Why Australia said no to US warship request; Matildas sellout streak continues; and Melbourne mourns ‘a true icon’

By Mike Hohnen

Good afternoon. After the Albanese government declined a request from the United States to provide a warship to the Red Sea region, Guardian Australia’s foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst has broken down the logic behind the refusal. He says the decision “has been greeted in some quarters as a seismic event, but it’s not really a bolt from the blue”.

Meanwhile, the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial is in its final stages, with Network Ten giving their closing submissions in the defamation case brought by Lehrmann. Ten’s barrister, Matt Collins SC, told the court that Lehrmann has been “revealed to be a fundamentally dishonest man who was prepared to say or do anything he perceived to advance his interests”.

Lehrmann has consistently maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual intercourse without consent. In December, prosecutors dropped charges against Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Higgins, saying a retrial would pose an “unacceptable risk” to her health.

Top news

• Fighting terrorism did not mean Israel had to ‘flatten Gaza’: Emmanuel Macron | The French president called on Israel “to stop this response because it is not appropriate, because all lives are worth the same and we defend them”, referring to Israel’s response to Hamas’s attack on 7 October.
• At least 12 killed in explosions near Rafah hospital | Gaza’s health ministry has said at least 12 people were killed and dozens wounded in a series of explosions in Rafah in southern Gaza, near the border with Egypt. AFP said its correspondents witnessed more than 10 airstrikes that hit several houses near the border, while an Al Jazeera broadcast captured an explosion near the hospital in southern Gaza.
• Antoinette Lattouf considering ‘legal options’ after losing ABC role over Israel-Gaza social media posts | The journalist and founder of Media Diversity Australia says she believes she was terminated unlawfully . Lattouf had been filling in for Sarah Macdonald on ABC Sydney mornings; the ABC has not confirmed whether the posts were the reason she was dropped.
• Three women in mental distress say they were further traumatised by NSW police | Mental health workers are banned from assisting police when officers attend potentially high-risk incidents – such as when a mentally distressed person is holding a knife or other weapon. But reform advocates say experts are often not called during low-risk situations either. This, they argue, proves the system is broken.
• India ‘ready to look into’ alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist in the US | The US Justice Department last month charged an Indian citizen with plotting to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on US soil, alleging an Indian government official was also involved in the planning. “If someone gives us any information, we would definitely look into it,” India’s PM, Narendra Modi, has said in his first comments on the issue .
• Matildas sell out 12th-straight stadium for Olympics qualifier | All 50,000 tickets for the Marvel Stadium clash between the Matildas and Uzbekistan in February were sold within 24 hours of sales opening for the team’s return to Melbourne for the first time since they beat Canada at AAMI park at the World Cup in July.
• Man charged over alleged arson attack on Friendlyjordies’ home | Following a 2022 blaze at a Bondi property owned by Jordan Shanks-Markovina (pictured), a 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged with two counts of destroying or damaging a property by fire and has made an appearance before Waverley local court .
• ADF evacuates 160 more people from flood-hit Wujal Wujal | Australian army helicopters have evacuated 160 more people from Wujal Wujal in the last 24 hours, according to Defence Australia.
• Melbourne mourns death of renowned furniture salesman Franco Cozzo | Cozzo’s family announced his death on social media on Wednesday night. Due to his TV ads in the 1980s and 90s, Cozzo became a visible and recognised representative of Melbourne’s European migrant community .

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