‘Prioritising profit’: Australians regularly prescribed medicinal cannabis with very high THC levels

• The Harvard Political Review argues that the Iranian regime should be ended, but cautions against another U.S. military invasion. • Since the election of the new Supreme Leader in March, no single opposition group has successfully challenged the regime due to a lack of financial resources.

• Military hostilities have renewed in the Gulf region, with escalating strikes overshadowing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. • Both opposing sides are continuing a cycle of retaliation, with neither party showing a willingness to reduce tensions or lower the temperature.

• India is evolving its strategic outlook by moving beyond a traditional focus on geography to a "geometry of interests." • This shift is driven by India's commitment to strategic autonomy, democratic institutions, and humanitarian assistance, which have built global trust.

• UN Security Council members met on Tuesday to receive updates on the escalating regional tensions involving the US, Iran, Israel, and Hamas. • Reports from the UN relief agency OCHA highlight a dangerous situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, citing Israeli settlement expansion, settler violence, and movement restrictions.

• Senior Ukrainian negotiator Sergiy Kyslytsya stated in an NPR interview that Russia is increasingly running out of options, shifting the strategic leverage in Kyiv's favor. • Kyslytsya argues that current battlefield dynamics and international support have positioned Ukraine to force Russia into more serious and meaningful negotiations.

• President Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for high-level diplomatic discussions. • President Zelenskyy used the meeting to urgently request additional U.S. assistance for Ukraine's air defense systems to counter ongoing threats.

• On Wednesday, July 29, 2026, the Iranian government reported significant human and economic losses resulting from its ongoing war with the United States. • International diplomatic efforts are currently focused on stabilizing security within the Strait of Hormuz to protect global shipping and oil markets.

• Iran's foreign ministry rejected claims that the U.S. can dictate the "timing of war and peace," countering assertions by Donald Trump that Tehran had requested negotiations. • The statement follows efforts by mediators to revive a collapsed interim deal and restore diplomatic relations between the two nations.

• Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned that Pakistan would go to war against India if its water security is threatened. • The threat is tied to the potential suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of river waters between the two nations.

Federal-state stoush comes as rating agency warns that electricity bills could skyrocketFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland and the Northern Territory have rejected the federal government’s plans to mandate that AI datacentres use renewable power, rubbishing Anthony Albanese’s proposals to regulate the booming technology as “underdeveloped ideas that hand increased power to Canberra”.The latest federal-state stoush on energy comes as S&P Global, the economic rating agency, warns that power use from datacentres could rise five-fold by 2035 to 10% of Australia’s total consumption, and that a mismatch between delivery timelines for datacentres and renewable projects could lead to energy bills skyrocketing. Continue reading...

ABS data shows inflation still too high but tracking lower than anticipatedAustralian mortgage-holders have “dodged a bullet’, with the Reserve Bank now less likely to hike rates next month after new data showed inflation unexpectedly eased to 3.8%, in the year to June, from 4%.The hotly anticipated consumer price report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics had been seen by some economists as a “make-or-break” moment ahead of the RBA’s upcoming rate decision on 11 August. Continue reading...

The A350 landed in Toulouse 24 hours and 24 minutes after leaving Melbourne as airline plans direct London serviceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas completed what is believed to be the longest-ever commercial flight when its Airbus jet landed in Toulouse on Tuesday after a flight from Melbourne lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes.The flight, which triggered a surge in online tracking, is part of the airline’s Project Sunrise in which it plans to use a new A350 jet to fly nonstop from Australia to London. Continue reading...