Hello. It's Friday, July 8 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here
Nick Kyrgios will play his first-ever grand slam singles final at Wimbledon after Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament.
The Australian will play either Novak Djokovic or the UK's Cam Norrie, depending on who wins their semifinal tonight.
Nadal, 36, suffered an abdominal injury in his last victory over American Taylor Fritz and says he "can't imagine winning two matches" with the pain.
His competition exit ends his chance of being the first men's player to win a calendar-year Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 (Nadal has already claimed the French and Australian Open titles this year).
Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur will play for the ladies' singles title, Aussies Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell are through to the men's doubles final and Heath Davidson has had a win in the quad singles quarterfinal, but our mixed doubles hopes of Sam Stosur and a surely-exhausted Matt Ebden have gone down in their final to American Desirae Krawczyk and the UK's Neal Skupski.
Something you'll be hearing about today
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned after a string of cabinet resignations, but he'll remain as caretaker Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen.
So who's that new leader going to be?
Some of the frontrunners include:
- Foreign Secretary Liz Truss
- Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt
- Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi
- Former chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak
- Former health secretary Sajid Javid
- Defence Secretary Ben Wallace
- Former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt
- Attorney-General Suella Braverman
But the appointment of a replacement will take some time yet, and even then it depends on how many people formally put themselves forward for the position.
News while you snoozed
- Actor James Caan, best known for his role as Santino "Sonny" Corleone in The Godfather, has died aged 82. "Not only was he one of the best actors our business has ever seen, he was funny, loyal, caring and beloved," his manager Matt DelPiano wrote in a statement.
- US basketballer Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to a drugs charge in a Russian court, but says she had no intention of breaking the law. The two-time Olympic gold medallist was arrested in February at a Moscow airport with vape cartridges containing hashish oil (which is illegal in Russia) and has been in custody since.
What Australia has been searching for online
- The Georgia Guidestones. The mysterious granite monument, often called "America's Stonehenge" by locals, has been destroyed after an explosive device reduced it to rubble.
- Bernard Collaery. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has ordered the Commonwealth to drop the prosecution of the lawyer, four years after he was charged with conspiring to release classified information about an alleged spying operation in East Timor.
You're up to date
Thanks for reading.
ABC/wires
