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Deloitte Access Economics cut its real GDP forecast for 2026-27 from 1.9% to 1.3% on 7 July 2026, the weakest annual projection since the early-1990s recession. Three pressures are compounding: a productivity slump, the Reserve Bank's 4.35% cash rate, and an unresolved Middle East oil shock.

Governor JB Pritzker signed SB 315, the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act, on 6 July 2026, making Illinois the first US state to require independent third-party safety audits for frontier AI systems.

The Albanese government has established the Australian AI Safety Institute, backed by A$29.9 million from the National AI Plan, to evaluate frontier AI models before deployment.

China fired a submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile into the South Pacific on 6 July 2026 without giving the 48-hour advance notice that international norms require. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking from Honiara, called it a provocative act that destabilises the region.

Telstra's mobile network went down across Australia on 8 July 2026, cutting calls and data for millions of customers. The failure knocked out Triple Zero emergency access in parts of Western Australia, disrupted regional Victorian train signalling and stalled EFTPOS payments.

The Australian Rugby League Commission has signed a $5.3 billion, seven-year broadcast agreement with Nine Entertainment, Foxtel Group and Sky NZ, the largest media rights deal in Australian sporting history.

The Australian Space Agency has identified charred spherical objects washing up on Queensland beaches as pressure vessels from a foreign rocket body that re-entered the atmosphere from orbit.

Federal departments spent $5.97 billion on contractors, labour hire and consultants in FY 2023-24, equal to one dollar in every $16 of departmental expenses, even as the Albanese government pointed to steady progress on its public service rebuild.

Fertilizer disruptions from the Strait of Hormuz closure are pushing grocery prices up 8% in some countries, just as households were getting relief.

FIFA's Disciplinary Committee suspended Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match ban on July 5, 2026, replacing it with a one-year probationary period under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, clearing the US striker for the Round of 16 against Belgium on July 7.

World Cup 2026 schedule, results, live knockout bracket, full group tables and the golden-boot race, with Australian kick-off times. Updated as matches finish.

Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in the World Cup 2026 last 16, ending Ancelotti's reign and reaching a first quarter-final.