NSW prosecutors launch proceedings against Labor officials accused of disguising donations to Chris Minns

Labor MP Ernest Wong and restaurateur Jonathan Yee are facing court over allegedly circumventing election funding laws

New South Wales prosecutors have launched proceedings against two state Labor officials after they allegedly disguised donations to Chris Minns during his election campaign almost a decade ago.

On Tuesday, the NSW Electoral Commission revealed the director of public prosecution had begun proceedings against former Labor MP Ernest Wong and restaurateur Jonathan Yee. The commission commenced an investigation in 2019 into a “potential scheme to circumvent” election funding laws during the campaign to elect Minns for the seat of Kogarah.

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‘Heads must roll’: France demands judicial overhaul after murder of 11-year-old girl – Yahoo

  1. 'Heads must roll': France demands judicial overhaul after murder of 11-year-old girl  Yahoo
  2. Murder of Lyhanna, 11, enrages France and turns up heat on government  BBC
  3. Lawyer for murdered French girl’s family calls for more justice system funding  The Guardian
  4. France to review 70,000 allegations of violence against minors after girl's death  Reuters
  5. Lyhanna case: 'How much longer will we feign shock at such ordinary crimes?'  Le Monde.fr
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Zelensky Says Russia Losing Battlefield Initiative but Warns Front Can Shift ‘Each Day’ – Kyiv Post

  1. Zelensky Says Russia Losing Battlefield Initiative but Warns Front Can Shift ‘Each Day’  Kyiv Post
  2. First Thing: Zelenskyy says he told Trump that Putin was ‘playing games’ with Washington  The Guardian
  3. Could the war in Ukraine bring political change to Russia?  The Conversation
  4. Putin says there is 'no point' meeting Zelensky over ending Ukraine war  BBC
  5. The Writing is on the (Kremlin) Wall for Putin and Choking the Crimea Land Bridge. The Big Five, 7 June edition.  Futura Doctrina | Mick Ryan
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Israel launched deadly strike on Lebanon’s Tyre before warning – Reuters

  1. Israel launched deadly strike on Lebanon's Tyre before warning  Reuters
  2. Israel orders Tyre residents to evacuate ancient Lebanese city  NBC News
  3. Israeli air strikes hit Lebanese city of Tyre despite Iranian warning to stop attacks  BBC
  4. Trump says in ‘final throes’ of peace deal but at least 8 killed in Tyre  Al Jazeera
  5. Christian leaders in Lebanese city of Tyre call for quick international action after Israeli warning  AP News
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EU quota system ‘could kill Ukrainian steel industry’, boss says

Protectionist measures will deal blow to country’s budget as it defends itself against Russia, says Metinvest chief

New EU limits on steel imports could destroy Ukraine’s industry and deal a big blow to the country’s budget as it defends itself against Russia, according to the head of its biggest steelmaker.

Yuriy Ryzhenkov, the chief executive of Metinvest, said the new EU quota system due on 1 July could “kill the Ukrainian steel industry”.

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Is Keir Starmer trying to build a legacy or just getting on with the job?

As the Makerfield byelection and a potential leadership challenge loom, there is a sense the PM is looking to create impacts that last

As the weeks ticked down to her departure from Downing Street in 2019, Theresa May had a plan. Not only did she want to put a net zero target into law, but she wanted the UK to be the first major economy to do so. And that meant beating the French.

“It required the machinery of government to move more quickly than the French parliament,” a No 10 official from the time recalls. And it worked: the UK target came into force in June 2019, six weeks before May handed over to Boris Johnson, and five months before the French. She had her legacy.

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Philippines takes diplomatic action against China over floating structure in South China Sea – Reuters

  1. Philippines takes diplomatic action against China over floating structure in South China Sea  Reuters
  2. Philippines protests China’s floating ‘structure’ on disputed South China Sea shoal  NBC News
  3. Is that a Chinese antenna at Scarborough Shoal? The Philippines thinks so  South China Morning Post
  4. The Philippines protests China’s floating ‘structure’ on the disputed South China Sea shoal  AP News
  5. DFA files protest vs. China over structure in Panatag shoal  Manila Standard
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Tuesday briefing: Is a social media ban in the UK enough to help protect young people?

In today’s newsletter: With Keir Starmer expected to announce Australia-style restrictions, further problems – including AI chatbots - are on the horizon

Good morning. Keir Starmer’s expected speech next week about young people’s access to social media will be analysed as much for how it benefits the outcome of a certain byelection, as its safeguarding of children’s synapses.

After issuing an ultimatum to tech firms yesterday to block children’s phones from sharing nude images, the government is expected to make another major announcement about social media within days. Briefings suggest it will stop short of a blanket ban on under-16s accessing social media. But it will still amount to radical regulation, with Downing Street insisting that Starmer is up for a fight with big tech.

UK politics | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that he plans to invite King Charles on a state visit to Ukraine as early as this year, which would make him the most senior royal to travel to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Middle East | Fears of a return to a full-scale regional war in the Middle East eased on Monday as Israel and Iran said they had halted attacks on each other after an appeal from Donald Trump to “immediately stop shooting”.

UK news | A report has found “widespread and concerning evidence” of bias and victim-blaming in the family courts – primarily disadvantaging women.

US news | Donald Trump was loudly booed when he was shown on the video screens at Madison Square Garden on Monday night at the NBA finals.

Unemployment | A government-funded pilot of “hyperlocal” job support in 10 neighbourhoods across England has shown “promising early signs of effectiveness”, including for young people, and could be scalable nationwide, a new evaluation has shown.

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Pope Leo will tap into the Sagrada Familia’s allure while honoring Catalonia’s holy mountain – AP News

  1. Pope Leo will tap into the Sagrada Familia's allure while honoring Catalonia's holy mountain  AP News
  2. Sagrada Família’s 144-year journey nears its end with the Tower of Jesus Christ  CNN
  3. Pope to bless Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, world's tallest church  Yahoo
  4. Pope Leo to hold iconic Mass at Spain’s Sagrada Família cathedral  NBC News
  5. Saint or sinner: Antoni Gaudí’s polarising style  The Economist
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‘We want to see him in Ukraine’: Zelenskyy hopes to invite King Charles on state visit

Exclusive: Ukrainian leader says he has ‘a very good relationship’ with British monarch, who has supported his country

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that he plans to invite King Charles on a state visit to Ukraine as early as this year, which would make him the most senior royal to travel to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Ukrainian president said he had a close relationship with the king, whom he has met on numerous occasions, including when he gave a public show of support after Zelenskyy’s explosive visit to the White House last year.

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Parents caring for seriously ill children in UK could get financial support under ‘Hugh’s law’

Proposals considered by government would strengthen protections for parents forced to become full-time carers

Thousands of parents who are forced to become full-time carers after their child becomes seriously ill would be entitled to financial support and job protections under new “Hugh’s law” proposals being floated by the government.

Hugh’s law is named after Hugh Menai-Davis, who was six when he died in 2021 just under a year after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and undergoing 10 months of intensive treatment, much of it in hospital.

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