In this bulletin, Fuel tax relief scaled back from today, with petrol prices to rise, disagreements cloud prospects for US-Iran talks. And in basketball, NBA legend Le Bron James is a free agent after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers.
Key Points
- Motorists warned fuel will cost more after relief measured halved
- Iran says it will not negotiate until terms of MOU are met
- Le Bron James leaves the LA Lakers heading into 24th NBA season
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Australian motorists will begin paying more at the bowser from today as the federal government's temporary fuel tax relief is wound back.
The fuel excise discount has been reduced from 32 cents to 16 cents a litre and will remain in place until early August, when the temporary cost-of-living measure ends.
The relief was introduced during the conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran, after concerns over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz drove global oil prices sharply higher.
New analysis by the e61 Institute suggests lower-income Australians are likely to feel the increase most because they spend a larger share of their household budgets on petrol than higher-income earners.
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Prospects for fresh US-Iran talks have become increasingly uncertain, with no high-level meeting now expected in Doha despite the arrival of senior American envoys in Qatar.
Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says Tehran will not enter further negotiations until commitments under this month's memorandum of understanding have been honoured, including the release of frozen Iranian assets.
He also says future arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz should be determined by Iran in consultation with Oman.
Tehran wants a greater role in administering the strategic waterway, while Washington maintains it must remain open to international shipping without transit tolls.
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Agriculture Minister Julie Collins has confirmed that the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in a fifth migratory seabird at Roses Beach, near Esperance, in Western Australia.
This is the fourth detection in Western Australia, and adds to one in South Australia, while an animal discovered in Victoria and sent for testing has returned a negative result.
Ms Collins says there's no evidence of mass mortality in broader wildlife populations, nor infection in domestic agricultural flocks.
She says the risks to human health continues to be assessed as low.
"As I've said many times, given the spread of the H5 globally, it's not unexpected that other migratory sea birds may have also arrived at other locations along Australia's coastline. That's why our government has been preparing for this. We've invested over $113 million to boost our H5 bird flu preparedness as part of our $2 billion investments in additional biosecurity since we've come to office."
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The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to restrict birthright citizenship.
The six-three ruling protects automatic citizenship for children born in the United States, including those whose parents are undocumented or in the country temporarily.
Trump had tried to end the long-standing right by executive order, making it a key part of his immigration crackdown.
Democratic congresswoman Grace Meng says Trump’s attempt to redefine what it means to be American has failed.
"I have a message for President Trump. You may believe you are above the law, you are not. You may try to divide Americans based on race, religion, or their country of origin, and you will fail. You may try to redefine what it means to be an American, and you will fail. We are American. We belong here. And no wannabe king will ever take that away from us."
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In basketball, twenty-two-time NBA All-Star LeBron James has confirmed he will play a 24th season in the league, but not with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 41-year-old is ending an eight-year stint with the Lakers, where he led the franchise to the 2020 NBA championship.
James finished last season on the final year of a two-year, US$101-million contract.
The announcement came less than a day after the Lakers fully guaranteed the $2.3-million contract of his son, Bronny James, for next season.
James has not announced which team he will join.
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And in football, Socceroos' player Tete Yengi says he believes the Australia game has what it takes to go forward in the World Cup.
Ahead of their match against Egypt, the Japan-based striker says they are in good shape.
"We showed in the Turkiye game, in the Paraguay game, in the US game that we can compete with good nations - play some good football. You know, we just keep on looking to work hard every game, physically I think we're superior to the other team. So as long as we keep working on that and we show the rest of the game on the ball - we have top quality players."
Tete Yengi and Mo Touré are among five Adelaide players in the national squad.
The Socceroos' will face Egypt in Dallas at 4am AEST on Saturday.
And you watch the World Cup games live on SBS and SBS On Demand.
There is also extended coverage with our special World Cup podcast, the 90-plus.
