TRANSCRIPT
- A wave of pro-Palestinian student protests reach Australian universities.
- Rally organiser calls for government to declare nationwide emergency for violence against women.
- Chelsea boss Emma Hayes says her side must perform perfectly to defeat Barcelona.
Pro-Palestinian protests have spread to university campuses in Australia as the movement grows internationally.
Convenor of Students for Palestine from the University of Technology Sydney told Al Jazeera that students are inspired by recent campus protests in the US.
"We've set up this encampment to protest for a university that is about edycation and not about producing weapons of war. And we set it up in the spirit of all the protests that have been sweeping up in the US in recent weeks."
Meanwhile, students at the University of California spent a second day camping on a campus square, as a nationwide campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza continue to grow.
Students have issued calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to US military assistance for Israel, university divestment from arms suppliers profiting from the war, and an amnesty for students and faculty who have been disciplined or fired for protesting.
UCLA protest organiser Marie Salem says they aren't relenting until they accomplish their goals.
"We are doing this until we get our demands. We are doing this until the university - UCLA - divest, disclose, ends their silence, academic divestment and does not continue to or doesn't use police force for our peaceful protest. Those are our five demands. We will accomplish divestment. We are going to stay here until that."
This comes as police and pro-Palestinian protesters faced off in front of Paris' prestigous Sciences Po university as students occupied the building and protested against the war in Gaza.
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An Egyptian delegation has met Israeli counterparts to resume talks to end the war in Gaza and return the remaining Israeli hostages.
The anonymous official said Israel had no new proposals to make during the Friday meeting but was willing to consider a limited truce in which 33 hostages would be released by Hamas.
This comes as Israel has warned of an assault on southern Gaza's Rafah area, where more than 1 million civilians currently seek refuge.
Israel has stepped up airstrikes on Rafah this week after saying it would evacuate civilians ahead of an all-out assault, despite allies' warnings this could cause mass casualties.
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Brittany Cozic from domestic violence awareness organisation What You Were Wearing Australia says the nationwide rallies taking place today were prompted bythe recent surge in murders of females.
The number has now reached 32 overnight in this year alone.
Ms Cozic told Channel Nine she's calling on the Albanese government to declare a nationwide emergency.
"When they admit it's a national emergency, it actually admits to Australians this is something that is really impacting society and has devastating impact which of course the victims - but also their families and society as a whole, becuase women are feeling really scared at the moment. And also I feel the nation as a whole is feeling really down."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be showing his support at the Canberra rally, and Ms Cozick says she hopes demonstrators and organisers can speak to the Prime Minister to call for further action.
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Liberal MP Dan Tehan says cost of living pressures are behind the latest drop in support for Labor.
The latest Resolve Political Monitor saw Labor's primary vote down two percentage points to 30 per cent against a one percentage point rise for the coalition to 36 per cent.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was still leading Opposition Leader Dutton on the preferred prime minister stakes, at 41 per cent to 32 per cent.
Liberal MP Dan Tehan says excessive net overseas migration under Labor was to blame for the cost of living pressures on Australians.
"So the test for the Albanese labor government in this year's budget is: will they meet that NOM of 375 thousand or is that number going to go higher and higher and is the pressure that Australian people are seeing on cost of living, housing and rent, congestion and theri ability to see the doctor going to get worse?"
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And in sport,
As Chelsea prepare for their Women's Champions League semi-final, Chelsea boss Emma Hayes says her side need to be perfect if they are to defeat Barcelona.
Chelsea handed the reigning European champions their first home defeat in all competitions in five years with a 1-0 first leg away win in Barcelona's Montjuic.
Emma Hayes looks to end her final season in west London by becoming only the second English team to win the Women's Champions League.
"Barcelona can hurt you in so many different ways that for us as a team, we have to be so, so mindful that you can't switch off for one single session. This is a game that's played in the head first and foremost and we know that we have to be perfect to be able to progress."
Chelsea currently sit second in the Women's Super League, three points off leaders Man City with a game in hand while Barcelona hold a 12 point lead over Real Madrid as they close in on a fifth-straight Liga F title.
