PM

Amber Harrison has lost her high stakes legal battle with the Seven Network over her decision to breach confidentiality agreements relating to her ill-fated affair with Seven West Media boss Tim Worner. As a result, the former executive assisant will be hit with Seven's substantial legal costs. However, the ABC understands that having won the Supreme Court battle, Seven is unlikely to pursue costs against Ms Harrison.

With six months left on the year-long moratorium on hydraulic fracturing of unconventional gas in the Northern Territory, this afternoon an independent inquiry released its interim report. Among it's preliminary findings, the inquiry said national parks and conservation areas must become 'no go' zones for fracking due to the risks associated with the controversial industry.

The Australian Defence Force has acknowledged the toll fighting in the Iraqi city of Mosul took on civilians. But the ADF insists the rules of engagement for RAAF bombing missions were successful in limiting injury and death to civilians. Earlier this week, the Human rights group Amnesty claimed almost 6,000 residents died because of the battle, and that some actions by Iraqi and coalition forces amounted to war crimes. PM speaks to Sharon Behn from the United Nations children's agency UNICEF.

Two senior AFL executives have resigned after having affairs with younger female staff in the industry. It's a blow for the league which has been working hard to promote inclusion of women at all levels of the game. The league has now lost three senior executives in the past fortnight - after Diversity Manager Ali Fahour stood down last week over a one-punch attack at a suburban football ground.

The Deputy Leader of the Federal Greens, Scott Ludlam, has announced his shock resignation from the Senate. Mr Ludlam says he's been forced to quit after realising he is a dual citizen. He was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia as a child, but says it hadn't occurred to him he would still hold New Zealand citizenship.

So what happens now that Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has resigned? Who better to ask than ABC Election Analyst Antony Green. He says the ball is in the court of the Electoral Commission, who will now conduct a re-count with Ludlam excluded, appointing another candidate to fill the casual vacancy. He says the only way Scott Ludlam could get back into Parliament is if after the re-count, the elected person doesn't want the seat and resigns, and if in the meantime Senator Ludlam has sorted out his citizenship issue, he would be re-appointed to the position.

Today's meeting of the nation's energy ministers has failed to stop Labor states going it alone on a Clean Energy Target. South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT will now ask the Australian Energy Market Commission to model some options.

The former prime minister, Tony Abbott, made waves last month when he urged the Government to consider going nuclear for its next submarine fleet. It was seen as a slap-down to Malcolm Turnbull, who's already committed to buying 12 diesel-powered subs at a cost of $50 billion from French builder DCNS. But what about the substance of Mr Abbott's concerns - that by modifying a French nuclear sub to conventional power, we may repeat the mistakes of Collins Class subs - themselves a redesign of a Swedish sub? And what of his claim that nuclear subs may be superior?

There are concerns in parts of the disability sector that the National Disability Insurance Scheme is vulnerable to the kinds of rorts that have plagued the vocational education industry. The NDIS rollout is at varying stages in a number of states, but some service providers are warning that the regulation isn't keeping up.

The rise of online university courses may seem like yet another productivity victory for the digital world. but the promise of studying and working often fails to deliver. Digital students are dropping out, causing pain for students and universities alike. New research blames the work commitments of its busy students, and urges universities to adapt to a workforce that increasingly demands flexibility.