Midday News Bulletin 7 March 2024

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Source: SBS News

A man arrested over the disappearance of Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy; Houthi rebels kill at least two sailors in the Gulf of Aden and Chelsea backs Sam Kerr after an alleged slur against a white police officer.


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TRANSCRIPT
  • A man arrested over the disappearance of Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy
  • Houthi rebels kill at least two sailors in the Gulf of Aden
  • Chelsea backs Sam Kerr after an alleged slur against a white police officer
A man has been arrested over the disappearance of Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.

Victoria Police say the 22-year-old Ballarat man was arrested at his home and remains in custody.

No charges have yet been laid.

Ms Murphy was last seen leaving her home in Ballarat East on the 4th of February to go jogging, and has not been seen since.
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Yemen's Houthi rebels have killed two crew members and wounded six others in a missile strike on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden.

It is the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iran-backed group over Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.

The two deaths were confirmed by British and United States officials.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea says the ship's crew ignored warning messages about the strike.

Arabic, then translated: “The Yemeni armed forces persist in upholding their religious, moral and humanitarian duties in supporting the oppressed Palestinian people, and their operations in the Red and Arab Seas will not stop until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
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South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice to order additional emergency measures against Israel to prevent famine in Gaza.

In the application, South Africa cites "widespread starvation" in the devastated enclave and says Israel is in breach of the measures already imposed by the court.

In January, the I-C-J ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians.

Israel's near-total blockade of Gaza and the ongoing fighting have made it nearly impossible to deliver supplies.

Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory James McGoldrick says hunger has reached catastrophic levels, especially in the north of Gaza.

"The children are now, as we see in the images on the media, who are dying of hunger related diseases. And in order to prevent that from happening, we have to have a plan that allows us to, you know, prevent famine, that we need to significantly scale up the humanitarian assistance in there. And we have to get up at least 300 trucks a day. Right now we're lucky for getting about 150."

Aid groups say many of the estimated 300,000 people still living in northern Gaza have been forced to eat animal fodder to survive.
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Republican candidate Nikki Haley has congratulated but not endorsed Donald Trump, as she bows out of the United States presidential race.

The former South Carolina governor says she has no regrets, after her losses in 15 out of 16 states leave Mr Trump as the only Republican candidate.

Ms Haley says she congratulates her opponent and wishes him well, as she would anyone vying for the role.

But she fell short of an endorsement.

"I have always been a conservative Republican and always supported the Republican nominee. But on this question, as she did on so many others, Margaret Thatcher provided some good advice when she said, quote, never just follow the crowd. Always make up your own mind. It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him, and I hope he does."

Mr Trump is on track to claim the Republican nomination at the G-O-P convention later this month, despite deep divisions in the party.

The former president recently declared that Haley donors would be permanently banned from his movement.
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Chelsea's coach says Matildas captain Sam Kerr has the full support of her club, after the star striker pleaded not guilty to a charge of racially aggravated harassment.

U-K media is reporting the alleged incident involved a slur against a white police officer, after a dispute over a taxi fare during a night out in London.
 
Kerr was charged on January 21, almost a year after the incident was alleged to have occurred.

Chelsea coach Emma Hayes says her role is to look after people at the club.

"Sam has our full support, she knows that. Yes, it's a difficult time for her. Of course, I can't comment - you already know that. What I can say is that I know she's pleaded not guilty. And I don't want to do anything to jeopardise anything for Sam, by speaking about it."

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Midday News Bulletin 7 March 2024 | SBS News