Radio National Breakfast

The federal government is celebrating a new free trade agreement with the European Union - after almost a decade of protracted negotiations.

• GUEST: Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism 
• PRODUCER: Isadora Bogle

The federal and Queensland government have announced two billion dollars in taxpayer subsidies to secure the long-term future  of Rio Tinto's Boyne aluminium smelter in Gladstone on Queensland's central coast.

• GUEST: Matt Burnett, Mayor of Gladstone Regional Council

Australia's long-awaited trade deal with the European Union is being hailed by the Prime Minister as a major economic win.

But the response from the agriculture sector - particularly the red meat industry - is far less optimistic, with some industry leaders labelling it the "worst-ever free trade agreement". 

• GUEST: Hamish McIntyre, National Farmers Federation President
• PRODUCER: Brooke Young

By some measures, Operation Epic Fury has been the most powerful and expensive US assault in military history.

In the first 96 hours alone, the US is estimated to have deployed more than 5-thousand munitions in Iran.

That's raised new questions about just how long America can sustain its campaign in the Middle East.

And it's worried allies elsewhere that US forces may no longer be in a position to help in other conflicts.

• Guest: Lt. Col. Jahara Matisek is a Command Pilot in the U.S. Air Force and is a Senior Fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, Research Fellow at the U.S. Naval War College, and Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University. The views of Lt Col Matisek are his own and not those of the Department of War or the U.S. Government.
• Producers: Grace Stranger, Jason Whittaker

Israel's Defense Minister has announced plans for his country's military to take control of southern Lebanon, from the Israeli border to the Litani River.

Israel Katz is describing the move as the creation of a "security zone" to protect northern Israel from the Hezbollah.

Residents of southern Lebanon have been fearing Israel's recent military action against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah could be the precursor to a period of ongoing occupation, similar to what Israel did from 1982 to 2000.

Bahrain has been hit by one of its worst attacks of the war so far after an Iranian missile struck a military base in the west of the island.

It comes as Iran has intensified its attacks across the Gulf States, with Iran's de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz also continuing.

Meanwhile, media in Iran is reporting that Israeli-US strikes have targeted two of its gas facilities and a pipeline, hours after US President Donald Trump claimed he'd temporarily halt attacks on power infrastructure.

• Guest: Sir Robin Niblett, Distinguished Fellow and former Director and Chief Executive of Chatham House, and a Senior Adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Producer: Pip Cook

Australia's long-awaited trade deal with the European Union is being hailed by the Prime Minister as a major economic win.

But the response from the agriculture sector - particularly the red meat industry - is far less optimistic, with some industry leaders labelling it the "worst-ever free trade agreement".

We hear from the Trade Minister.

Then we cross to Beirut as Israel says it wants to occupy southern Lebanon. 

Start each day with comprehensive coverage and analysis of national and international events, and hear interviews with the people who matter today

It's been a thousand days since the late Labor MP Peta Murphy handed down a landmark parliamentary report on gambling reform, calling for a total ban on gambling advertising.

Nearly three years on, the Albanese government says it's still "considering" its response.

Today, independent MP Kate Chaney - a member of the Murphy review committee - will introduce a bill that would ban online gambling ads.

Then, we hear how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting industries other than oil and gas - including the supply of helium. 

And a new report has found popular AI chatbot services are failing to protect children from exposure to sexually explicit content.  

Recap the morning's news, politics and global affairs with the Breakfast Wrap.

You might be familiar with names like Celia Pacquola, Matt Okine, Hannah Gadsby and Ronny Chieng.

They are major players in the comedy scene and just some of the talent fostered in programs created by comedy trailblazer Susan Provan.

Susan has been at the helm of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival since the mid nineties and has seen it grow into one of the world's largest comedy events.

Guest: Susan Provan, director and CEO of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Around 45 million people could be pushed into acute hunger this year alone if the conflict in the Middle East persists.

That's the warning today from the United Nations' World Food Programme, with new analysis showing how supply chains vital to feeding the world's poorest nations have been disrupted by the conflict.

• Guest: Rania Dagash, Assistant Executive Director of the World Food Programme
• Producer: Grace Stranger