Your noon Briefing: Pell appeal: ‘not a liar or a fantasist’

Your 2-minute digest of the day’s top stories and a long read.

Hello readers. Prosecutors begin their attack on George Pell’s apeal bid, and Mark Latham claims Qantas forced the sacking of Israel Folau.

Australian Cardinal George Pell (L) is escorted into the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne on June 6, 2019. - Pell asked appeals court judges to quash his landmark conviction for child sex abuse, branding the charges against him "bizarre" and "impossible". (Photo by ASANKA BRENDON RATNAYAKE / AFP)

‘Not a liar’

Prosecutors have begun their attack on Cardinal George Pell’s appeal bid, as he attempts to overturn multiple sex offence convictions. Keep up with the latest from the Supreme Court in Melbourne in our live blog.

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Launch of Greg Sheridan's book When We Were Young & Foolish in Sydney.Editor in Chief of The Australian, Chris Mitchell with Imre Salusinszky

Raids ‘will backfire’

Warning issued that governments will be held accountable, as ABC boss sees “no political agenda’’.

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This is the ifdnal folauy version of this story

Qantas sacked Folau: Latham

Mark Latham claims “the fix was in” — Qantas head Alan Joyce and other Rugby Australia sponsors forced Israel Folau’s sacking.

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Search and rescue for missing Gold Coast plane. Picture: 7News

Search continues

An air, land and sea search continues on the Gold Coast after a light aircraft disappeared.

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Flying Officer Russell Leith when No. 453 Squadron, RAAF, were operating from Advanced Landing Ground B70 at Deurne, near Antwerp in Belgium, September 1944. Leith claimed three German aircraft destroyed and one shared. AWM UK1947

The long read: RAAF’s daring D-Day pilots

Australian pilots from No 453 Squadron flew Spitfires over Normandy 75 years ago. Karl James has the story.

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Comment of the day

“The sight of a foam-flecked Corbyn denouncing Trump to the crowd made me despair; is this really how far that many in Britain and the West have sunk. Madness does not even begin to describe his and their delusions.”

Sandfly, in response to ‘President Trump towers over London’.