Australia news LIVE: Strait of Hormuz to open; Australia hit by post-budget economic pessimism; Expanded shark drones after attack

In case you missed it, Australian referee Shaun Evans has been cleared by FIFA after he was accused of making a “white power” gesture during the World Cup broadcast yesterday, according to The Athletic.

The broadcast cut to Evans alongside two colleagues in a video assistant referees’ booth, where he could be seen making an upside-down “OK” sign against his thigh.

The gesture has traditionally been used to signify approval, but has been adopted by sections of the far right in recent years.

However, as reported by The Athletic, Evans has been cleared of any wrongdoing after it was determined that the gesture did not breach FIFA’s disciplinary code.

Evans said he did not intentionally make a discriminatory gesture, and said it was an involuntary twitch.

Read our latest coverage of the World Cup, where New Zealand and Iran have just played to a 2-2 draw.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a presumed Democratic candidate for the US presidency in 2028, says he and his wife are the victims of a politically motivated investigation by US President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice.

Newsom said in a video statement that federal agents had knocked on the doors of his family members, friends and former employees in recent days. He did not provide details about these encounters, but said that agents were “demanding records” and “trying to find” a crime.

“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets, he’s coming after me because I am considering running for president,” Newsom said, calling Trump “the most corrupt president in American history”.

Newsom, whose term as governor ends early next year, has long been considered a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination and has relentlessly targeted Trump online using rhetoric and invective similar to that deployed by the president and White House social media accounts.

Read the full story.

The release of findings from a parliamentary inquiry into the government’s overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme has been delayed to the end of the week.

A Senate committee was scheduled to hand down its report today after a truncated three-day inquiry into the reforms, which aim to remove 350,000 people from the scheme and cut spending by $38 billion over four years.

“The committee has requested an extension of time to report to further consider evidence received. The committee will now deliver its final report on Friday, 19 June 2026,” it said in a statement today.

The Australian sharemarket has fallen at the open while Wall Street rallied in its first session since Donald Trump announced a peace deal had been agreed to with Iran.

The S&P/ASX 200 was down 74.5 points, or 0.8 per cent, in early trade.

The Reserve Bank announces its interest rate decision this afternoon, with the central bank widely tipped to stay on hold.

The ASX jumped 1.3 per cent on Monday after the US-Iran agreement was announced.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on social media that the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was an “important step” towards stopping the fighting but noted a final agreement for a lasting truce “has yet to take shape”.

US Vice President JD Vance told CNN that the signed memorandum was only about a page to a page and a half long, and is “a very general document”. Details will be released over the next two days, US officials said. Vance said it included “a very significant sanctions relief package” for Iran.

US and Iranian officials say it could eventually deliver substantial economic benefits to Iran by lifting sanctions, unfreezing foreign assets and setting a $300 billion reconstruction fund, paid for by neighbouring Gulf states, which host US military bases.

US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Iran would have to satisfy US demands never to build a nuclear weapon and cut off support for militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon to get those benefits.

Reuters