Hi there. It's Thursday, July 14 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here
Experts fear a miscalculation, rather than outright aggression, may trigger a serious incident in the contested waters of the South China Sea.
"It needs to be accepted that Australia is often sailing through those waters on their own without a lot of back-up, in the way that the US navy would often have," ANU international law expert Professor Don Rothwell has told the ABC.
Professor Rothwell's concerns are backed by Nationals MP Darren Chester, a former minister for veterans' affairs and defence personnel.
"We need to be very careful and need to make sure we are working closely with our allies. I think it is really important that we try and de-escalate these situations wherever possible," Mr Chester said.
"At the same time, we have every right to be there. The Australian navy is incredibly professional, incredibly well-trained and incredibly capable and they are just doing their job."
Something you'll be hearing about today
We're expecting the latest figures on jobs and employment today, with last month's data locking in the unemployment rate at the lowest it's been in almost 50 years.
Some experts are predicting the unemployment rate could fall even further.
Data released by the Bureau of Statistics last week has shown that payroll jobs rose ever so slightly in the past month, up by 0.1 per cent, compared with a 0.4 per cent fall at the same time last year.
News while you snoozed
- Amber Heard has lost a bid for a new trial in her defamation case with ex-husband Johnny Depp after a judge rejected her lawyers' argument that one of the jurors had served improperly. Judge Penny Azcarate ruled that there was "no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing" by the juror and that the jury's verdict should stand.
- Pope Francis has named three women who will serve as members of the Vatican office that vets bishop nominations, in another first for women to have a say in Catholic Church governance. The Dicastery for Bishops' members meet periodically to evaluate proposed new bishops whose names are forwarded by Vatican ambassadors.
What Australia has been searching for online
- The Uvalde shooting. New surveillance footage has been released showing police officers in body armour milling in the hallway of Robb Elementary School while a gunman continued firing in a classroom where 19 children and two teachers were killed.
One more thing
*ahem*
QUEENSLANDERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's right, the Maroons have reclaimed the State of Origin shield in a home decider that can be described as utterly wild.
An extremely physical match from the get-go, NSW's Cameron Murray and Queensland's Selwyn Cobbo and Lindsay Collins were forced off the field just minutes after kick-off with significant head knocks — thankfully, all three were upright and walking around by the end of the match — and a firey scrap between Dane Gagai and Matt Burton saw both players sin-binned.
The score was tight until a magic 70-metre try from Ben Hunt in the final minute locked it in for Queensland, ending the match 22-12.
A very sooky Andrew Johns' reaction quickly did the rounds on social media ...
... Better luck next time, Joey.
As part of a bargain made by the two states' premiers, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is set to be lit up in Queensland colours after the win.
You're up to date
Thanks for reading.
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