AAP Rolling News Bulletin for June 1 at 0430
Ukraine (KYIV)
Ukrainian drones have struck targets across several Russian regions including an oil pipeline pumping station, a refinery and a fuel depot, Russian and Ukrainian authorities say in an escalating campaign of strikes against energy infrastructure often hundreds of kilometres inside Russia.
Ukraine's General Staff said it had struck the Saratov oil refinery on the Volga river, causing a large fire.
Saratov regional governor Roman Busargin said on Telegram that "civil infrastructure" had been damaged in the strike but gave no more details.
"During the night, our soldiers applied Ukraine's long-range sanctions against an oil refinery in Saratov, Russia. This is about 700km from the front line," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
Not all the drones struck their targets.
Russia's defence ministry said it had downed 216 drones overnight.
One Nation (CANBERRA)
Pauline Hanson's One Nation is the most popular political party in the country, a survey suggests.
A Redbridge Group/Accent Research poll, published on Monday by The Australian Financial Review, shows support for One Nation has risen four points to 31 per cent.
Labor's primary vote is at 28 per cent, down three points since the poll firm's last survey a month ago and the government's budget that was announced on May 12, and the coalition dropped two points to 20 per cent.
Support for the Greens dipped one point to 12 per cent and backing for the "other" category of parties rose two points to nine per cent.
Labor leads One Nation 51 per cent to 49 per cent on the Redbridge poll's two-party-preferred basis, calculated by asking respondents how they would direct their preferences.
Federal (CANBERRA)
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has launched a political broadside against the coalition, accusing it of planning a half-trillion-dollar hit to the budget bottom line.
Labor has found itself under increasing pressure in recent weeks over its decision to wind back tax concessions for investments in property, shares and trusts.
But costings released by Dr Chalmers show repealing the changes - as the coalition has promised - would cost the federal budget tens of billions of dollars in lost revenue.
The opposition's policies would cost a total of $544.4 billion over the next nine years, according to the analysis.
That includes $212 billion in lost revenue from indexing income taxes, $43.1 billion from repealing the CGT and negative gearing reforms, $44.2 billion from scrapping the new tax on trusts, $93.5 billion on increased defence spending and $50 billion from slashing Australia's migrant intake.
Housing (CANBERRA)
Home prices are falling in Australia's two largest cities as high interest rates and investor tax changes put pressure on an already soft market.
Dwelling values fell 0.9 per cent in Sydney, 0.8 per cent in Melbourne and 0.2 per cent in the ACT during May, according to data released by research agency Cotality on Monday.
While prices rose in other state and territory capitals, the growth was weaker than previously seen.
Cotality research director Tim Lawless said some of the weakness was part of the regular housing price cycle, but other factors were also playing a role.
"Late last year it was more about affordability and serviceability challenges as housing prices were outpacing incomes," he told AAP.
"Then towards the end of last year we started to see inflation accelerating, the RBA taking a more hawkish stance - that was a blow to confidence - and from there we saw interest rates starting to rise, global oil shock and now a budget has been handed down."
Oly32 (SYDNEY)
Demonstrators have returned to the site of a planned Olympics stadium as the countdown begins for bulldozers to turn sods at the contested park.
Tensions boiled over on Friday as residents of an on-site tent embassy were forcibly moved on from Brisbane's Victoria Park.
Five people were arrested, including a man tackled to the ground by officers, in what critics described as a surprise raid by police and council staff.
But it was a tamer affair on Sunday with no clashes reported when hundreds of people rallied at the sprawling park in the city's north.
Bulldozers are expected to begin clearing the way for construction of the $3.6 billion 2032 Olympics main arena as early as Monday.
Indigenous elders have declared the park a place of significance to many First Nations peoples and are calling for their concerns to be heard.
Housing (CANBERRA)
Contentious changes to taxes on property investments won't be the main driver of expected falls in prices, the housing minister says.
As auction clearance rates hit lows not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare O'Neil said it was unclear how much the planned changes to negative gearing and capital gains taxes would drive down values.
She would not guarantee a key measure of housing construction would improve under Labor's policies.
Levelling the playing field for first home buyers has been a prominent selling point of the government's tax reform package, but ministers are still putting out fires weeks after announcing the overhaul in the budget.
Asked about suggestions house prices could fall as much as 10 per cent under the plan, which pares back concessions for property investors, Ms O'Neil said the government's policies were not the main driver of the property market.
Economy Preview (CANBERRA)
Australia's economic growth story this year would be pretty lacklustre if not for one saving grace.
With rising interest rates and the Iran war suppressing growth across the economy, a boom in data centre investment has bucked the trend.
March quarter gross domestic product figures to be released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday are expected to show a moderate slowdown to 0.5 per cent, with annual growth tracking for 2.6 per cent.
But the figure would have been even lower without a record $8.6 billion in data centre expenditure - a rise of 96 per cent.
The national accounts data will likely show new investment accelerated to six per cent in the quarter and 10.3 per cent annually - the strongest quarterly growth since 2012 - said Westpac senior economist Pat Bustamante.
One Nation (CANBERRA)
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has declared she has what it takes to become prime minister, saying she could pull together an effective cabinet to run the government.
As support surges for her right-wing party, Senator Hanson said she "won't knock the job" of prime minister while conceding she didn't know if she would ever be elected to the job.
"I believe that I have the ability to do it," she told Sky News on Sunday.
"I'm not going to underestimate myself or say no, I can't do it, because ... have a look at what we've got now... and that's why we're in a mess.
"Whether it's Pauline Hanson as prime minister or we've got someone else to take on that job ... I will look at who's the best person to do it."
In finance ...
China Economy (BEIJING)
China's factory activity was flat in May, raising questions about how much further the country's economy can shield itself from the fallout of the ongoing Iran war and pressure on demand.
The official manufacturing purchasing managers index moderated to 50 from 50.3 in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics official survey released on Sunday.
Measured on a scale between 0 and 100, a PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.
The new orders sub-index dropped to 49.9 from 50.6 in April, while the sub-index on production edged down to 51.2 from April's 51.5. The sub-index for raw material stockpiles fell to 48.6 from 49.3 in April.
China has been less affected by the global energy shock from the Iran war than many other countries, which face inflationary pressures as as oil prices have surged due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is shipped in peacetime.
US Tariffs (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
US businesses big and small have started receiving tariff refunds after the United States Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump lacked the constitutional authority to impose higher import taxes on goods from nearly every other country.
The process could grind to a halt, however, after Trump's administration said on Friday that it intended to appeal a federal judge's order to allow all companies that paid the invalidated duties to seek refunds, not just the ones that filed lawsuits.
Until the Department of Justice informed the judge of its planned appeal, the refund system overseen by US Customs and Border Protection had been working fairly smoothly.
Refunds reached the bank accounts of the first successful applicants on May 12, about three weeks after importers and their customs brokers could start submitting claims through an online system, according to CBP.
In entertainment ...
Trump Centre (WASHINGTON, D. C.)
President Donald Trump has branded the federal judge who blocked his renovation of the Kennedy Center as "an anti Trump Hater" and predicted the nation's premier performing arts centre he wanted to shutter for a two-year overhaul will "soon be closed, probably never to open again".
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, Trump fumed about the Friday decision from US District Judge Christopher Cooper who also ordered Trump's name removed from the centre.
Clearly angered by his latest legal setback, he said it was "impossible for me to be treated fairly", tying Cooper's ruling to earlier losses, including the Supreme Court's rejection in February of his sweeping tariffs.
His post aimed to make the case for the project even as he says he's giving up on it.
Obit Lee Curtis (LONDON)
Jamie Lee Curtis has announced the death of her sister Kelly Lee Curtis, her "first friend and lifelong confidant".
The 67-year-old actress posted a tribute on Instagram to Kelly, who died on Saturday aged 69.
"A warm aloha to my older sister, Kelly Lee Curtis. She passed away this morning. In her home. In nature. At peace.
"She was my first friend and lifelong confidant. She was jaw droppingly beautiful, and a talented actress. She played a mean game of hearts, collected turtles, loved her family, nature, music, thrifting, travel, Facebook, and Pokémon Go. She was proud of her Danish roots and Hungarian Jewish ancestry and was a devoted American patriot," she wrote.
"She will be remembered for her loving generosity, fierce opinions, endless curiosity, unique style, and her powdered, almond, crescent cookies at Christmas, hence her name, Auntie Cookie.
In sport ...
Ten Open Aust (PARIS)
Demoralised Alex de Minaur faces a fresh dilemma after a second consecutive early exit from the French Open, admitting he's flummoxed about the best way to try to bounce back from the latest setback.
Australia's main man departed Paris looking a bit lost and feeling he'd missed a "once-in-a-blue-moon" chance, not only to enjoy a rare deep run in the shock-littered men's draw but also to join the world's top-five for the first time in his career.
It was clear from his now familiar forlorn post-slam news conference that this kind of anti-climax is increasingly becoming almost too dispiriting a trial to take.
But whereas his second-round loss to Alexander Bublik in 2025 was so shattering that it at least left de Minaur in no doubt he must take a mental and physical break from the sport, the latest capitulation to Jakub Mensik has only put him in a quandary.
WC26 Aust (PASADENA)
Cristian Volpato's dramatic last-ditch switch from Italy to Australia is set to be rewarded with a World Cup berth before the winger even makes his Socceroos debut.
But Volpato's joy will come amid heartbreak for four other players as coach Tony Popovic cuts his squad from 30 players to 26 at Australia's Bay Area base on Monday (AEST).
That squad will play next week's friendly against Switzerland, then group games against Turkey, the United States and Paraguay.
That group is expected to include Sassuolo winger Volpato, who arrived in camp on Saturday morning (local time) - too late to feature in that night's 1-0 loss to Mexico - after switching his allegiance.
The Sydney-born and raised Volpato knocked back Graham Arnold's pitch to join Australia's 2022 World Cup squad, then in March said he was waiting for a call-up from Italy's senior team.
Ends Bulletin
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