A federal court has ordered mining giant Fortescue to pay a record A$150m (£79.9m) to the Yindjibarndi people of western Australia after finding the company mined their land without the consent of its traditional owners, concluding a legal battle lasting nearly two decades. Justice Stephen Burley ruled on Tuesday that Fortescue was liable for A$150m in cultural loss and A$100,000 (£53,000) in economic loss. The ruling is the largest payout ever awarded under Australia's native title laws – the legal framework that recognises the rights of Indigenous Australians over lands their ancestors have occupied for thousands of years – and is nearly three times the previous biggest court-mandated award of its kind.…