America is in mourning following two mass shootings in less than 24 hours which have killed at least 29 people, along with one of the gunmen. Federal prosecutors are treating yesterday's massacre at a Walmart store in El Paso as domestic terrorism, with the suspect, 21 year old Patrick Crusius, linked to an online racist manifesto. He's been charged with capital murder and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. In Dayton Ohio, police are still investigating the motive behind a shooting in a popular nightclub district, which left nine victims dead and at least 27 injured. The gunman, Connor Betts, was killed by police within a minute of opening fire. His 22 year old sister Megan is among the dead.
Australia is considering a "serious and complex" request from the United States to help protect oil shipments against Iranian interference in the Persian Gulf. The request has been made at annual talks in Sydney between defence and foreign ministers of both countries. Just hours later, Iranian state media has reported the country has seized another foreign tanker in the gulf. Iran captured a British oil tanker in the strait of Hormuz last month.
And a Bendigo woman has become the first Victorian to use the state's voluntary assisted dying law. 61 year old Kerry Robertson died peacefully in a nursing home in Bendigo on the 15th of July. Mrs Robertson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, she decided to stop all treatment when the side effects of chemotherapy were no longer manageable.