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Ben Roberts-Smith has lost his appeal against a defamation case ruling, with three judges of the federal court unanimously upholding a 2023 decision that he was not defamed by Nine newspapers and journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters when they published reports in 2018 which claimed he had committed war crimes.
In a summary of the judgment, the justices wrote that they were “unanimously of the opinion that the evidence was sufficiently cogent to support the findings that the appellant murdered four Afghan men”. Roberts-Smith has always denied the allegations against him.
The latest ruling means that only the high court can now overturn the findings he committed war crimes. It also opens the way for a potential criminal investigation by the Australian federal police and the Office of the Special Investigator.
This marks a key moment in a marathon legal battle that has spanned seven years, believed to have cost more than $25m.
Top news
Bankruptcy fears as John Pesutto ordered to pay $2.3m in costs over Moira Deeming defamation
Man arrested after Adelaide school community led to believe food was poisoned
‘Rough end to the weekend’: wintry weather on the way for south-east Australia
James Comey investigated over seashell photo claimed to be ‘threat’ against Trump
Australia Eurovision entry Go-Jo fails to wow judges and misses out on grand final
In pictures
From a sea dragon to flushing worms, the winning images from this year’s Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Environmental Photography award have been revealed. Selected from a pool of more than 10,000 entrants, winners were awarded for putting their creativity to good use in raising awareness of the importance of environmental protection.
What they said …
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“This isn’t about a few hateful comments. It’s about a culture of abuse that has become normalised.”
A new report by Ofcom and Kick It Out has found the amount of “vile” online abuse directed at people in sport is getting worse and is having a “devastating impact” on their lives, livelihoods and families. The Kick It Out chair, Sanjay Bhandari, criticised “a social media ecosystem that too often enables and amplifies abuse”.
In numbers
Ten years ago, just one in 10 homes around the country had broken the million-dollar threshold, but new data shows surging demand and slow-growing supply has worsened housing affordability.
Before-bed read
Amid a backslide in the fashion industry’s commitment to body and age diversity, at Australian fashion week some designers are taking a different approach to casting. This practice seems to come from two places: creating better vibes on the runway and backstage, and wanting to showcase clothes on bodies that reflect their customers.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: VIA. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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