Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Key posts
- No apologies as Roberts-Smith returns to Australia
- Russia steps up aerial strikes on Ukraine, killing at least six
- This morning’s headlines at a glance
1 of 1
No apologies as Roberts-Smith returns to Australia
Returning to Australia, former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has ruled out apologising to the families of the victims affected by his actions in Afghanistan.
Roberts-Smith – arriving into Perth on a Qantas flight shortly after 9pm on Wednesday – said he was devastated by the outcome of his high-profile defamation case against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times, adding that he was “100 per cent” proud of his behaviour while serving in the Defence Force.
It is the first time Roberts-Smith has spoken publicly since the case ended, spending the days before the court judgment in Bali.
He was seen in Queenstown in New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon alongside his girlfriend, Sarah Matulin. They were reportedly checking in for a business-class flight.
“It was a terrible result and obviously the incorrect result. We will look at it and consider whether or not we need to file an appeal,” Roberts-Smith said upon arrival in Perth.
Read the full story here.
Russia steps up aerial strikes on Ukraine, killing at least six
Russian forces fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa and shelled the eastern Donetsk region early Wednesday, killing at least six people and damaging dozens of homes, regional Ukrainian officials said.
Russian forces have recently stepped up aerial strikes in their nearly 16-month war, a Ukrainian military spokesman said.
The country’s armed forces, meanwhile, have reported limited gains in the early stages of a counteroffensive to take back the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory that is under Russian control.
Emergency workers extinguish a fire after a Russian rocket hit in a storehouse building in Odessa.Credit: AP
The grinding Ukrainian advance is pressing slowly ahead, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said.
Western analysts and military officials say the effort to dislodge entrenched, powerfully armed and large numbers of Russian troops could take years.
Ukrainian forces have managed to make gains despite the Russian edge in artillery and air power and large number of landmines left behind by Russian troops, she said.
Maliar noted that, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s losses on the battlefield had been “incomparably smaller” than those of Russian troops.
It wasn’t possible to verify the battlefield claims.
In Odesa, three food warehouse employees were killed in a strike that also damaged homes, shops and cafes in the city’s downtown, the regional administration said on Facebook. An additional 13 people were wounded.
Search teams were looking for possible survivors under the rubble of the warehouse, it said.
The attack on the port city, launched from the Black Sea, was the second in a week and involved four Kalibr cruise missiles, three of which were intercepted by air defences, the administration said.
AP
This morning’s headlines at a glance
Good morning, and thanks for your company.
It’s Thursday, June 15. I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.
Here’s what you need to know before we get started:
- The job market is continuing to lose steam with areas most affected by interest rate increases bearing the brunt of the slowdown.
- Independent senator Lidia Thorpe used parliamentary privilege to accuse a Liberal senator of sexually assaulting her, but withdrew her remarks.
- The Yes campaign will hold its first set of major community events across Australia in July as it attempts to kickstart support for the Indigenous Voice referendum.
Senator Lidia Thorpe used the Senate to make an accusation against David Van, which she later withdrew.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
- Two years after Brittany Higgins turned her phone over to police as part of a criminal investigation into her alleged rape, tranches of her private messages have been leaked to select media outlets and relaunched a political brawl.
- Powerful unions want Labor’s rank and file to formally condemn the $368 billion AUKUS submarine deal.
- Meanwhile, in Victoria support for the state’s Liberal-National Coalition has slumped to a fresh low, ahead of a crucial byelection in the seat of Warrandyte.
- But in NSW, teachers raised concerns about a Hunter Valley driver days before 10 wedding guests were killed and dozens injured when the coach rolled over.
- And, Ben Roberts-Smith has returned to Australia following his defamation judgment and ruled out apologising to families affected by his actions in Afghanistan.
1 of 1
Most Viewed in National
Source: Read Full Article
