TRANSCRIPT
- The headmaster of a prestigious Sydney school resigns following bombshell revelations.
- The government releases its second annual Status of Women report card.
- And in cricket, Pat Cummins wins the toss and chooses to bowl first in the second Australia-New Zealand test.
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The headmaster of prestigious Sydney school Cranbrook has resigned following revelations he continued to employ a teacher he knew had sent sexually explicit emails to a former female student.
The ABC has revealed the emails, which also boasted about looking up girls' skirts during class but said much of the material was too graphic to print.
Cranbrook headmaster Nicholas Sampson has reportedly stepped down after an emergency school council meeting was held yesterday.
Mr Sampson was informed about the explicit emails in 2015 but the ABC reports the teacher was still working at Cranbrook as of this week.
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The government has released its second annual Status of Women report card, which shows the gender pay gap is at a record low of 12 per cent - but other serious disparities remain.
The report, published on International Women's Day, shows Australia is ranked 26th globally for gender equality, up from 43rd place in 2023's report card.
But it also reveals women still do over 9 hours more unpaid work and care than men.
And over a quarter of women who recently experienced sexual harassment experienced it at work.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the government is committed to tackling domestic violence, holding perpetrators to account and countering negative stereotypes and violence enabled by online influences.
The Counting Dead Women project reports 64 women were killed by violence in Australia in 2023.
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Displaced women living in a camp south of Rafah say there is no celebration of International Women's Day in the Gaza Strip.
About 1.5 million people are estimated to be crammed into Rafah after many fled their homes further north to escape Israel's military assault.
Umm Ahmed Zakout is one of the women living in the displacement camp and says there is nothing left to call "woman".
"In Palestine, we don't have Women’s Day, especially in Gaza. Women have been wiped away; they no longer have an identity here. Before October 7, women here had a good quality of life in their homes. They were secure and happy. They had everything. After October 7, there are no longer any women.”
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's assault on Gaza, and local health authorities say about two thirds of the dead are women and children.
There are still hopes Hamas and Israel could reach a ceasefire before the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which is just days away.
Negotiations have stalled, with each side blaming the other, but Egypt says talks will resume on Sunday.
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A vigil will be held tonight for Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy, following news a 22-year-old man has been charged with her murder.
Lawyers for several media outlets are trying to overturn a suppression order which prevents the man from being named.
Police allege Ms Murphy was killed on the day she went missing, although her body has still not been found.
The 51-year-old was last seen leaving her Ballarat East home for a run on the 4th of February.
Her husband Mick Murphy has told Channel 9 he's grateful for the support he's received in the five weeks since her disappearance.
"From the word 'go', it's just been unbelievable. You could not... The generosity and support from the community's just been overwhelming. Friends, family, everyone. There's just that much respect for Sam and us and the family."
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In cricket,
Pat Cummins has won the toss and sent the Black Caps in to bat as Australia guns for a clean sweep of their tour of New Zealand in the second Test.
Christchurch's Hagley Oval hosts the final Test and final match of the tour, with play beginning at 11am local.
Australia lead 1-0 in the series, meaning they have already retained the Trans-Tasman Trophy - a piece of silverware New Zealand haven't held for three decades.
Cam Green, who scored an unbeaten 174, and Nathan Lyon, with a 10-wicket haul, were Australia's match-winners in a 172-run win in Wellington last week.
