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TRANSCRIPT
- Iran appoints a new security chief
- Pakistan says it is ready to host talks between Iran and the US aimed at ending the war
- And in sport, Australia's edition of the King's Baton officially unveiled ahead of the Commonwealth Games
Iran has named a former Revolutionary Guards commander to succeed the country's key security chief, Ali Larijani, who was killed in the US-Israeli airstrike last week.
State media says Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr has been appointed the head of the Supreme National Security Council.
Zolghadr is a former deputy commander-in-chief of Iran's ideological army, and he's also held senior posts in the interior and justice ministries.
His new role will give him a big say in shaping the Iranian war effort against the United States and Israeli strikes after the killing of over dozen key Iranian security figures in the war.
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Pakistan has offered to host talks between the United States and Iran on ending the war.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's offer comes a day after US President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants, following what he called "productive" talks.
Iran's parliament speaker insists no such talks had taken place, describing suggestions that they had taken place as "fake news".
In a post on social media, Mr Sharif says Pakistan would be honoured to host meaningful and conclusive talks, in the interests of peace and stability in the region and beyond.
The United Nations has welcomed Pakistan's offer to help mediate talks.
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Lebanese armed group Hezbollah says it would fight to prevent Israeli troops from occupying southern Lebanon, calling such a move an "existential threat" to the Lebanese state.
As the conflict enters its fourth week mark, Israel's conflict with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah is set to intensify.
Defence Minister Israel Katz has declared Israel will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River to create a "defensive buffer", spelling out for the first time Israel's intent to seize territory amounting to nearly a tenth of Lebanon.
Senior Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah says any Israeli occupation south of the Litani would be met with resistance.
Arabic* then translated into English: "Now, we are facing Israeli aggression. We are in a defensive situation. The resistance fighters are battling in that area to prevent Israel from achieving this objective. This poses an existential threat to Lebanon as a state and to its geographically defined borders recognised internationally. Therefore, we have no choice but to confront this aggression and cling to the land."
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Australia's wine producers are celebrating a long-awaited free trade deal that removes tariffs on exports to the European Union - but farmers are calling it the worst ever trade agreement.
After almost a decade of negotiations, Australia and the European Union have struck an agreement that will expand trade across a range of areas.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Canberra to sign the agreement alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The new trade deal will see the removal of tariffs on Australian wine exports to EU member states - but will mark the end of exporting Australian wines labelled as Prosecco over the next decade.
Australian Grape and Wine CEO Lee McLean says it is a blow to Australian producers who currently export Australian prosecco as they will need to transition away from using that term for export markets.
"Look, we're disappointed to see access to markets to prosecco exporters, but ultimately these things (free trade deal) are made in the national interest and we can continue to use prosecco in Australia, which is important to us."
Australian farmers will now be able to export an additional 30,600 tonnes of beef and 25,000 tonnes of lamb - significantly less than they had asked for.
Opposition leader Matt Canavan says farmers have been let down.
"They made a promise to Australian farmers that they would only sign a good deal, not any deal. Well, today, the government has broken that promise with Australian farmers, because clearly, they have signed any deal. In fact, they've signed the deal that was effectively on the table just a few years ago without any meaningful increases of market access for Australian farmers."
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A 7.6 magnitude earthquake has struck near Tonga in the South Pacific, prompting coastal evacuations but no wider tsunami warning.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but officials in Tonga urged people to avoid beaches and low-lying coastal areas until further notice.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre and disaster management officials in New Zealand both said the quake on Tuesday posed no tsunami threat.
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To sport now....
Commonwealth Games fever can officially begin as Australia's edition of the King's Baton was officially unveiled 120 days out from the games*.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will be the first to feature a King's Baton, replacing the Queen's Baton that featured at the event for more than 60 years until Queen Elizabeth's death in September 2022.
First Nations artist Chern'ee Sutton designed Australia's baton to evoke national pride and serve as an inspiration for athletes.
Each country's baton also has a special word plucked from King Charles's Commonwealth message, which he has written and placed inside host Scotland's baton.
Australia has the word 'welcome' inscribed upon the Scottish ash wood.
*From 23 July until 2 Aug 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland
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