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Ben Roberts-Smith's defamation 'trial of the century' may be forced to move from Sydney to Adelaide or Perth if Covid-19 lockdowns and border restrictions continue. Barrister Bruce McClintock, for Mr Roberts-Smith, raised that possibility during a brief hearing before the Federal Court on Wednesday.  Australia's most decorated soldier is suing Nine Newspapers over allegations he committed war crimes including murder while serving with the Special Air Service in Afghanistan. The trial was suspended on June 29 after a month of hearing because of Sydney's COVID-19 lockdown and the inability of interstate witnesses to give evidence. Nine was due to call four Afghan witnesses to give evidence on July 26 over audio/visual link from Kabul through an interpreter based in Ontario, Canada. Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing three newspapers at the Federal Court trial in Sydney over media reports alleging he was involved in war crimes, murders and bullying in Afghanistan The trial

A Bill O'Reilly accuser who reached a $9 million settlement after accusing her Fox News boss of sexual harassment has claimed that he allegedly once told her he was 'going to make her play' even after she denied his advances.  In a lengthy interview with the Daily Beast on Tuesday, Andrea Mackris broke her years-long silence to speak for the first since signing an NDA and settling her sexual harassment lawsuit against O'Reilly back in October 2004.  Mackris, who worked as a producer on O'Reilly's show for four years, claims she was pressured into signing the NDA and that she has lost everything since she agreed to keep silent about her allegations.  In response to Mackris speaking out, O'Reilly's attorney Fredric S. Newman pointed to the public statement she issued in 2004 in which she said 'there was no wrongdoing whatsoever by Mr O'Reilly'.  Details of the alleged sexual harassment were made public when Mackris sued her boss in 2004, claimi

More than 10 million Australians will start getting get an extra $1,080 in their bank accounts from today after filing their tax returns. The low and middle income tax offset is available to taxpayers who earned between $48,000 and $126,000 during the 2021-22 financial year. Singles will see an extra $1,080 after lodging their returns, and couples will get an additional $2,160.  The payments take 10 business days to process so Australians who filed on July 1 will receive their refunds with the additional payment today.  Australians who earn between $48,000 and $126,000 during the 2021-22 financial year will see the tax breaks (stock image) Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the extra payment was a way to inject much-needed cash into the economy, which took a hit when millions of businesses closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 'This is more money to spend in local businesses, giving them the confidence to take on an extra worker, offer an extra shift or buy a new piece of equipment,'

Thousands of residents in the Covid hotspot of southwest Sydney have been forced to queue for up to eight hours to get a coronavirus test now required to leave the area under a new edict from the New South Wales government. Residents in the Fairfield local government area who work outside the region must now get tested every three days in a desperate effort to curb the city's Covid-19 horror outbreak. However the preparations for the testing onslaught appeared to be inadequate, with understaffing meaning there was a queue outside the 24-hour testing centre at Fairfield Showground which stretched back for kilometres from 6am on Wednesday. Many locals slept in their cars as they queued to be tested overnight while many residents who live in the area could not exit their driveways due to the traffic bedlam. There were also reports of police turning locals away at the drive-through clinic late Tuesday night because there were just two health workers conducting tests. It was a stark con

The pandemic may have killed off the 220-year-old national census, statistics chiefs said yesterday. The ten-yearly national headcount, last taken this spring, can no longer keep up with the pace of change in the age of Covid-19, they declared. In place of the census, which has to be completed by every home in the country and now costs around £1 billion to carry out, the Government may use personal details gathered from sources including tax returns and benefit claims. This year's census may be the final one to be held, breaking a tradition going back to 1801 The census has been under fire from politicians in recent decades. Its cost has spiralled, there have been disastrous results, such as in 2001 when the census missed a million people, and its extensive questioning on matters including sex and religious belief has been seen by many as too intrusive The census has been under fire from politicians in recent decades. Its cost has spiralled, there have been disastrous results, such

Dame Cressida Dick wishes to continue in her role despite a string of controversies and the Wembley security scandal. The Metropolitan Police commissioner is expected to make an informal bid next month in order to remain running Britain's biggest police force. She hopes to renew her contract which is set to expire in April and has indicated to a number of political and policing figures she aims to remain in office, the Times reported. It comes after the Met faced criticism following violence at Wembley Stadium at the final of Euro 2020 on Sunday. The Metropolitan Police commissioner is expected to make an informal bid next month in order to remain running Britain's biggest police force The force was accused of not having enough officers on duty to create a 'ring of steel' around the venue to stop unticketed fans from entering the stadium. The Wembley security debacle came two days after Wayne Couzens, a diplomatic protection officer, admitted to the murder of Sarah Ever

The Scottish National Party is at the centre of a criminal fraud probe amid claims cash donated to a £600,000 fundraising drive has gone missing. Police Scotland said the investigation focused on seven complaints about donations and had been launched after consultation with prosecutors. Detectives are looking at allegations that cash which was earmarked for campaigning for a second independence referendum has been diverted elsewhere. The Tories voiced concern over the 'increasingly murky' affair which could see officers interviewing senior figures in the SNP. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell is chief executive of the party. The probe follows a series of resignations from the SNP's ruling body in a row over the transparency of the party's accounts. The Scottish National Party is at the centre of a criminal fraud probe amid claims cash donated to a £600,000 fundraising drive has gone missing Last night Scottish Tory chief whip Stephen Kerr said: