BBC Verify has analysed a quarter of a million newly released high-resolution satellite images showing the extent of damage to Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure. Targets hit include ballistic missile sites at Esfahan and Bushehr, ammunition storage areas, naval bases with sunken ships, and IRGC compounds โ many buildings completely flattened. The damage "correlates with US and Israeli reports of a wide-ranging strike campaign," per Janes analysts. Iran has meanwhile begun public mourning for Ayatollah Khamenei, killed in the war.
Donald Tusk told reporters the coming months "may truly be critical" after media reports that Moscow is planning an armed "provocation" in Poland to test Nato's resolve. US intelligence reportedly warned Warsaw of a plot involving missile or drone attacks on Polish infrastructure, or soldiers sent into the Nato state, to pressure Ukraine's western allies. Tusk said Poland is preparing for "various" scenarios and acknowledged the threats from allied intelligence.
Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, is the prime suspect in a parcel bombing in Monaco that seriously injured a sanctioned Ukrainian multi-millionaire, his partner and 13-year-old son. Interpol has issued a Red Notice for the suspect, who allegedly spent days casing the residence before leaving a package in the entrance hall. She fled to Italy then Germany. Officials believe she may not have acted alone.
More than 165 million people are sweltering under record temperatures along the US East Coast and Midwest, with Washington DC expected to reach near 41ยฐC. The Great American State Fair on the National Mall was temporarily closed, and the Capitol Fourth concert delayed public entry. The heatwave is disrupting a busy weekend as President Trump hosts America's 250th birthday celebrations and multiple World Cup matches take place outdoors.
For the first time since the Iran war began, a UK broadcaster has visited the Iranian side of the Strait of Hormuz. Two seized container ships โ MSC Francesca and Epaminondas โ remain held by the IRGC despite the ceasefire. Fishermen are tentatively returning to waters that became too dangerous during the conflict. Dozens of cargo ships remain offshore waiting for Iranian permission to pass.
France reported over 2,000 excess deaths at the peak of the recent heatwave, as forecasters warn of further extreme temperatures across Europe. The record-breaking heat follows an unprecedented spell of early-summer heat across the continent, with multiple countries registering all-time highs.
The government's latest Resources and Energy Quarterly estimates Australia's LNG export earnings for 2026โ27 will reach $67.6bn โ $21bn above December forecasts, with potential for an extra $7bn. The windfall is driven by Middle East conflict closing Qatari facilities and spiking global prices. Independent Senator David Pocock has doubled down on calls for a gas tax, saying "our campaign isn't going away." The figure has been revised up from the $18bn estimate reported yesterday.
Exclusive Guardian data shows home loan applications from first-time buyers fell 13.4% in May year-on-year, with Loan Market seeing a 20% drop in June. Despite lower prices and less competition, first-home buyers are staying on the sidelines. Investors are also pulling back, except in the new-build segment. The market is entering a downturn nearly two months after a third consecutive rate rise and sweeping tax reforms.
The former Tottenham and Socceroos boss has been appointed Al-Nassr head coach on a two-year deal in the Saudi Pro League. He inherits a squad led by Cristiano Ronaldo. It's Postecoglou's first return to management since being sacked by Tottenham, and puts an Australian in one of Asia's highest-profile football roles.
Ebony Bell was convicted and handed a community work order for punching Senator Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG in 2024. Court documents revealed Bell attacked Thorpe over claims the senator disrespected her mother, and committed a second "gratuitous act of violence" while on bail โ assaulting a different woman. The case had been shrouded in secrecy by Victorian courts until the suppression order was lifted.
The full NSW Labor left faction has demanded the repeal of controversial anti-protest laws ahead of the party's state conference. The laws, introduced under the previous government, have drawn criticism for restricting civil liberties. The conference will also address AUKUS, gambling reform, and Palestine โ with tensions expected over the party's direction on gambling regulation.
Broadsheet's mid-year wrap showcases Sydney's dynamic dining scene: Kim's Bop (Glebe) serving chewy kimchi udon, Watermans (Barangaroo) from the Bentley boys, Tam Jiak (Fish Markets) with Malaysian surf'n'turf, Piqu (Newtown) dishing Thai-ish flavours, Sugo (Bexley North) for neighbourhood pasta, Lua (Glebe) for Vietnamese woodfire, Flaminia (Circular Quay) from Pilu's team, Tera Bar (Surry Hills) and Besa (Bondi) Spanish. Plus Bar Bruno (CBD) and Hamsi (Glebe) Turkish taverna at the fish markets.
12 ripper new casual spots including a Thai beef noodle soup shop hidden in a Haymarket tunnel, a cheffy fish'n'chipper, and a buzzy corner for king-size pizza slices. The casual dining scene is thriving alongside the more polished openings.
Dine Out 2026 has unveiled its complete program โ 50 events across Sydney including a dinner with Melbourne's "hummus king", Neil Perry's seafood dinner at Felons in Manly, chef Oscar Solomon's pop-up at Firepop, and French specials with Guillaume Brahimi at Baker Bleu. Bookings are now open.
Broadsheet's new bar roundup zeros in on Daiquiris, Martinis and Margaritas. The latest openings span beer bars, dance bars, and "likely Australia's smallest wine bar". Essential reading for anyone tracking the city's cocktail and drinks scene.
New country-of-origin labelling laws now apply to all seafood dishes on menus across Australia. Restaurants must disclose where their fish, prawns, and other seafood comes from โ a major transparency shift for diners and a compliance requirement for venues. "Wondering where the tuna in your handroll came from? Under the new law, you'll know."
The legendary Florentine schiacciata sandwich shop All'Antico Vinaio is coming to Sydney. Broadsheet travelled to Italy to find out what makes this sandwich so special โ bringing its famous oversized Tuscan sandwiches stuffed with prosciutto, pecorino, and truffle cream to Australian shores.
No major arts funding news today
No new federal or state arts funding announcements were made today. The most recent significant arts funding coverage is from ArtsHub's January 2026 roundup of grant opportunities and Creative Australia's ongoing programs. The next major arts policy cycle is expected closer to the federal budget.
A new ArtsHub feature examines the legal vulnerability of Australian musicians against AI training on their work. Unlike authors, musicians face much tougher obstacles proving copyright infringement when their songs are used to train AI models. The piece highlights the growing tension between the creative sector and generative AI.
This week's Australian arts sector appointments include a new CEO at State Library Victoria. ArtsHub's regular roundup covers the comings and goings across the sector.
Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 5 on 30 June, the latest addition to its Sonnet lineup. The model delivers improved agentic coding and multimodal capabilities, with introductory pricing at $2/$10 per million tokens before an expected increase in September. It's currently the most recent frontier model on the AI Release Tracker leaderboard.
OpenAI unveiled GPT-5.6 in three tiers: Sol (flagship, beating Claude on coding benchmarks), Terra (same capability as previous gen at half price), and Luna (fast/cheap for high-volume). But at US government request, access is limited to vetted partners only โ not the public โ due to cybersecurity capability concerns. Similar to the earlier Claude Fable 5 restriction.
Anthropic launched "Claude Tag", an AI coworker that lives permanently inside Slack. Tag Claude in any channel, hand it a task โ it pulls from Google Drive, breaks the job into steps, and posts completed checklists. 65% of Anthropic's own product team code is now written this way internally. Channel-specific permissions prevent cross-contamination. Industry observers flag the potential for vendor lock-in on organisational memory.
Memory chip demand from AI data centres is driving up consumer electronics prices. Apple hiked MacBook Pro prices in India by โน70,000 (~A$1,200) overnight. Microsoft raised Xbox prices worldwide. Chip maker Micron posted record profits and is now the most-traded stock in America โ more than Nvidia or Tesla. The AI boom is directly hitting consumer wallets for the first time.
OpenAI built its own processor, internally called Jalapeno, designed to run ChatGPT faster and less dependent on Nvidia. They even used AI to help design the chip. Separately, IBM successfully packed nearly 100 billion transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail โ crossing a barrier thought years away. The next phase of AI will be decided by hardware control, not just software.
Japan's Sakana Fugu takes a unique approach: instead of being a single model, it's a coordinated team that pulls from GPT, Gemini, and Claude Opus simultaneously, splits tasks intelligently, and returns one unified answer. If any model gets banned or blocked, Fugu swaps it out seamlessly. Claims Fable 5-level benchmark scores without using Fable 5 at all.