Latest news with #Afghanistan
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
Ben Roberts-Smith battles for last chance to overturn defamation loss in Australia's highest court
Ben Roberts-Smith has turned to Australia's highest court in a last-ditch effort to sue Nine Newspapers over war crime allegations. Roberts-Smith claims the Federal Court bolstered its murder conclusions on the assumption that because he didn't challenge evidence, he accepted it as fact. Roberts-Smith filed an application for special leave with the High Court of Australia on Wednesday, just a month after he failed to overturn his loss to Nine Newspapers over war crimes allegations made in a series of stories. Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko in June 2023 dismissed Roberts-Smith's multimillion-dollar lawsuit against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Canberra Times in a landmark judgment. Justice Besanko found that Roberts-Smith was involved in the murder of four unarmed men during his deployment in Afghanistan. The findings were made on the balance of probabilities, which is less than the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt. His appeal to the Full Court of the Federal Court was dismissed by Justices Nye Perram, Anna Katzmann and Geoffrey Kennett in May The court found that while Justice Besanko made two errors in his judgment, they were described as 'immaterial'. Roberts-Smith's latest bid to overturn his defamation loss hinges on two grounds, including claims the Federal Court made an error by assuming he accepted facts because he didn't contest evidence. 'The Full Court erred by treating the appellant as affirmatively accepting facts that were not recontested, and using that assumed acceptance to bolster its murder conclusions, thus misconceiving the effect of unchallenged findings on appeal,' the special leave application stated. The other ground argued the Federal Court preferred 'delayed, contradictory and memory-impaired' eyewitness accounts over Australian Defence Force (ADF) operational records. This was in relation to Roberts-Smith's involvement in the murder of two prisoners at a compound called Whiskey 108 in 2009, the murder of a handcuffed shepherd Ali Jan at Darwan in 2012, and Roberts-Smith directing members of the Afghan partner forces to shoot a man following the discovery of a cache of weapons during an operation at Chinartu. The application argues the findings of war crimes couldn't be reached to the requisite standard under the Evidence Act as they relied on 'inconsistent and memory-impaired recollections' from more than a decade after the events and despite 'exculpatory' ADF operational records. ADF records document 'lawful engagements and no executions' and would-be engagements 'consistent with the laws of armed conflict', Roberts-Smith claims. Further, the application claims the records were discounted on 'speculative or flawed grounds', including by treating them as 'no more than repetitions of the applicant's account' or rejecting them on 'asserted inconsistencies that arose only at trial and were not evident at the time of reporting' in the cases of Darwan and Chinartu. Finally, it argued that the findings were reached without the 'criminal-trial safeguards of a jury, prosecutorial disclosure and proof beyond reasonable doubt', and the Evidence Act had been misapplied in regard to the satisfaction of 'facts tantamount to criminal guilt'. Roberts-Smith continues to deny the allegations, last month releasing a statement that said: 'Sunlight is said to be the best disinfectant, and I believe one day soon the truth will prevail.'
SBS Australia
12 hours ago
- Sport
- SBS Australia
Newsflash: June 20th - Pidcock's staggering speed, Afghan Hopes, and the World Tour Powers at play
This week in your newsflash, Tom Pidcock showcased his fearless descending skills in a stunning stunt in Germany, reaching speeds of 95 km/h solo and an incredible 115 km/h when tethered to a motorbike, further cementing his reputation as one of cycling's most daring downhill riders. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's women's national road cycling championships will return for the first time since 2022, though held in France due to the Taliban's ban on women's sports, offering refugee athletes a powerful symbol of hope and resilience. In the broader cycling world, the UCI has rejected the Saudi-backed One Cycling project's bid to reshape the WorldTour calendar, citing governance issues. However, the project's supporters remain determined to press on, potentially setting the stage for a major shake-up in the sport's future.
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Gen. Erik ‘Gorilla' Kurilla—Not Pete Hegseth—Leading U.S. Military On Iran
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly deferred authority on the U.S. military's involvement in the Middle East to Gen. Erik Kurilla, the U.S. Central Command chief known as 'The Gorilla' who served earlier tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and an Iran hawk, who has pressed for a more aggressive response in the region. Kurilla, appointed as the head of U.S. Central Command by Joe Biden, has become the apparent go-to ... More advisor for the Trump administration in the Middle East. Kurilla, a Biden appointee, has become the leading adviser on the Middle East over other Department of Defense officials, and he has held an audience with President Donald Trump more than any other general, Politico reported, citing unnamed former and current defense officials. Hegseth has yet to turn down a request from Kurilla for more military assets in the Middle East, including new fighter planes, a person familiar with their dynamic told Politico, despite resistance to sending more weapons from Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Pentagon's policy chief Elbridge Colby. Dan Caldwell, a former adviser to Hegseth, told 'Breaking Points' that Kurilla has a 'fundamentally different view on the importance of the Middle East' than other officials in the Trump administration, adding Kurilla likely believes a 'military campaign against Iran will not be as costly as others.' Caldwell suggested Kurilla was likely becoming more vocal as his three-year tenure as CENTCOM chief nears its end. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell disputed Hegseth's deference to Kurilla, telling Politico in a statement Hegseth 'empowers all of his combatant commanders the same way, by decentralizing command and harnessing their real-world expertise,' while another defense official said Kurilla and Caine have a 'hand in glove relationship.' During a congressional hearing earlier this month, Kurilla said he presented a 'wide range of options' to Hegeth and Trump to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. When asked if CENTCOM would respond with overwhelming force if Iran failed to give up its nuclear program, Kurilla responded, 'Yes.' Kurilla was the subject of a U.S. Army-led investigation after he allegedly pushed a subordinate service member during a trip to the Middle East in 2024. Three unnamed U.S. officials told NBC News that Kurilla allegedly shoved an airman when Kurilla was asked to sit down during a flight to Israel. CENTCOM said at the time that officials were not aware of an investigation into Kurilla. Kurilla, 59, is an Elk River, Minnesota, native who was commissioned into the U.S. Army as an infantry officer in 1988, according to CENTCOM. A West Point graduate, Kurilla was deployed to Panama in 1989, the Gulf War in 1990, and to Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s. He has been awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with valor in 2005 for leading U.S. troops in Iraq. Kurilla was nominated to lead CENTCOM under President Joe Biden in 2022, after previously commanding the 82nd Airborne Division and serving as CENTCOM's chief of staff.
CTV News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
This is the design for the new National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan
The National Capital Commission unveiled final designs for the new National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan. It will be built on Booth Street across from the Canadian War Museum. (National Capital Commission/release) Construction is set to begin next spring on the new National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan. The National Capital Commission approved the design for the monument that will be located on Booth Street at LeBreton Flats across from the Canadian War Museum. It will be located near the National Holocaust Monument. 'The National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan will serve as a testament to the commitment and sacrifice of Canadian Armed Forces members, police officers, public servants and civilians who served in Canada's mission in Afghanistan,' the federal government said on its website. 'The Monument will also recognize the strong support offered by Canadians at home to those who served during the mission.' Ottawa monument The National Capital Commission unveiled final designs for the new National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan. The monument on Booth Street across from the Canadian War Museum is expected to be finished in 2028. (National Capital Commission/release) The design of the monument, developed by Team Stinson, draws on elements of healing from a Medicine Wheel, with four portals and an interior area described as a 'sanctuary where the fallen are remembered.' The names of the fallen Canadian soldiers and maple leaves will be inscribed on the walls of three quadrants, while the fourth wall facing the direction of Afghanistan is dedicated to fallen Afghan allies, according to Veterans Affairs Canada. 'In the centre, four bronze flak jackets stand draped on crosses—utilitarian yet poignant reminders of protection. This Monument creates a powerful opportunity to honour and reflect, and to seek balance and healing, for all Canadians." Ottawa monument The National Capital Commission unveiled final designs for the new National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan to be built in Ottawa. (National Capital Commission/release) The federal government says 158 Canadian Armed Forces members, a diplomat, four aid workers, a government contractor and a journalist died while in Afghanistan. NCC officials expect the monument to be completed in the spring/summer of 2028.
Malay Mail
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Homeland insecurity: Expelled Afghans risk reentry to Pakistan to escape Taliban rule
PESHAWAR (Pakistan), June 19 — Pakistan says it has expelled more than a million Afghans in the past two years, yet many have quickly attempted to return — preferring to take their chances dodging the law than struggle for existence in a homeland some had never even seen before. 'Going back there would be sentencing my family to death,' said Hayatullah, a 46-year-old Afghan deported via the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in early 2024. Since April and a renewed deportation drive, some 200,000 Afghans have spilled over the two main border crossings from Pakistan, entering on trucks loaded with hastily packed belongings. But they carry little hope of starting over in the impoverished country, where girls are banned from school after primary level. Hayatullah, a pseudonym, returned to Pakistan a month after being deported, travelling around 800 kilometres south to the Chaman border crossing in Balochistan, because for him, life in Afghanistan 'had come to a standstill'. He paid a bribe to cross the Chaman frontier, 'like all the day labourers who regularly travel across the border to work on the other side'. His wife and three children — including daughters, aged 16 and 18, who would be denied education in Afghanistan — had managed to avoid arrest and deportation. Relative security Hayatullah moved the family to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a region mostly populated by Pashtuns — the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. 'Compared to Islamabad, the police here don't harass us as much,' he said. The only province governed by the opposition party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan — who is now in prison and in open conflict with the federal government — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is considered a refuge of relative security for Afghans. Samad Khan, a 38-year-old Afghan who also spoke using a pseudonym, also chose to relocate his family to Peshawar. Born in eastern Pakistan's Lahore city, he set foot in Afghanistan for the first time on April 22 — the day he was deported. 'We have no relatives in Afghanistan, and there's no sign of life. There's no work, no income, and the Taliban are extremely strict,' he said. At first, he tried to find work in a country where 85 per cent of the population lives on less than one dollar a day, but after a few weeks he instead found a way back to Pakistan. 'I paid 50,000 rupees (around RM767) to an Afghan truck driver,' he said, using one of his Pakistani employees' ID cards to cross the border. He rushed back to Lahore to bundle his belongings and wife and two children — who had been left behind — into a vehicle, and moved to Peshawar. 'I started a second-hand shoe business with the support of a friend. The police here don't harass us like they do in Lahore, and the overall environment is much better,' he told AFP. Afghan refugees wait in a queue at a registration centre, after arriving from Pakistan, in Takhta Pul district of Kandahar province on April 13, 2025. It's hard to say how many Afghans have returned to Pakistan, as data is scarce. — AFP pic 'Challenging' reintegration It's hard to say how many Afghans have returned, as data is scarce. Government sources, eager to blame the country's problems on supporters Khan, claim that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are already back and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — figures that cannot be independently verified. Migrant rights defenders in Pakistan say they've heard of such returns, but insist the numbers are limited. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) told AFP that 'some Afghans who were returned have subsequently chosen to remigrate to Pakistan'. 'When individuals return to areas with limited access to basic services and livelihood opportunities, reintegration can be challenging,' said Avand Azeez Agha, communications officer for the UN agency in Kabul. They might move on again, he said, 'as people seek sustainable opportunities'. — AFP
