Hi there. It's Friday, July 29 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today's news.
Let's start here: The Commonwealth Games are back
All eyes are on Birmingham in the UK where the opening ceremony for this year's Commonwealth Games is underway.
More than 4,000 athletes from around the world have arrived in the city for the 12 days of the Games.
The opening ceremony featured a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for her platinum jubilee, stunt BMX performers, and an address from Malala Yousafzai.
The parade of nations was opened by Sir Lenny Henry, and the Australian team entered the stadium to the sound of Electric Light Orchestra's Don't Bring Me Down.
You can follow all the action with our live blog here.
Something you'll be hearing about today: Garma Festival
After a two-year COVID-19 hiatus, thousands of people have arrived in Arnhem Land for the return of the Garma Festival, hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation.
The festival is the largest Indigenous culture exchange in the country, with forums, workshops and discussions held across the four-day event, led by the Yolngu traditional owners.
The theme for this year's festival is Nhana Nathilyurra, which means "look ahead towards the future".
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a key focus of this year's festival, as well as a push for a referendum to create a permanent Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to deliver during the federal election campaign.
Mr Albanese and several senior cabinet ministers will arrive at the Gulkula site today, and he will address the festival on Saturday.
News while you snoozed
Let's get you up to speed.
- Russia has launched fresh missile strikes on the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions in Ukraine, which haven't been targeted for weeks. Fresh attacks were also reported in Kharkiv, in Ukraine's far east. Ukrainian officials have also announced a new operation to liberate an occupied region in the south of the country.
- New figures show the US economy has contracted by 0.9 per cent. It's the second quarter in a row the economy has shrunk — which meets the technical definition of a recession — but President Joe Biden says the country isn't experiencing a recession as unemployment remains low and jobs are being created.
- After a controversial lead-up involving a pride jersey boycott that cost them seven of their key players, Manly lost last night's game against the Sydney Roosters, 20-10.
What Australia has been searching for online
- Bernard Cribbins: The British actor died overnight aged 93. He spent more than seven decades in the entertainment industry, with a career ranging from children's television to West End productions. He was introduced to younger generations as Wilfred Mott, a companion to David Tennant's Doctor Who.
- Sebastian Vettel: The Formula One champion has announced he will retire from the sport at the end of the season to spend more time with his family. The four time champion won three F1 titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, and had his most recent victory with Ferrari in 2019.
- Beyonce: Queen Bey's long-awaited seventh studio album titled Renaissance has been released. The 16-track album runs for more than an hour, and marks her first studio release since 2016's Lemonade.
One more thing
The final episode of Neighbours aired on Australian TV last night, in 90 minutes of nostalgia, reunions and a street party on the famous cul-de-sac known as Ramsay Street.
As previously teased by Network 10, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan returned as Scott and Charlene to drink champagne on the balcony of what used to be the Ramsay house.
There was no shortage of star-studded cameos either, with Guy Pearce, Margot Robbie, Jessie Spencer and Delta Goodrem all reprising their roles one last time.
And it wouldn't have been a Neighbours finale without a wedding — at Lassiter's Lake, no less.
If you want to relive the episode again (or if you forgot to tune in) you can look back at the key moments here.
You're up to date
We'll be back later on with more.
ABC/wires
