Speaker 1: Today's biggest news from The Australian. I'm christan amiot with
Speaker 1: the Front's afternoon headlines. Australia's most decorated living soldier, Ben
Speaker 1: Robert Smith, will walk free from Sydney's Silver Water Prison
Speaker 1: after he was granted bail at the Downing Center Local Court.
Speaker 1: Robert Smith is charged with five counts of murder allegedly
Speaker 1: committed between two thousand nine and twenty twelve while he
Speaker 1: was deployed by the Australian Defense Force to Afghanistan. Prosecutors
Speaker 1: told the court the Victoria Cross recipient could try to
Speaker 1: interfere with witnesses if he was released pending trial, and
Speaker 1: said he was quote on the cusp of attempting to
Speaker 1: relocate overseas. But lawyers acting for Ben Robert Smith said
Speaker 1: the suggestion he's a flight risk is quote fanciful and
Speaker 1: argued their client should be released under strict bail conditions.
Speaker 1: Judge Greg Grogan found there are exceptional circumstances that justify
Speaker 1: Robert Smith's release on bail. He said it could take
Speaker 1: years for the matter to come before the court and
Speaker 1: that means Robert Smith's ability to meet with his legal
Speaker 1: representatives and access evidence held in secure facilities could be
Speaker 1: hampered if he's kept behind bars. Robert Smith will be
Speaker 1: required to report to police three days per week and
Speaker 1: provide a surety of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars plus.
Speaker 1: He'll have to surrender his passport and he's prohibited from
Speaker 1: traveling outside Queensland unless it's to Sydney or Perth for
Speaker 1: matters related to the case. He's not allowed to access
Speaker 1: firearms or come into contact with anyone he served with
Speaker 1: in Afghanistan. If Robert Smith were to attempt to get
Speaker 1: in touch, Judge Grogan said, quote, his arrest would no
Speaker 1: doubt come very swiftly and he would find himself once
Speaker 1: again donned in green. British Prime Minister Kirstarmer and French
Speaker 1: President Emmanuel Macron will meet with representatives and more than
Speaker 1: forty countries to discuss the reopening of the Strait of
Speaker 1: holl Moors, but the United States and Iran, which controls
Speaker 1: the vital shipping route, aren't on the invite list at
Speaker 1: this stage. It's understood the talks will focus on support
Speaker 1: for freedom of navigation and the economic impact of the
Speaker 1: straits continued closure. The US Navy has been enforcing a
Speaker 1: naval blockade in the waterway since Monday, at the direction
Speaker 1: of US President Donald Trump. Trump claimed during a press
Speaker 1: conference for his no tax on tips initiative, the war
Speaker 1: with Iran is quote going swimmingly, adding it should be
Speaker 1: ending soon. But in a separate appearance, he lashed out
Speaker 1: at Australia again, saying he's not impressed by the defense
Speaker 1: spending boost announced by Richard Miles on Thursday.
Speaker 2: I'm not happier with Australia because they were because they
Speaker 2: were not there when we asked him to be there.
Speaker 2: So Australia you asked for. Australia was another one. They
Speaker 2: were not there. Happy to do with harmord to harmless?
Speaker 2: What do you mean, I'm not happy. I'm not happy.
Speaker 1: That's as Lebanon reportedly accused Israel of breaking a cease
Speaker 1: fire agreement that took effect in the early hours of
Speaker 1: Friday morning Australian time. The Times of Israel reported the
Speaker 1: Israeli defense forces had engaged in quote intermittent shelling of
Speaker 1: several southern Lebanese villages. Lebanon's army warned citizens not to
Speaker 1: return to the villages and towns in the nation's South
Speaker 1: for the time being. Federal Police charged a Sydney childcare
Speaker 1: worker with an additional one hundred and twenty nine child
Speaker 1: abuse offenses on Friday, bringing the total number of charges
Speaker 1: to one hundred and thirty seven. The man, who is
Speaker 1: alleged to have committed the offenses over the course of
Speaker 1: sixteen years, has yet to enter a plea and will
Speaker 1: return to court in July. Police didn't disclose the number
Speaker 1: of alleged victims or childcare centers affected. Check out those
Speaker 1: stories live right now at the Australian dot Com dot
Speaker 1: a U and come back to the front first thing
Speaker 1: in the morning for a change of pace. Our chief
Speaker 1: film critics review of Russell Crowe's new Australian film Beast.
Speaker 1: That's right here, Saturday morning.