Good afternoon. The explosive Fox News-Dominion defamation case in the US has been delayed – and might not happen at all. The trial will begin a day later than scheduled amid reports of a late push by Fox to settle the case out of court.
Meanwhile, a military operation to free a New Zealand hostage in West Papua has left six Indonesian soldiers dead, with about another 30 missing. Phillip Mark Mehrtens, a pilot from New Zealand, was abducted by West Papuan rebels in February.
Top news
West Papua violence | A rebel spokesperson said the attack was carried out in revenge for the killing of two rebels by Indonesian security forces in March. An Indonesian military spokesperson warned the search operation would continue “with maximum force”.
Dominion-Fox News defamation case | The trial in the closely watched AU$2.4bn defamation lawsuit was delayed by a judge hours before opening arguments were set to begin. The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the matter, reports that Fox had made a late push to settle the case.
#MeToo and Bruce Lehrmann | The #MeToo movement “seemingly affected” decisions made to investigate and prosecute Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins, an inquiry has heard. Erin Longbottom, counsel assisting the inquiry into the ACT’s criminal justice system’s handling of the case, made that submission this morning at the inquiry’s first hearing.
Victoria’s big pause | The Victorian government’s “big build” on infrastructure is about to become a big pause, with the state budget likely to slam the brakes on major projects like the Melbourne airport rail link. It follows reports the NSW government is also considering pausing projects due to cost blowouts.
Twitter labels ABC ‘government-funded media’ | Twitter has been slapping the labels on media outlets funded by governments, causing controversy as it might imply a lack of editorial independence. An SBS spokesperson said “publicly-funded media” would be more accurate, while the ABC said it was in talks with Twitter about the label.
Former Liberal MP’s ultramarathon for the voice | Pat Farmer will run 14,400km around Australia over the next six months, finishing at Uluru, in support of the Indigenous voice to parliament.
Cricket mourns Aunty Faith Thomas | Thomas was the first Aboriginal woman to play Test cricket for Australia. She passed away at the weekend aged 90.
China and Russia strengthening cooperation | China’s defence minister Li Shangfu was in Moscow over the weekend, where he met Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The pair vowed to deepen military ties.
Sudan death toll nears 100 | At least 97 people have been killed and hundreds wounded as clashes between the army and a paramilitary group spread across Sudan. Why is the violence significant? Major powers are vying for greater influence in Sudan, among them Russia, which hopes to build a military base on the Red Sea. Read this quick explainer to learn more.
Full Story
Why is it hard to legalise cannabis in Australia?
Uruguay, Canada and a number of US states have all moved to legalise recreational cannabis. But seven years after medicinal cannabis became legal in Australia, the Greens are still trying to get laws on recreational use relaxed. Will they succeed? Listen to this 18-minute episode with Amy Remeikis.
What they said …
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“Our job is to lower the heat on any potential conflict [in our region] while increasing pressure on others to do the same.” – Penny Wong
The foreign minister was responding to Paul Keating’s recent criticism of the federal government’s handling of China policy.
In numbers
And coming off antidepressants is no easy feat, as a 29-year-old Melburnian has found, having tried to stop their medication for 12 years.
Before bed read
“We walk under a forest of our own making,” songwriter and researcher Shane Howard says.
Tower Hill is a scenic spot in south-west Victoria with a fascinating story. Its forest was cleared by European colonisers and restored after a successful revegetation program that began in the 1960s. The area is now in its next step of healing: returning the land to traditional owners and acknowledging its violent past.
“Colonisation was so brutal in south-west Victoria. Now that’s true everywhere, but it was particularly brutal in the western district,” Howard says. Read the feature.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: PHAT. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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