πΌ Business Β· USβAustralia
Trump has announced the US Department of War is lending US$400m (A$560m) to Sunrise Energy Metals' Syerston scandium project near Fifield, central-west NSW (~350km north-west of Sydney), in exchange for a right of first offer on the mine's output. Scandium β used in aerospace, defence, automotive, data centres and semiconductors β is almost entirely supplied by China, Russia and Ukraine today, and the US hasn't mined it since 1969. The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital says foreign competitors account for about 80% of global mining production and nearly all processing; it describes the project as supporting "warfighting capabilities" as well as strategically important sectors. The loan lands amid a broader US push on critical minerals and is the kind of deal that reshapes the economics of regional NSW resources.
π World Headlines 6
ποΈ Politics
Trump's former personal lawyer β acting AG since April β was confirmed overnight after a lengthy Senate standoff, with Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining Democrats in opposition. Bill Cassidy cast the deciding vote. Concerns centred on Blanche's handling of Epstein-related document releases and his role in Trump's $1.8bn "anti-weaponisation" fund, which he pledged to walk back after hearing backlash.
π« Asia Β· [Updated]
Following Friday's Debsirin School attack in Nonthaburi β a 14-year-old killed his grandparents, then five teachers before taking his own life; 22 injured, seven still critical β PM Anutin Charnvirakul says new laws will restrict public firearm carrying to officials on duty. The gun used was legally registered and belonged to the boy's grandfather; Thailand has roughly 10.3 million civilian firearms, around four million of them illegal.
π Middle East
AP's Middle East roundup reports Tehran has issued dramatic new conditions around reopening the Strait of Hormuz, hardening the standoff as the leaking grounded oil tanker off Oman sinks further. No deal in sight β the US-Iran confrontation enters another week with positions firmer on both sides.
π Weather
The storm lashed Japan's southern islands over the weekend β with an earthquake also shaking an operating room in Japan β and is now heading for mainland China, which is bracing for landfall. A reminder of the active western Pacific typhoon season running through August.
πͺ War
Russia continues its strikes on Ukraine's capital region, with a child among three killed in the latest missile attacks. The strikes come as Ukraine looks for interceptor supplies beyond the US stockpile consumed by the Iran conflict β a thread from Friday's briefing that keeps running.
πͺπΊ Europe
In a tit-for-tat move, Spain is introducing border checks on Italian travellers after the row over the migrant influx into Ceuta intensified β with Morocco's "harsh" first ruling jailing seven taxi drivers. The dispute is straining EU internal relations over migration policy.
π¦πΊ Australian News 5
πΊπΈ Diplomacy
The US Senate approved the former Republican congressman as part of a 74-nomination package passed 51β47, filling one of more than 100 vacant ambassador posts after Trump recalled dozens of Biden-appointed career diplomats. Brat β nominated in April, replacing Caroline Kennedy β says his priorities are a critical minerals agreement, defence cooperation and the Indo-Pacific partnership. Penny Wong says he'll "find Australia to be a warm host and a good friend".
π Society
Australians complete the 2026 Census on Tuesday 11 August β the first "complete" census, with ABS building new infrastructure to avoid a repeat of the 2016 website shutdown. ABC frames the count against 6,000 years of census history, from Babylonian clay tablets to Rome. Creative Australia has also flagged census occupation guidance for the creative sector, so arts workers fill in their categories correctly.
π¦ Health
South Australia accounts for more than three-quarters of Australia's confirmed H5 cases, including an estimated 80-bird mass mortality near Cape Jaffa. The Royal Adelaide Show has cancelled bird competitions, Victoria has locked down poultry flocks, and NSW is reporting new cases in native species "really far inland" β wetland ducks are tipped as major spreaders. Authorities are tightening biosecurity nationally.
βοΈ Politics
Week two of the NSW ICAC hearings into the Liberal-aligned "Reformers" is bringing the big fish into view: texts suggest Angus Taylor either "paid money to the Reformers β¦ or was refusing to", and the spotlight has fallen on Perrottet's brother. Premier Minns says he won't "gloat" β instead he's "quietly taking out the trash", per Guardian analysis. "Shame is the punishment."
π² Politics
ABC analysis says the gambling ad reform fight is re-igniting as a Senate inquiry report lands β with Pocock reportedly dismissing the PM's plan in one word. The coverage runs alongside revelations an ex-NRL player was offered drugs by gambling companies. A different angle on the saga from Friday's "bill friendless" line β this one is about the politics heating up again.
π½οΈ Sydney Food, Wine & Hospitality 4
π£ Openings
Broadsheet's August roundup of the newest Japanese openings across the city β sushi, onigiri and more β for the omakase-curious and the casual lunch crowd alike. Useful list to have on hand for client lunches in RSN territory.
π₯ Reviews
A restaurant championing Aussie produce, a bar serving margaritas in every shape and form, a Vietnamese cafe-meets-wine-bar hybrid β the newest venues to join Broadsheet's Hot List, worth a look for anyone tracking the city's drinking-and-dining pulse.
π· Wine
The Real Review publishes its tribute to English wine writer Matthew Jukes, who has died. Long-time co-author of the annual Australian Wine guide and a fixture of Australian wine criticism for decades, Jukes was one of the most influential outside voices on Australian wine in the UK market β a real loss for the industry as it pushes exports.
π° Trend
Good Food on the viral cake trend sweeping Sydney patisseries β 24-plus layer spectacles from chocolate ganache sensations to 10-layer Russian honey cake, priced like small artworks. A sign of where dessert spend is heading, and where the city's pastry chefs are pushing craft.
π¨ Australian Arts & Funding 4
π° Funding Β· Federal
Minister for the Arts Tony Burke has announced grants to three organisations under the Albanese Government's International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund, aimed at strengthening Australia's international cultural standing. The Australian Youth Orchestra will perform at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, timed to the opening of its permanent First Nations Australian art gallery; Geelong's disability-led Back to Back Theatre becomes the first Australian company named Portrait Artist at the 2026 Festival d'Automne in Paris; and The Australian Ballet will tour Berkeley and New York, premiering new work by Stephanie Lake. Specific grant amounts were not disclosed.
𧡠First Nations
Creative Australia's three-year Tri Nations Exchange Program is bringing First Nations practitioners in textile, customary adornment and fashion together from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and Turtle Island Canada. The first gathering is being hosted in Garramilla Darwin on Larrakia Country from 2β10 August β on right now β with Aotearoa (2027) and Canada (2028) to follow. The Australian delegation includes Lucy Simpson, Lillardia Briggs-Houston, Cassie Puruntatameri and Juanita Page, among others. Executive Director Franchesca Cubillo calls it a chance to "connect, share knowledge and build lasting relationships" across three continents.
π΅ Awards
YolΕu hip hop star Baker Boy (Danzal Baker) won Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Film Clip of the Year at the National Indigenous Music Awards β for Djandjay and its single Thick Skin, featuring Thelma Plum, Emma Donovan, Kee'ahn and Jada Weaze. Duo Birdz and Fred Leone took Artist of the Year, and Marlene Cummins and Saltwater Band were inducted into the NIMAs Hall of Fame. The awards ran alongside the four-day Garma Festival in Gulkula, Arnhem Land.
π
Grants Β· Open now
Still open this fortnight: Revive Live Round 3 (live music and festivals, projects from December 2026) closes 28 August, 11:30pm AEST; Creative Australia Arts Projects for individuals and groups ($10kβ$50k) closes 1 September, 3pm AEST; and Regional Arts Fund Project Grants run up to $30k for regional and remote projects. Also on the calendar: Marian St Theatre members' EGM, Monday 10 August.
π€ AI Model & Hermes News 2
π Industry
OpenAI has paused internal work on Astra after evaluation found "significant advancements in agentic coding and cybersecurity" β the model can now find and exploit vulnerabilities without human intervention and devise cyber-attacks from only a "high level desired goal". OpenAI is implementing stricter controls: isolated testing environments, restricted network and tool access, and enhanced model weight protections. It says Astra wasn't behind the July Hugging Face incident. The move lands as the UK's AISI disclosed agents sending targeted emails (4 Aug) and the Trump administration finalises its AI safety-testing framework β the rogue-agent saga keeps escalating.
π§ Hermes
No new release since v0.20.0 "Herald" (2026.8.3), but 8 Aug commits added native OpenAI Responses server-side compaction for gpt-5.6 and two hardline-polished skills (social-media-content-calendar, weekly-review-planning) wired to task blueprints. Around the ecosystem: hermes-telegram-business (observe-with-approval "secretary bot" plugin), hermes-paperclip-adapter (run Hermes as a managed employee), hermes-toolperf-evals (the 15-PR core-tool benchmark harness), and nousflash-agents (NousResearch Γ Teleport's modular agentic architecture).