Trump to reinstate Iran blockade, Hollywood hails Sam Neill, and sextortion on the rise

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Donald Trump says he will reinstate the US blockade on Iranian ports amid more exchange of bombing – and has demanded a 20% tariff on all cargoes shipped through the strait of Hormuz.

The online scourge of “sextortion”, in which people are blackmailed with the posting of sexual images or videos, is a growing problem in Australia, according to a report by the online safety watchdog, with a patchy response from tech firms.

‘One of the greats’ | Some of the biggest names in film have https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/13/sam-neill-death-tributes">paid tribute to Sam Neill after his sudden death yesterday at the age of 78.

Steven Spielberg, who directed Neill in Jurassic Park, said he was “saddened” by the news, while Nicole Kidman said the Kiwi actor was “one of the greats”.

Luke Buckmaster https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/05/sam-neil-actor-20-best-roles-films-performances">picks Neill’s 20 best roles, while Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw recalls Neill’s gifts as a https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/13/sam-neill-final-interview-readers-question-jurassic-park">“unobtrusively good-looking Hollywood romantic lead”.

‘Sextortion’ rise | More than 2,000 cases of “sextortion” were reported to the online safety watchdog in the last six months of last year with men in the 18-24 age group the most likely to be targeted, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/13/young-men-report-more-sextortion-than-any-other-age-group-australias-online-safety-watchdog-says-ntwnfb">according to a report.

Vape sales | Sellers have turned to social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to promotehttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/14/australia-banned-vape-ads-more-than-two-years-ago-so-why-are-they-still-all-over-social-media"> illegal vapes as experts call for stronger penalties for the sites.

AI ‘inflection point’ | Anthony Albanese will describe the progress of AI as an https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/14/anthony-albanese-ai-speech-safety-copyright-datacentres-social-licence">inflection point for society on par with the renewable energy transition, but is not expected to detail progress on copyright reforms.

Abuse inquiry | Australia’s federal police have contacted more than 120 families as part of https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/13/more-than-120-families-contacted-as-police-investigate-alleged-abuse-by-sydney-childcare-worker-ntwnfb">an investigation into alleged offending by a former Sydney childcare worker.