US Reignites War with Iran, Telstra Outage Cripples Australia, Farage Faces Novelty Candidate

Morning everyone. The US is reigniting its war with Iran after Donald Trump called Tehran’s leadership “scum” in a tirade at the Nato summit.

We delve into how the Telstra outage wreaked havoc across the entire country, with effects of the national tech fail still being felt more than 24 hours later.

It’s Farage v Binface in the UK’s Clacton byelection, and the Blues delivered a boilover for the ages in the State of Origin decider.

Australia

Boilover in Brisbane | New South Wales delivered one of the all-time great Origin boilovers last night with a 30-12 win in Brisbane. After a narrow escape in Sydney and a shellacking in Melbourne, the Blues silenced Suncorp Stadium to claim the Origin shield. Check our our picture gallery here.

Cancer hope | Australians with cancer are living longer than ever, a flagship health report has revealed, but falling childhood vaccination rates have given experts cause for concern.

AI hit | Artificial intelligence has yet to cause widespread job losses but the federal government has warned that telemarketers, advertising staff and accountants are among the occupations “most exposed” to being replaced by the technology, with women and graduates worst hit.

Exclusive | Colourful children’s play sand that was sold in Australia while contaminated with asbestos can release hazardous airborne fibres of the toxic mineral, researchers have discovered.

Rape accusation | A high-profile Melbourne man was called a rapist and punched in the face by his former personal assistant shortly after he raped her at his home, a court in Victoria has heard.

World

Binned off | Nigel Farage’s plan to change the narrative from his finances to a “people versus the establishment” byelection in Clacton appear to have backfired after all the major parties pulled out, leaving the Reform UK leader in a fight to the finish with perennial novelty candidate Count Binface.

‘Hit them again’ | Iran and the US have both threatened to reignite their conflict after the most extensive trading of fire since an interim deal was signed last month. At the time of writing, the US has just launched fresh strikes. Earlier, Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over as he arrived at the Nato summit in Ankara, and vowed to hit the country “hard again tonight”. Oil markets have recorded their sharpest price rise in nearly two months after a series of attacks on fossil fuel tankers near the strait of Hormuz. Follow Middle East developments live.

Don’t mention the football | Nato leaders gathered in Ankara have informally agreed not to mention the World Cup to Donald Trump in case they irritate him.

Car trouble | The German auto industry has warned of a potential collapse of employment in the sector in Europe amid growing competition from China and other rivals.

Torture ‘evidence’ | An Israeli soldier’s photo of a Palestinian man from Gaza corroborates extensive reporting on Israeli torture of Palestinians in detention, rights groups have said.

World Cup

Match catch-up | Here’s how the teams that reached the last 16 have fared in our unofficial rankings during over the tournament, and we have a suggested XI of World Cup stars looking for new clubs. Egypt continue to rage about refereeing decisions in their loss to Argentina but Chris Foy, a former Premier League referee, argues that they have mostly got things right.

Off the pitch | Two US Soccer staff members were suspended by Fifa for their team’s World ⁠Cup defeat to Belgium on Monday although it remains unclear why. Plus, how Norway built a talent system to beat Brazil.

What to watch today | No match today: France take on Morocco in the first quarter-final at 6am AEST tomorrow.

Full Story

Wil Trump invade Cuba?

Nour Haydar speaks to Ruaridh Nicoll about what life is like on the ground in Havana – and if US military intervention could be next.

In-depth

Mobile phones fell silent, commuters were stranded, triple-zero calls failed, EV chargers stalled and Eftpos machines were disabled. Telstra’s mobile network outage paralysed the nation. While the telco has blamed a “software defect”, the episode is a stark reminder of how reliant on connectivity Australia now is, and how single points of failure can have widespread consequences.

Not the news

With winter upon us, fashion workers and a flight attendant tell Lucianne Tonti their strategies for packing light for weekends away. Top tips: focus on thin, long-sleeve tops, pair up with jewellery for the evening, and don’t take too many shoes.

Sport

Women’s football | Sam Kerr returns to the NWSL in the colours of Gotham FC. Seven years after she left the American league for Chelsea she will find a much changed landscape, writes Megan Swanick.

Wimbledon | Arthur Fery has become the new hero of Centre Court after the wildcard Briton – ranked 154th before the tournament – reached the semi-final by beating Flavio Cobolli in straight sets. Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova have roared into their first Wimbledon semi-finals.

Cycling | Dutchman Olav Kooij claimed Tour de France stage five but Norway’s Torsten Træen retained the yellow jersey despite a crash.

Media roundup

The ACT is full of “massive houses on tiny blocks” and has some of the biggest houses in the world, according to the Canberra Times. Higher accommodation costs and cheap overseas alternatives have left Noosa’s holiday industry with its worst market for 25 years, the Courier Mail reports. The disruption caused at Nine by Karl Stefanovic’s departure nearly cost the company its new NRL deal, according to the Daily Telegraph.

What’s happening today

Melbourne | Public hearing on intergenerational housing inequity.

Diplomacy | Joint media conference with Anthony Albanese and Narendra Modi in Melbourne.

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Brain teaser

And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.