The Loop: Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation trial resumes, no clarity on rate rises, Grace Tame speaks about that PM photo op and a national pleasure audit

Good evening, it's Wednesday, February 2.

Here's what's been happening today:

One thing to know about it: Ben Roberts-Smith's trial

Ben Roberts-Smith's trial had been on hold during the pandemic.  (AAP: Joel Carrett)

• The Victoria Cross recipient's defamation trial against three newspapers and three journalists resumed today after months of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic 
• Mr Roberts-Smith is suing over a series of stories published in 2018 and denies allegations of unlawful killings overseas, bullying of colleagues and domestic violence 
• Today Nine Entertainment called a current Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) member as a witness, who told the Federal Court he saw Mr Roberts-Smith shoot an Afghan captive in the back during a mission to clear a compound, codenamed "Whiskey 108"
• The court had previously heard Mr Roberts-Smith deny allegations he carried a man with a prosthetic leg outside the Whiskey 108 compound, threw him on the ground, and shot him with a light machine gun
• Mr Roberts-Smith insisted he shot a suspected enemy who ran around a corner of the compound carrying a weapon as he went outside, and that an unnamed colleague shot a second enemy 

Another thing we heard about today: Interest rates

Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe suggested rates would rise, but it's unclear when ... and by how much.  (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

• Yesterday, we learned the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) had decided to keep rates at 0.1 per cent — that's a historical low and they've been that low since November 2020
• Today, RBA governor Philip Lowe gave an address at the National Press Club and suggested rates would go up, but didn't give us a concrete time frame
• But that's not all that unusual — the RBA never gives time frames for rate rises
• So what can we expect from rates this year? Here's what Dr Lowe said:

"If things go well, and the economy performs strongly, then there are clearly scenarios where we would be increasing rates later this year if some of the uncertainties are resolved.

"Because inflation is not that high at the moment, we can wait to see how those uncertainties resolve.

"If they resolve in one way, then we'll raise rates, if they resolve in another way it is still plausible that the first increase in interest rates is a year or longer away."

News you might have missed

Let's get you up to speed.

• A top Australian Defence Force officer said the Australian Navy ship on a humanitarian mission to Tonga was not responsible for an emerging COVID-19 outbreak that sparked a lockdown
• The collapse of a rain-weakened hillside in Ecuador's capital Quito killed 24 people. Mud swept over homes and local sports fields on Monday injuring at least another 48 people and destroying at least eight houses
• Whoopi Goldberg was suspended from ABC America's The View talk show for two weeks after making controversial comments about the Holocaust

The news Australia is searching for

• Grace Tame: You might remember this vision of the 2021 Australian of the Year's encounter with Prime Minister Scott Morrison from last week:
  

  

  Scott Morrison and Grace Tame's frosty meeting

  
  A lot of people had a lot to say about this, but Ms Tame hadn't spoken about it publicly until this morning. Ms Tame took to Twitter, saying it wasn't about a "culture gender war", pointing out that submissive smiles conform to "the visibly rotting status quo". Have a read:
  
• RAT: Did you know that you're supposed to be nil by mouth for half an hour before taking a rapid antigen test? Well, now you do. Have a gander at this tweet from the Therapeutic Goods Administration:
  

One more thing: Is there a small pleasure that brings you joy?

Maybe it's the smell of fresh newspaper, the feel of your clean hair between your fingers or that percussive clickity-clackity melody you make with your feet when you walk in thongs.

It's a small thing that makes you happy, the researchers behind the National Pleasure Audit want to hear about it. Even if it's a little ... unusual. 

"I would like people to be very honest," Southern Cross University's National Pleasure Audit coordinator Desirée Kozlowski says.

"So if they give me information about titillating things that give them pleasure. That's absolutely great.

"I wouldn't want them to make something up just to shock the researchers, but there's absolutely no judgement here."

She says there's a whole bunch of health benefits to practising the habit of finding small joys.

"Lower rates of depression and anxiety, higher psychological wellbeing, better immunity, and there's even links with longevity."

So go ahead, sniff that newspaper! 

Righto, let's shut this thing down

We'll be back tomorrow with more news!

ABC/wires