaroo Route".
The Australian carrier plans to start selling tickets in February and launch the flights in October 2027, CEO Vanessa Hudson told an event in Toulouse, France.
The flights are part of the airline's "Project Sunrise" initiative, which will also serve New York using modified Airbus A350-1000ULR jets capable of flying up to 22 hours with 238 passengers on board.
Each aircraft will be configured with 238 seats across four cabins - First Class, Business, Premium Economy and Economy - and will be fitted with an additional 20,000-litre fuel tank to the A350 that will enable it to fly over 16,000km for up to 22 hours non-stop.
Ukraine (KYIV)
Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov says his country's forces aim to isolate the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula through drone strikes targeting Russian supply lines.
"It looks as if Crimea will soon turn into an island," Fedorov said in an interview posted on Wednesday by the PRESSING YouTube channel.
The attacks on logistics routes had opened a "window of opportunity" for Ukraine, he said, adding: "For the Russians, a hell is beginning that will be difficult for them to overcome."
Disruptions to Russian logistics are already having a direct effect on the number of Russian attacks along the front line, he said.
In a sarcastic reference to Crimea's popularity as a holiday destination for Russian tourists, Fedorov said the peninsula would be visited this year mainly by "our drones".
One Nation (CANBERRA)
Pauline Hanson is being warned she needs to address Australia's economic grievances if the party is to retain surging support and turn anger against the two major parties into electoral success.
The One Nation leader addressed the National Press Club in Canberra for the first time in her 30-year political career, calling on migrants to assimilate into Australia's "monoculture" and vowing to reduce migrants from countries "immersed in extremism, like radical Islam".
She also labelled the increasing number of households facing financial hardship as "appalling" given the nation's wealth.
The ultra-conservative party's rise was a reflection of working people feeling they were going economically backwards in a wealthy country, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said.
"Our polling shows that the number one reason for backing One Nation is not the leader, but the feeling of being unrepresented by the two major parties," he told AAP.
Migration (CANBERRA)
Migration's contribution to Australia's population growth is set to be revealed as political parties lock horns over how many arrivals to cut and consensus on diversity frays.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release figures on Thursday for migration levels for the 12 months to June as part of annual population data.
The Liberals and One Nation have attacked Labor for underestimating net overseas migration in previous years, with the government revising their forecast upwards by 55,000 arrivals in May's federal budget.
Having projected an intake of 240,000, they now believe just shy of 300,000 foreigners will have made Australia home in the past year.
That's almost identical to the 2024/25 figure of 306,000 and well below bumper years in 2022 and 2023, where a post-pandemic boom caused net arrivals to swell to a record 538,000.
In finance ...
Legal: Henderson (MELBOURNE)
Kyle Sandilands says he is relieved to have settled his multimillion dollar legal fight with his former employer, as ex-co-host Jackie "O" Henderson gears up for another day in court.
In an ASX announcement on Wednesday, ARN media said it would pay Sandilands $12 million, with $3 million payable as soon as July.
The figure is well below the $85 million the shock jock sought after he and his fellow KIIS FM co-host were sacked following an on-air row.
But Sandilands said he was relieved to put the ordeal behind him when approached by reporters outside his home on Wednesday.
"It's quite daunting to have that hanging over your head," he said.
"I could have dragged it on for like a year and a half."
US Rates (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
The US Federal Reserve has held the benchmark interest rate steady and policy makers expect a hike in borrowing costs later this year amid growing concerns about inflation lodged above the United States central bank's two per cent target.
New quarterly projections showed nine Fed officials anticipate a rate hike by the end of 2026 and an updated policy statement removed language that had been used to flag the likelihood of further reductions in borrowing costs in 2026.
Indeed, the statement, in an early sign of new Fed chairman Kevin Warsh's influence, removed any guidance about future rate moves altogether, with a revised format that simply stated the rate decision and reaffirmed the central bank's intent to keep "ample reserves in the banking system."
In entertainment ...
Clarkson (LONDON)
Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer.
The former Top Gear host shared the news in the latest episodes of the fifth season of his series Clarkson's Farm, saying the disease was "aggressive" but had been discovered early.
"I've got cancer," Clarkson told farm manager Kaleb Cooper and farmhand Charlie Ireland during discussions about harvest planning.
The TV presenter said he expected to be "fine" but would be out of action "for a while".
Speaking from a hospital bed at the end of the season finale, Clarkson revealed he had experienced complications during treatment.
"We started season five with me in a hospital bed and here we are at the end of season five and I'm back in a hospital bed," he said.
Obit Chase (LONDON)
Actress Daveigh Chase has died aged 35.
The former child star - who was best known for her roles in Lilo and Stitch and The Ring - passed away after meningitis and an infection in her blood caused sepsis.
Chase's boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, confirmed the news to TMZ, after previously launching a GoFundMe page and sharing details of her health troubles online.
Hernandez shared at the time: "Daveigh Chase, my girlfriend, has always been a light in my life. Many people know her as a talented childhood actor from Lilo and Stitch, Spirited Away and Donnie Darko, but behind the scenes, she's faced more than her share of hardship.
"After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown L.A. When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved. Together, we found moments of happiness and hope."
In sport ...
WC26 Aust (OAKLAND)
The Socceroos have spent months listening to Americans talk the talk.
Now they can finally get their chance to answer the way they want to.
Australia have been talked down and written off over and over again since they were drawn in the same group as the United States back on December 6.
But all of a sudden, after stunning Turkey 2-0, the Socceroos' clash with the co-hosts at Seattle Stadium on Friday (5am Saturday AEST) could all but determine who tops Group D.
There are high stakes all round, but there are bragging rights too.
"I'm really excited for the US game," defender Jordan Bos told AAP ahead of the tournament.
"Because I've heard a lot of chatter and stuff like that.
Gol Open Aust (SYDNEY)
A turning-point adrenaline rush has milestone man Adam Scott believing he can once again challenge for a career-fulfilling second golf major.
Scott enters the US Open starting on Thursday night (AEST) as somewhat of a sentimental favourite in his extraordinary 100th major championship appearance.
Australia's former world No.1 is second only to legend Jack Nicklaus for excellence and longevity but remains more focused on shedding his one-major wonder status than celebrating his crazy feat.
Scott went agonisingly close last year to adding an elusive second major to his iconic 2013 Masters triumph when he snared a share of the third-round lead and playing in the final group on Sunday.
He was right in the mix on the back nine before fading, but believes the experience will stand him in good stead to contend at the famed and treacherous Shinnecock Hills layout on New York's Long Island.
Ends Bulletin
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