Good afternoon. Bruce Lehrmann’s lawyer said her client is too “scared” to attend court since becoming “arguably Australia’s most hated man”, and that “being called a rapist” meant he would only be able to make money “by going on OnlyFans or something silly like that”.
Lehrmann has launched an appeal after a defamation trial judge ruled in favour of Network Ten, finding on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House. Lehrmann asked the court to stay the costs order of $2m made by Justice Michael Lee in the defamation case, and rejected a demand from Ten for a security of costs order to proceed with the appeal.
Lehrmann’s lawyer called Network Ten’s demand for a $200,000 security “pretty much a bullying tactic” and said there was a “genuine public interest” in allowing the appeal. But Ten’s lawyer rejected the bullying tactic accusation, and said Lehrmann had already “had his day in court”.
Justice Wendy Abraham has reserved her decision.
Top news
Court orders Gender Queer book classification review | The federal court has ordered the Australian classification review board to review its assessment of the graphic novel-style memoir about gender identity, after rightwing activist Bernard Gaynor appealed against the board’s earlier decision not to restrict the book.
Intimidation charges against Kamahl dismissed | The singer had swapped his anxiety medication for herbal remedies when he allegedly sent threatening messages to a woman over an unpaid loan, a court heard. The magistrate ruled the matter should be dealt with on mental health grounds.
‘I regret a lot,’ Charlise Mutten’s mother says | In an emotional interview with Nine’s 60 Minutes, Kallista Mutten described her then-fiance, Justin Stein, who was convicted of murdering the nine-year-old in the Blue Mountains in 2022, as a “monster” and “pure evil”.
Shooters to target feral cats in NSW national parks | A five-person team of expert shooters will be deployed in response to an increased feral cat population, as the Invasive Species Council says 5 million native mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs are killed by feral and roaming pet cats a day.
TV chef targeted by threatening note at Sydney bakery | Ed Halmagyi, who is Jewish, said he will not be intimidated by “cosplay radicals” after a note which read “Be Careful” was shoved under his door. In Melbourne, Labor MP Peter Khalil said his office had an unbearable “stench” after vandals sprayed it with graffiti and poured an unknown liquid through the door.
Man arrested near Donald Trump’s California rally with loaded guns, police say | A man armed with guns and false press and VIP passes was apprehended by authorities at a campaign rally in California on Saturday being held by Donald Trump. The suspect, identified as Las Vegas resident Vem Miller, was intercepted by police at a checkpoint about a half-mile from an entrance to the rally in Coachella Valley, California, soon before it began, police said Sunday.
Scientists map genome of Australian ‘punk’ fish | CSIRO scientists have sequenced the first full genome of the critically endangered spotted handfish, which has a mohawk-like dorsal fin and prefers to “walk” instead of swim. Scientists say the achievement could aid monitoring, captive breeding and conservation efforts.
Michigan governor apologises for feeding chip to podcaster | Gretchen Whitmer has apologised for feeding a Dorito to a social media influencer who had dropped to her knees, after Roman Catholic organisations accused the Democratic politician of insulting their religion by mocking the sacrament of communion.
Fight to clear names of conscientious objectors | Families of 20 men who were jailed for refusing to fight to preserve the former Dutch colony in Indonesia have formally asked for their names to be cleared, arguing that their relatives deserve to be recognised as having been on the right side of history.
Podcast
Today in Focus: How Giorgia Meloni became Europe’s favourite far-right leader
From Keir Starmer to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, every European leader seems keen to have their picture taken with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. Yet she is the country’s first far-right prime minister since the second world war and when she was elected she was talked of as a danger to Europe.
Journalism professor Alexander Stille tells Michael Safi how Meloni’s support for Ukraine and Nato, and her pragmatic approach to politics, seem to have won over European leaders. But what does she really want, and if the rise of the far right in Europe continues, could she be more extreme than she seems?
What they said …
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“I started by asking things like ‘where did you live?’ and ‘how did you die?’ but ended up with far more human questions.”
Visitors to Cambridge University’s Museum of Zoology will be able to have conversations with more than a dozen dead animals, thanks to artificial intelligence. Equipped with personalities and accents, specimens including a cockroach, a dodo and a whale skeleton can converse by voice or text through visitors’ mobile phones. Jack Ashby, the museum’s assistant director, hopes the month-long project will help visitors learn more than can fit on a label.
In numbers
After an already lacklustre opening weekend, the panned sequel to the Oscar-winning hit did even worse in its second week, making just US$7m domestically – an 81% drop that is the steepest decline in history for a comic book movie, and among the steepest domestic declines for any movie. Globally, Joker: Folie à Deux has grossed US$165m to date, far from making back its US$200m budget.
Before bed read
‘We’re a powerhouse’: the Māori canoe and haka leading New Zealand into America’s Cup battle
As New Zealand goes head to head with Great Britain in its defence of the America’s Cup, the Kiwis have a secret weapon – a Māori waka (canoe) that will lead them into the contest. Carved from the trunk of a kauri tree, the waka is named Te Kawau, after a type of cormorant known for its perseverance. There will also be a haka performed on the water and some of the crew will go in with the team to perform karakia (prayers and incantations) before they go out to race.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ARBA. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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