AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 22 at 2330
Legal: Ahmad (MELBOURNE)
An accused "ISIS bride" who returned after a decade in war-torn Syria has indicated her wish for a small and peaceful life, agreeing to avoid mosques if she were to be released back into the community.
Kawsar Ahmad, who has been charged with slavery offences after she and other family members of former Islamic State fighters returned to Australia in May, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court for the second day of her bail hearing.
The 54-year-old grandmother is the mother of fellow alleged "ISIS bride" Zeinab Ahmad, 31, who was refused bail on Wednesday.
A letter from Kawsar Ahmad's former mosque in Preston was submitted to the court on Monday indicating support for her to stay away if she were to be conditionally released.
UK Starmer (LONDON)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to set out a timetable for his departure and usher in an orderly transfer of power to rival Andy Burnham, paving the way for Britain's seventh leader in a decade.
Less than two years after Starmer won a landslide election victory that promised to end Britain's chaotic politics, one source said the prime minister had spent the weekend considering whether to step aside or fight a leadership contest.
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith told Times Radio early on Monday she would have liked Starmer to stay on but he had been weighing what was best for the country, due to the "pressure that is being brought upon him".
The threat to Starmer, which has been building for months, increased sharply on Friday when Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, decisively won a parliamentary election to return to Westminster, beating a candidate from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year.
Shots (MELBOURNE)
Drive-by shooters who gunned down a former boxer as he left a bar almost hit an innocent pedestrian who was caught up in the chaos.
Officers were called to the inner-Melbourne suburb of Ascot Vale about 12.15am on Sunday after former boxer Hussein Dehaini was found with multiple gunshot wounds.
Dehaini, 33, who police believe had ties to serious and organised crime groups, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but did not survive.
He was struck in the lower body, police said.
CCTV footage released on Monday showed a white Mercedes swerving through the intersection of Epsom and Racecourse roads, nearly missing a pedestrian.
"It's very clear (the person) had to take a step back because the vehicle has come very close to him after driving erratically in a hurry to get away from the scene," Homicide Squad head Dean Thomas told reporters on Monday.
BudgetQld (BRISBANE)
Record infrastructure spending has been unveiled by a state government set to reveal how it will provide cost-of-living relief while preparing to host the Olympics.
Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki has delivered a final pitch ahead of delivering his second budget on Tuesday, saying it will help shape the state's future as they count down to the Brisbane Games.
A record $119.2 billion in infrastructure over four years has been promised in the latest budget, with $55.9 billion set aside for roads and rail including a Gold Coast Transport Plan to be completed by 2032.
"Our first budget laid the foundation for a fresh start, and tomorrow's budget will strengthen them because we need to build Queensland's future," Mr Janetzki said on Monday.
Metcash (SYDNEY)
Food and liquor sales have picked up and there are signs a national crackdown on illegal smoking products is working, a leading retail supplier says.
Metcash, which supplies goods to 6,500 independent stores including IGA, Mitre 10, Bottle-O and Cellarbrations, says trading was down in May as consumer sentiment softened in response to geopolitical uncertainty and cost-of-living pressures.
But food and liquor sales bounced back well in June, recovering to the same growth levels of 2025/26, chief executive Doug Jones told a results briefing on Monday.
Trading overall for the first seven weeks of Metcash's new financial year, which began May 1, had been steady, he said.
Total sales were up 1.9 per cent, with food sales climbing 1.6 per cent, liquor sales rising 1.3 per cent and hardware sales increasing 5.8 per cent.
Ukraine (MOSCOW)
The Russian capital of Moscow has shot down dozens of drones and briefly suspended flights at airports, local authorities say, just days after Ukraine hit the city's oil refinery again.
Nearly 60 drones heading for Moscow were downed in the early hours of Monday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram on Monday.
Sobyanin did not provide further details, adding that emergency services had been dispatched to areas where drones were downed.
The airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, as well as Zhukovskiy near the capital, had suspended flights, although those were later resumed, the aviation watchdog said separately.
The attack comes after drones again hit Moscow's sole oil refinery last week.
In that offensive, Moscow's defence systems shot down nearly 200 drones in one of the biggest air attacks on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Cocaine (SYDNEY)
The biggest cocaine bust in Australian history can be traced back to a burnt-out truck on a remote coastline.
Australian Federal Police uncovered a stash of 2.7 tonnes of cocaine buried in plastic tubs under shipping containers after executing a search warrant at a semi-rural property in western Sydney on June 19.
It is the biggest Australian drug bust in nearly 20 years, and second only to the seizure of 4.5 tonnes of MDMA in Melbourne in 2007.
Two men allegedly tried to run from police after officers discovered the drugs, with an estimated value of $816 million - equivalent to three million street-level deals - buried under the false flooring.
The men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested after an investigation by the AFP, alongside Australian Border Force and state police as part of Operation Minjiang.
Colombia Vote (BOGOTA)
Colombian right-wing candidate Abelardo De La Espriella appears headed for a narrow victory in the presidential election, leading his leftist rival with nearly all ballots counted as voters bet on his promise of a crackdown on crime and a stronger economy.
De La Espriella had 49.65 per cent of the vote while his rival, Senator Ivan Cepeda, trailed by some 246,000 votes at 48.70 per cent, according to an initial tally of the runoff election from the country's national registrar on Sunday.
Cepeda, 63, had vowed to continue the policies of President Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and the country's first leftist president, including state pension payments for the poor, union-backed labour reforms, a moratorium on new oil projects, and peace talks with armed groups that have fought the state for decades.
In finance ...
Qatar Blast (DOHA)
An explosion has ripped through Qatar's key natural gas export terminal as workers tried to resume operations there after Iran bombed it during the war, causing a fire that injured at least 54 people and left another 18 missing.
An incident during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City resulted in an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening, QatarEnergy said in a statement.
Emergency response teams were deployed to contain the fire, which was now under control, it said.
Qatar's Interior Ministry said in a statement that 54 people had been injured and 18 were missing.
It attributed the explosion to a "technical accident" and said there was no leak that posed a threat to public safety.
Markets Aust (SYDNEY)
Australia's share market is breaking even to start the week, as oil prices fluctuate amid tense US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland.
The S&P/ASX200 rose 1.6 points by midday on Monday to be up 0.02 per cent, to 8,828.8, as the broader All Ordinaries fell by 0.8 points, down 0.01 per cent, to 9,046.5.
"Despite the US-Iran peace deal being signed on Thursday, geopolitical risk is likely to dominate the newsflow," Capital.com senior market analyst Kyle Rodda said.
"Peace talks commenced between the US and Iran in Switzerland amidst threats to close the Strait of Hormuz after tensions flared between Israel and Hezbollah."
Energy stocks fell 0.8 per cent as oil prices eased from an overnight spike, weighing on Woodside and refinery operators Viva and Ampol.
In entertainment ...
Adele (LONDON)
Adele is reportedly preparing to make a huge comeback two years after taking a break from music.
The 38-year-old pop superstar stepped out of the spotlight in November 2024 as she wrapped up her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
However, a new report suggests she has left her home in Los Angeles and flown to London, where she has been spotted at Church Studios in Crouch End, North London - the venue owned by producer Paul Epworth where she recorded parts of her 2015 album 25.
A source told The Sun newspaper the singer had been busy writing and recording new music there.
"Adele is spending at least a fortnight in London writing and recording music," the source told the newspaper.
Payne (LONDON)
Liam Payne's son Bear will inherit the late British singer's multi-million dollar estate.
New probate documents have confirmed the tragic One Direction star's fortune will pass to his only child following his death in Argentina from a hotel balcony fall in 2024.
The former One Direction singer, who died aged 31 after falling from his third-floor room at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on 16 October 2024, left no will.
But under UK intestacy rules, his son Bear, now nine, was always expected to inherit the estate because Liam was not married or in a civil partnership at the time of his death.
Newly released British High Court documents revealed on Sunday by the Daily Mail now allow parts of the estate to be used for Bear's benefit before he reaches adulthood.
In sport ...
Com26 Ath (MELBOURNE)
Australian sprint sensation Eddie Nketia is talking up his potential to run even faster at the Commonwealth Games after a succession of eye-catching times.
Nketia will make his Australian debut in Glasgow after switching late last year from New Zealand. He is one of the headline names in the 86-athlete track and field team named on Monday.
The 25-year-old's performances in the last few months have featured a wind-assisted 9.74 seconds for the blue-riband 100m. The Commonwealth Games record is Usain Bolt's 9.88 seconds, set at Glasgow in 2014.
Bolt set the world record of 9.58 in 2009.
Asked at the team announcement if he can run faster, Nketia replied: "I would love to - I want to run as fast as I can. If we can get a 9.6, we get a 9.6, if we can get the world record, we get the world record.
RL Origin NSW (SYDNEY)
NSW hopeful Latrell Mitchell is set to miss South Sydney's last game before teams are picked for the State of Origin decider after appearing to tweak his back injury at training.
The superstar centre did not participate in Monday's field session after warm-ups in a big blow to his hopes of a NSW recall for game three on July 8.
Mitchell stretched and performed light drills with the team before leaving the pitch at Heffron Park with a trainer, removing his wrist strapping tape as he went.
The 29-year-old had told Fox League on Sunday night that he was "pushing" to play in round 17, pending the back injury that has sidelined him since round nine.
Souths had initially expected Mitchell would recover within a fortnight and be fit for the State of Origin series opener.
Ends Bulletin
Rolling News Desk inquiries : 02 9322 8611
