Morning News Bulletin 8 May 2024

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Source: SBS News

Israeli officials claim a ceasefire deal with Hamas can still be achieved; Stormy Daniels testifies in Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial; Australian duo Electric Fields set to take the stage in first Eurovision semi-final; and PSG takes on Borussia Dortmund for a place in the Champions League final.


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TRANSCRIPT
  • Israeli officials claim a ceasefire deal with Hamas can still be achieved.
  • Stormy Daniels testifies in Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial.
  • PSG takes on Borussia Dortmund for a place in the Champions League final.
A Hamas official has warned there will be no ceasefire deal if Israel's military offensive in Rafah continues.

A statement from the group said Osama Hamdan's comments were made during a press conference in Beirut as a delegation from Hamas arrived in Cairo from Doha to continue ceasefire negotiations.

Israeli forces have seized the main border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza, shutting down an aid route into the Palestinian enclave that is already on the brink of famine.

Head of the United Nations office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Andrea De Domenico, says the closure of the Rafah border bears serious humanitarian consequences.

"The closure of Rafah Crossing has severed access to fuel for humanitarian activities, the entry of critical humanitarian items, and curtailed the movement of staff. Protection of civilians for us remain essential, of course, as it is, humanitarian assets and supplies. And we are seeking assurances from all parties to the conflict that they should help us to protect those and ensure respect of civilians."

But Israeli officials say a deal can still be achieved with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza, even though the ground offensive in Rafah has already begun.

The conditions of the agreement have yet to be made public but one of the main terms is considered to be the release of the remaining hostages captured during the October 7 raids.

Donald Trump has been denied a mistrial request by the judge overseeing his criminal trial, where the former president is accused of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

His lawyer argued the day's testimony by the adult film star about a 2006 encounter was irrelevant and would only inflame the jury.

Ms Daniels has taken the witness stand at the trial in New York city, telling the jury about the alleged sexual encounter with the former president and an almost $200,000 (130,000USD) hush money payment she secured when he ran for president in 2016.

She told the court she met Donald Trump at a celebrity golf tournament, saying he floated the possibility of being on his TV show The Apprentice, and spoke of an alleged sexual encounter that followed, which Donald Trump denies.

Ukrainian officials say a Russian plot to assassinate president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been foiled by their security service.

A spokesman for Ukraine's counterintelligence said two colonels in the State Guard of Ukraine were detained on suspicion of enacting the plan drawn up by Russia's Federal Security Service.

Artem Dyahterenko says Russia also planned to eliminate Ukraine's head of Security Service.

A security guard has been shot and wounded at Canadian rapper Drake's Toronto mansion.

Police have not confirmed whether the five-time Grammy award winner was at home at the time of the incident.

It comes as the 37-year-old is in the midst of a rap battle with Kendrick Lamar, with the two dropping several diss tracks about one another.

An investigation has been launched into the incident, with police saying the suspected shooter was spotted and fled in a vehicle.

West Australian Police say a 16-year-old boy who was shot dead in Perth on Saturday had been participating in a deradicalisation program.

Local law enforcement officers killed the young boy after he stabbed a man in the parking lot of a Bunnings Warehouse in Willeton, a southern suburb in Perth.

WA Police Minister Paul Papalia has said the boy took part in a federally funded program countering violent extremism before the attack, but had no criminal record.

Investigations have also revealed the 16-year-old had built a homemade explosive which he used to destroy a toilet stall at his school.

Australian music band Electric Fields are set to take the stage at the Malmo Arena in Sweden for the first semi-final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.

The electronic music duo will need to compete against several other nations, such as Sydney-born Silia Kapsis, representing Cyprus, and heavy favourites Baby Lasagna of Croatia, to book a spot in Sunday's final.

Out of the 15 participating nations, only ten will be given the opportunity to qualify for the main event, which will be decided by a vote from the fans.

Following a final rehearsal, Zaachariaha Fielding of Electric Fields has expressed optimism for the semi-final.

"We’re very sure of ourselves, we’re very sure of the song, we’re missing just that one ingredient - the audience. When that comes through, then I feel we’ve sealed something, the special moment of being in this Eurovision experience."

French champions Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to overturn last week's 1-nil defeat in Germany at the hands of Borussia Dortmund to book a place in this year's Champions League final.

The two sides also met in the group stages of the competition with that game ending in a 2-nil win in favour of the Parisians, which is exactly the score they are looking for this time around.

Paris coach Luis Enrique says his team's approach to the game will remain consistent to that of previous matches.

"In principle our mentality is to play the game the same way, regardless of whether we can turn it around during the game. The objective is to try to be better than the opponent, generate more scoring chances and win the game. That will be our mentality from minute one."

The winner of the tie will face the winner of Thursday's ((May 9)) semifinal clash between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, to be held at London's Wembley Stadium on Sunday, June 2nd.

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