Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has died in a helicopter crash in foggy weather in the mountains near the border with Azerbaijan, Iranian state media has reported. The foreign minister, Hossein Amir-abdollahian, was among those killed.
More than 70 rescue teams using search dogs and drones were sent to the crash site, the Red Crescent said, and the chief of staff of Iran’s army ordered all resources of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guards to be deployed.
Bad weather has been blamed for the crash and for complicating rescue efforts, state media said. Raisi’s convoy had included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely”. With Raisi and Amir-abdollahian in the fatal crash were the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and other officials and bodyguards.
As Iran’s vice-president, Mohammad Mokhber is expected to become the country’s interim president and will help organise a presidential election that should take place within 50 days of the president’s death.
Top news
More than 550 charged after four-day domestic violence blitz | Operation Amarok ran from Wednesday to Saturday last week and saw a total of 1,070 charges laid and more than 550 people charged, with police from every district across the state involved. Police said 226 of those arrested were wanted for serious domestic violence offences.
Police suspect murder-suicide after ‘tragic’ discovery in Lismore home | A crime scene has been established after the bodies of a man and his two-year-old son were found in a home on the New South Wales far north coast overnight, in what police believe was a murder-suicide. The deputy police commissioner, Peter Thurtell, said “a more tragic event you wouldn’t come across”.
Alice Springs sergeant shared photo of topless Aboriginal woman | A Northern Territory police sergeant shared a photo of a topless Aboriginal woman with a WhatsApp group of other officers in Alice Springs, an inquest has been told. The police commissioner, Michael Murphy, told an inquest examining domestic and family violence that the sergeant was not demoted because he had admitted his actions and shown contrition.
Taiwan’s new president takes office | In his first address as president, Lai Ching-te (pictured) mentioned “democracy” 31 times, and urged China to cease its hostile actions in the Taiwan strait and help Taiwan to maintain peace in the region. Lai was sworn in at Taiwan’s presidential office in central Taipei, taking over from Tsai Ing-wen, having served as her vice-president for the past four years.
New Caledonia: Emmanuel Macron calls new security meeting as deadly unrest grinds on | The French president has called a meeting of his defence and security council for Monday to discuss the deadly unrest in the Pacific territory of New Caledonia. It comes after a state of emergency was declared in the French territory and reinforcements were sent in to help government forces on the ground restore order.
Call for Australian radio stations to ban Diddy’s music | The deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, says Australian radio stations should ban the music of American rapper Sean Combs (AKA Diddy) after video was published of him beating his former girlfriend in a hotel in 2016. Combs admitted in a video apology that he punched and kicked his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura after CNN released footage of the attack, saying he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable”.
Australian Arisa Trew boosts Olympic skateboard hopes | Teenager Arisa Trew’s (pictured) star continues to rise after the Australian skateboarder won gold in the women’s park final at the Olympic qualifier series in Shanghai. The 14-year-old, bidding to win a place at the Games later this year, now sits second in the world rankings and in a strong position to stamp her ticket to Paris.
Kylie Kwong quits restaurant business | The chef has announced she will close her Sydney eatery Lucky Kwong in late June. It comes after closures by high-profile Sydney chefs including the long-running fine-dining restaurant Tetsuya’s by Tetsuya Wakuda, and Fish Butchery and the takeaway shop Charcoal Fish by Josh and Julie Niland.
In pictures
At western Sydney’s Brotherhood Boxn, young Muslim men find purpose “whether in the ring or in life”
Boys and men from “broken homes” come to Muhummad Alyatim’s Greenacre gym to train, be heard, and to pray, writes Mostafa Rachwani.
What they said …
***
“Sixteen sounds right for me.” – Chris Minns.
New South Wales is considering a state-level ban on social media use for children to coincide with the impending federal government’s pilot age-verification technology amid rising concern over harmful content.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said 16 could be the minimum age of usage, adding: “The truth is everybody’s had enough and we’re seeing the long-term effects of at best just wasting hours and hours on devices and at worst doing serious psychological damage.”
In numbers
Almost a quarter of men surveyed for a DemosAU poll commissioned by the international non-profit Apolitical Foundation said they would put up their hand to run for office, compared with just 11% of women.
Before bed read
Keep forgetting things? Worried about your brain? Here’s what I learned when I had mine scanned
From dementia to mild cognitive impairment, it’s easy to be terrified of what ageing will do our minds. But as Phil Daoust (pictured) would learn, the vast majority of us can reduce the danger – especially if we look after our bodies.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: PTA. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know. Sign up for our Morning Mail newsletter here.
