This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
Key events
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By Tom Williams
That's all for The Loop this morning!
You can keep up-to-date on the ABC News website, by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here, and by subscribing to our mobile alerts.
We'll be back tomorrow morning to cover the latest updates.
By Tom Williams
Football Australia appoints former A-League coach Ernie Merrick
Football Australia has appointed two-time A-League Coach of the Year Ernie Merrick as its inaugural Chief Football Officer.
The organisation says the 69-year-old will oversee the transformation of Australia's technical direction and football development, and will work closely with Football Australia's Performance Director and National Team coaches.
Merrick won two A-league titles with Melbourne Victory, and has also coached the Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets.
By Tom Williams
Tensions escalate over Nancy Pelosi's expected Taiwan visit
The White House has criticised Beijing's rhetoric over an expected visit by United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, vowing the US "will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling" and has no interest in increasing tensions with China.
Beijing regards Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly warned of "serious consequences" if the reported trip goes ahead.
"If Pelosi insists on visiting Taiwan, China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.
China's President Xi Jinping also warned the US against meddling in Beijing's dealings with Taiwan in a phone call last week with US President Joe Biden.
Our East Asia correspondent Bill Birtles is in Taiwan, and writes that if Nancy Pelosi pushes ahead with a visit to Taiwan this week, it will put immense pressure on the US-China relationship:
By Tom Williams
France and parts of England see driest July on record
There are water restrictions on both sides of the Channel amid stretched resources following a very dry July.
Intense drought has hammered farmers in France, where there was just 9.7 millimetres of rain last month, the country's weather agency said.
That was 84 per cent lower than the average levels seen for July between 1991 and 2021.
In England, parts of the country's south and east recorded their lowest-ever rainfall in July, according to the UK's Met Office.
The low rainfall in both countries has been coupled with a summer of unprecedentedly high temperatures, which topped 40 degrees Celsius in England last month for the first time ever.
By Peta Fuller
'Emergency action' call for childcare staff shortages
A coalition of advocates is warning Australia's childcare workers are leaving the sector in droves over wages and conditions.
The Thrive by Five coalition wants to see the Federal Government take emergency action to address staff shortages in the childcare sector at an upcoming jobs summit.
Executive Director of the United Workers' Union, Helen Gibbons, told ABC Radio it needs to be a priority:
"The number one elephant in the room is the wages and conditions. Early educators are voting with their feet, they're leaving the sector in droves. We had 37 per cent of educators in a huge survey done last year said that they intend to leave in the next 12 months."
By Peta Fuller
Conjoined twins separated with the help of virtual reality
Meet Bernardo and Arthur.
The three-year-old Brazilians were conjoined at the head.
Doctors from Brazil and the UK spent months trialling techniques using virtual reality projections of the twins, based on CT and MRI scans, and successfully separated them.
Why is it important?
The lead neurosurgeon, Dr Owase Jeelani, says it could change how they do these surgeries in the future.
By Tom Williams
January 6 rioter gets longest insurrection-related sentence yet
Texas man Guy Reffitt has been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison after being convicted of storming the US Capitol building during last year's January 6 insurrection with a holstered handgun, helmet and body armour.
It's the longest sentence imposed so far among hundreds of Capitol riot cases.
Prosecutors said Reffitt told fellow members of the Texas Three Percenters militia group that he planned to drag House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of the Capitol building by her ankles "with her head hitting every step on the way down", according to a court filing.
By Tom Williams
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in CIA drone strike
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan over the weekend, according to US officials.
US President Joe Biden will deliver remarks at 9:30am AEST this morning and we'll be live-blogging it right here.
There were reportedly no civilian casualties in the strike.
In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that a strike took place and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of "international principles".
By Tom Williams
Joe Biden to make an address about 'counter-terrorism operation' in Afghanistan
The White House has said US President Joe Biden will address his nation today about a "successful counter-terrorism operation" in Afghanistan.
A senior US official told the Reuters news agency that over the weekend the US conducted a successful operation against a "significant Al Qaeda target", said to be Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Two officials said the CIA carried out a drone strike in Kabul on Sunday.
There were no civilian casualties in the operation, one official added.
Joe Biden's remarks are scheduled for 9:30am AEST.
By Shiloh Payne
Severe weather causes havoc in Kentucky
There has been some serious flooding in Kentucky in the US following torrential rains.
At least 35 people, including four children, have died as a result of the floods, Governor Andy Beshear said.
Authorities are working to rescue residents and provide food and shelter for thousands who have been displaced.
It's the second major natural disaster to hit Kentucky in seven months after up to 80 lives were lost as a result of a swarm of tornadoes in December.
By Shiloh Payne
Beyoncé to remove offensive word from new song
Beyoncé is set to re-record one of the songs on her new album after criticism from disability campaigners.
The song Heated contains a derogatory term that's often been used to demean people with spastic diplegia — a form of cerebral palsy.
"The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced," a spokeswoman for Beyoncé wrote in a statement to The Associated Press.
US pop star Lizzo also removed the word from one of her songs, Grrrls, in June after disability advocates complained about the lyrics.
By Tom Williams
Good morning! Let's set you up for the day
Australia has won more gold at the Commonweath Games in Birmingham, and Russia's Vladimir Putin has said a nuclear war "should never be unleashed".
Here's what you need to know at 7am AEST.
By Tom Williams
First up: Vladimir Putin has warned against nuclear war
The Kremlin leader has said there can be no winners in a nuclear war, and no such conflict should ever take place.
"We proceed from the fact that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be unleashed," he said.
"We stand for equal and indivisible security for all members of the world community."
He made the comments in a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to address the Australian National University via video link on Wednesday evening from around 5pm AEST — and we'll be blogging it live on ABC News
By Tom Williams
News while you snoozed
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Australia's Kyle Chalmers has kicked off day four of the swimming at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with gold in the 100m freestyle. He made a "shush" gesture after winning the race, and told Channel 7 it was "hard to enjoy the moment" after repeated questions about his private life this week
- The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain has set off from Odesa under a deal with Russia aimed at easing a global food crisis. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni left the port city carrying more than 26,000 tonnes of corn destined for Lebanon
By Tom Williams
Here's what Australia is searching for online
- Pat Carroll. The American actor, who won an Emmy for the sketch comedy series Caesar's Hour and was the voice Ursula in The Little Mermaid, has died. She was 95
- Lidia Thorpe. The Indigenous senator made a stand in the Senate while being sworn in yesterday, raising her fist — often seen as a symbol of resistance — and branding the Queen a "coloniser". She was then forced to recite the oath of allegiance without the additional words
By Tom Williams
One more thing: The Reserve Bank will make another cash rate decision today
Since May, the Reserve Bank has been raising the cash rate to tackle the surging inflation that's hitting Australia's economy.
It's set to raise the rate again this afternoon, and is expected to increase it to 1.85 per cent.
It means banks will continue to raise the interest rates facing borrowers.
Today's decision is expected at 2.30pm AEST.
