US-Iran Talks Cancelled Amidst Escalating Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

Good afternoon.

Talks set to take place on Friday between the US ⁠and ​Iran in Switzerland to implement a peace deal were cancelled as Hezbollah targeted Israeli forces and Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes in south Lebanon which killed several people.

The talks were set to begin in the tiny Swiss village of Obbürgen on Friday, two days after the signing of a memorandum of understanding that opened a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent understanding over Iran’s nuclear program, while getting oil traffic moving through the strait of Hormuz.

The cancellation of the talks came as Israel and Hezbollah traded their most violent strikes since the ceasefire was established. Follow updates here.

Top news

Mainland Australia’s first suspected case of deadly H5N1 bird flu investigated after sick bird found in WA

Nearly 160 sick with flu at US air force base after Pete Hegseth ends mandatory vaccines

AFL great Tony Modra in critical condition after truck crash near Adelaide

Iranian star Parastoo Ahmadi reportedly sentenced to 74 lashes for singing without hijab

Conflation of Jewish identity with Israel driving antisemitism, Jewish Council says in submission to royal commission

Grammy-nominated music producer Tay Keith, who worked with Drake and Travis Scott, dies aged 29

World Cup 2026

It was a good day for the World Cup co-hosts, after Mexico beat South Korea 1-0 and Canada routed Qatar 6-0. We’ll see if fellow co-host USA can match them, playing Australia at 5am AEST, before Scotland v Morocco at 8am AEST.

Ahead of the US-Australia match, Jack Snape says we should forget the confected World Cup hostility – the two teams mirror each other.

And Iran plans to lodge a formal complaint with Fifa regarding the “restrictions imposed by the organisers” on the team at the World Cup, after being told they will only be permitted to arrive in Los Angeles 24 hours before Sunday’s crucial game against Belgium.

In pictures

UK Labour’s Andy Burnham has won a huge majority in the Makerfield byelection, paving the way for him to challenge Keir Starmer, the prime minister, for the party leadership. He celebrated alongside some colourful competing candidates as the result was announced. Follow live updates here.

What they said …

“The lack of speak up culture, the culture of fear, retribution and revenue growth at all costs is not acceptable.” – KPMG whistleblower, in an email to KPMG’s former head of audit, Julian McPherson.

KPMG has admitted its staff leaked Optus’s confidential information to colleagues bidding for an audit contract with Telstra and surveilled the laptop of the whistleblower who raised concerns. A parliamentary inquiry on Friday heard evidence of the concerns raised by the whistleblower.

Full Story

Newsroom Edition: Pauline Hanson’s Trumpian attack on the press

Pauline Hanson’s ascendancy in Australian politics was underscored this week by her first address to the National Press Club. In a lengthy speech, the leader of the rightwing One Nation party railed against multiculturalism and Islam in particular, pledged to slash public broadcasting and asserted the so-called “hoax” of global heating was the driving factor behind poverty in Australia.

Josephine Tovey speaks to Mike Ticher and political editor Tom Mcllroy about Hanson’s “ugly” vision for Australia.

Before bed read

The Tassie devils in my neighbourhood keep stealing shoes and laundry, but I adore them

The thievery of these little creatures is endlessly amusing to me, but there have been, I’m told, a few rounds of inconvenience, writes Kelley Swaine.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: DUST. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

Sign up