Early projections to come for the US election as polls close in the key battleground state of Georgia; Israel's Prime Minister dismisses Defence Minister Yoav Gallant; And in cricket, David Warner a captain again after leadership ban lifted.
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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
- Early projections to come for the US election as polls close in the key battleground state of Georgia;
- Israel's Prime Minister dismisses Defence Minister Yoav Gallant;
- And in cricket, David Warner a captain again after leadership ban lifted.
As the polls begin to close across the United States, Donald Trump is projected to win the states of Indiana and Kentucky, while Kamala Harris is projected to win the state of Vermont.
Trump is expected to win the safe Republican states with 19 electoral college votes, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris is projected to win the safe Democratic state of Vermont with three electoral college votes.
Initial insights are soon expected into who will become the next US president as most polls have closed in the key battleground states of Georgia and North Carolina.
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Australians are bracing for news of the US presidential election result as polls have begun to close across the United States.
The result is expected to have ramifications for Australia's domestic and foreign politics, including around issues relating to the Indo-Pacific, trade with China, and reproductive rights.
Australia recently secured a promise with China to lift a ban on Australian rock lobsters by the end of the year - one of the last remaining trade restrictions from those imposed by China on Australian exports in 2020 and 2021.
SBS' Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson says Australia could face tumultuous trade relations with China under a Trump presidency, forcing the PM to negotiate deals with the United States.
"In the end, we are in a trading deficit with China. We are not the top of the priority list for the US when it comes to that trading question. So there are ways to negotiate, but that will come down to the personalities of the two leaders and how they're able to interact, whether they're able to strike a deal. Can Anthony Albanese strike a deal with the ultimate deal maker if that is to happen?"
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Reproductive rights are featuring as a key election issue in the United States, following the overturning of the constitutional right to abortion in 2022.
An October Times/Siena poll found the economy ranks as the highest concern for voters, followed by abortion and immigration.
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has pledged to restore the constitutional right to abortion, after Roe v Wade was overturned by a conservative majority appointed by Trump in the Supreme Court.
US correspondent Prue Lewarne is in New York and tells SBS News women's votes are central to this election.
"Women post Roe v. Wade, a lot of them have decided that everything is at stake, and we know that they are completely energised. I was lucky enough last night, a few hours ago, to be listening to people calling into Pennsylvania, one of those phone banking exercises, trying to get people to vote. They made 500,000 calls just automatically trying to get someone to answer. The Democrats have been absolutely energised since the overturning of Roe v. Wade."
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Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed Defence Minister Yoav Gallant citing a crisis of trust.
Netanyahu and Gallant have frequently clashed over the course of the war in the Gaza Strip, something the Israeli Prime Minister spoke of in his video address announcing the dismissal.
"In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense. Unfortunately, although in the first months of the war there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked. Significant gaps were discovered between me and the Minister of Defence Gallant in the management of the campaign, and these gaps were accompanied by statements and actions that contradict the decisions of the government and the decisions of the cabinet."
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist while Gideon Saar will take the foreign affairs post.
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David Warner has pledged to mentor young players after taking up his first leadership role in Australian cricket since 2018, as captain of the Sydney Thunder.
Two weeks after his leadership ban was lifted, the 38-year-old Warner was confirmed as Thunder's BBL captain on Wednesday, succeeding Chris Green for his first full BBL season following his international retirement.
Warner’s lifetime leadership ban, imposed after the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, was lifted last month after a review found it no longer necessary.
