☕️ U.S. reviews AUKUS

Did you see the ‘strawberry moon’ last night? This is the name given to all full moons in June. But last night’s was particularly rare, because it was also a lunar standstill, where the moon reaches its furthest northern point in the southern sky.

If you missed it, no stress. There’ll be another one in 2043. See you then!

“This means ensuring the highest readiness of our service-members, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence, and that the defence industrial base is meeting our needs”
A U.S. defence official in a statement to the ABC, confirming reports that the White House has launched a review into AUKUS, the security pact submarine deal between the U.S, the UK, and Australia.

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The number of staff the ABC have axed after announcing sweeping redundancies across the network. Long running talk show Q+A has also been axed, which coincides with Network Ten's announcement of 'The Project' finishing up too.

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Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison for sabotage. He was released in 1990.

Did you know that even if you lose an election, you might still get (partly) reimbursed by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)?

If at least 4% of voters in an electorate put a ‘1’ next to a candidate’s name, the AEC will automatically reimburse them $12,379 for their campaign costs.

Additional payments are based on how much they or their party spent on the campaign, or how many votes they received overall.

Here’s how it works.

Election campaigns are expensive. For example, candidates and parties spend money on TV and radio ads, posters, and events. This money mainly comes from donors.

Only donations above $16,300 need to be publicly declared.

After the election is held, the AEC undertakes a series of repayments to the candidates and parties for expenses incurred during the campaign.

In 2019, the then-Coalition Government introduced an automatic $10,000 payment to political parties and candidates who received more than 4% of first preference votes.

The figure is indexed to inflation (rising prices) twice a year. In May 2025, the automatic payment amount was $12,379.

The figure applies to races in both the House of Representatives (lower house seats) and Senate (upper house).

The AEC said it has made the first round of payments, amounting to $1,052,215.

26 political parties were eligible for the $12,379 payment, ranging from the major parties and their state divisions (Labor, Liberal, and the Nationals) to minor parties such as Legalise Cannabis.

60 independent candidates met the threshold, up from 41 at the 2022 election.

This reflects a growing trend of voters preferencing minor parties and independents above the major parties.

The second round of funding will take place later this year.

Eligible parties and candidates either receive $3.30 per vote OR get reimbursed for their election expenses, whichever is the lower amount.

The claims need to be submitted by 3 November.

In 2022, the AEC spent more than $75 million reimbursing parties and candidates.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and Norway have imposed travel bans and asset freezes on two senior members of the Israeli Government.

In a joint statement, the five countries say Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have been sanctioned for “inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.

The United Nations considers this area occupied by Israel under international law.

Israel has called the sanctions “outrageous”, vowing a formal response next week.

Sanctions are formal punishments against individuals, businesses, government bodies, and groups based overseas.

Countries use sanctions as a way of condemning actions outside their borders, while complying with international law.

Australia has imposed sanctions against thousands of people and groups from across the world, according to the latest figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Australia has two main types of sanctions: financial and travel.

Financial sanctions ban business dealings with a person or group.
It is illegal for Australian citizens to give money to someone covered by a sanction.

Travel bans are when a person, who has either been individually identified or associated with a sanctioned organisation, cannot step foot in Australia.

On Tuesday night, Australia joined four countries in placing sanctions on two Israeli Government ministers: Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

In a joint statement, the five countries’ foreign ministers said: “Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous.”

“We have engaged the Israeli Government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity.”

The measures focus on Israeli settlements established in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

Australia calls the West Bank the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and has voted in favour of a UN motion condemning Israel’s “settlement activities” there.

The joint statement also noted the sanctions against Smotrich and Ben-Gvir “cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza.”

The two ministers have been criticised for their comments about Palestinian people in the past.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the words and actions of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir as government ministers “are extinguishing the prospects of a two-state solution”.

The two-state solution is Australia’s official position: the co-existence of Israeli and Palestinian states.

UK Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer detailed some of the pair’s previous remarks.

“Mr Smotrich said there is no such thing as a Palestinian nation. Mr Ben-Gvir has spoken of his rights in the West Bank,” Falconer told Parliament.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a coalition government, including Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s parties.

Ben-Gvir said the sanctions work to “appease” Hamas.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the Government would hold a meeting next week to coordinate a response.

In a post on social media, U.S. Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio urged for the “reversal of the sanctions”.

In Australia, Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash did not expressly criticise the sanctions. However, she called the move “very serious” and asked the Government to provide extra details behind its decision.

Cash’s comments were distributed in a statement on Wednesday, which said the Government had previously banned Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel from entering the country.

Her office issued a correction an hour later, specifying that Australia has barred former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked.

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🍊 The first two AFLW players in the AFL Hall of Fame. Read more here.
🍊 Socceroos qualify for 2026 World Cup. More details here.
🍊 Canada’s Summer McIntosh broke two world records this week.
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: cricket, F1, and more…

The technology can analyse multiple types of images at the same time, including close-up and full body photos, pathology slides, and medical imaging to diagnose melanoma with greater speed and accuracy than traditional methods. Monash said “more than two million skin images… sourced from 11 institutions” around the world were used to train the AI tool. Its developers said “this kind of assistance could support earlier diagnosis and more consistent monitoring for patients at risk of melanoma… Its ability to support diagnosis in varied real-world settings… is a step forward”.

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Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

A construction crane in the Italian city of Florence is being removed after nearly 20 years.

The crane was put up in 2006 amid construction on the Uffizi art galleries.

Issues within the Italian Government led to the crane staying unused due to the cost it required to run and dismantle.

Over time, it developed a reputation, and its own Instagram page.

A group of sponsors has now raised €180,000 ($AU315,440) to take the crane down on 16 June.

The removal will be celebrated with a ceremony marking what the Uffizi director called “[an] embarrassing chapter in [the gallery’s] history”.

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

Protests on the streets of LA are continuing, after the city's mayor announced a curfew and state of emergency. Demonstrations have been escalating since Friday, when federal immigration authorities launched widespread raids in downtown LA. In response to the protests, U.S. President Donald Trump has deployed the national guard and marines, a decision that has been contested by California Governor Gavin Newsom. In today’s podcast, we’ll explain everything you need to know about how the situation got to this point, and the latest on the situation in LA.