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TRANSCRIPT
- Australia considering military aid to Middle East nations
- International Women's Day marked around the world
- And at the Milano Cortina Paralympics, Australian para-alpine skier Josh Hanlon suffers a head injury on day one of competition
The president of the United Arab Emirates has spoken for the first time on the expanding conflict in the Middle East.
In a televised address, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has said the UAE is in a period of war, and it is prepared to confront threats that impact on the safety of citizens.
Arabic translated into English "We are no easy prey. We will carry out our duty towards our country, our people. And our residents, who are also part of our family. May God protect the UAE, protect its people, and safeguard everyone who lives in it with dignity and security. I promise everyone that we will emerge stronger than before."
Iran has continued to attack Gulf countries with US bases using drones and missiles, even after Iran's president apologised to neighbouring countries for earlier strikes.
Hours later, Iran said it would continue conducting strikes on sites in Gulf countries which it considered "at the disposal of the enemy".
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The federal government is considering a request for military assistance from Gulf countries that have been attacked by Iran.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the government is considering the requests for help to protect against Iran's drone and missile attacks.
Ms Wong has told the ABC's Insider's program, no decision has been made yet.
Penny Wong: "And we will work through that in accordance with the position I have outlined., which is we are not participating in offensive action against Iran. And we've made clear, we will not participate in any ground troop deployment in Iran. If any decision is made, I am sure we will be transparent with the Australian people."
David Speers: All right."
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The federal government says commercial flights remain the best way for Australians in the Middle East to return to Australia.
Two flights are expected to depart from Dubai airport headed for Melbourne and Sydney tonight (5pm and 5.15pm AEDT Sun 8 Mar) and Melbourne today, after two landed last night.
Air travel via Dubai, one of the world's busiest airports, has been severely disrupted since the strikes on Iran began a week ago, while Emirates has now resumed a limited number of flights, after briefly suspending all flights from Dubai on Saturday (8 March).
The Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Matt Thistlethwaite, has told Sky News the government is constantly assessing the best options to get Australians home.
"Because the airspace is only open on an ad hoc basis. The safety authorities in those countries have to make an assessment of when it is safe to fly. The best option is for Australians to take commercial flights. Now, we have seen some of those flights haven't been full. We have seen the cost of tickets. We're pretty disappointed by that to be honest. And we have our disappointment known to the airlines."
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Two men have died on the New South Wales Central Coast.
New South Wales Police say a 46-year-old man was pulled from the water at Little Beach in the Bouddi National Park, and died at the scene.
Police later found the body of the second man.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
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Advocates are calling for renewed focus and attention on tackling domestic violence on International Women's Day.
This year's theme is 'Balancing the Scales', and calls for accelerated progress toward gender equity.
The federal government earlier this week announced additional funding of $291 million to support the frontline family, domestic, and sexual violence service.
But Sue Webeck from the ACT's Domestic Violence Crisis Service says there are still phone calls going unanswered - and the resourcing issue needs to be solved.
"We're aren't talking just about money. We're talking about the sustainability of funding, so that we are no longer using endless resources having to respond to government procurement programs for something that we know is desperately needed."
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To sport, and the Milano Cortina Paralympics,
Australian para-alpine skier Josh Hanlon says he still plans to deliver strong performances in competition, after he fell in his race.
Hanlon crashed just seconds into his run down the course on the first day of competition.
He ended up with a small bump on right eyebrow, but is otherwise okay after being checked by the medical team.
Hanlon says he is frustrated with the outcome, but plans to put that experience behind him.
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