Morning News Bulletin 16 August 2024

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In this bulletin, Palestinian health authorities say more than 40,000 have been killed since the 7th of October, five people arrested over the death of US actor Matthew Perry, Australian breaking athlete Raygun, breaks her silence on her Olympics performance controversy.


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TRANSCRIPT
  • Palestinian health authorities say more than 40,000 killed since 7th of October
  • Five people arrested over the death of US actor Matthew Perry
  • Australian breaking athlete Raygun, breaks her silence on her Olympics performance controversy
**

The Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7.

It puts the number of people injured at more than 92,000.

The announcement comes on the same day the United States, Qatar and Egypt were to meet an Israeli delegation in Qatar.

It's understood Hamas will not directly participate in those talks but may meet with mediators separately.

**

Police in the United States have charged five people in connection with the death of actor Matthew Perry.

Perry died in October last year from a ketamine overdose and police say he had spent $83,000 on 20 vials of the drug.

US lawyer Martin Estrada says two doctors and Perry's live-in personal assistant are among those arrested for being part of what he called a "broad underground criminal network".

"We charged five defendants in this matter. These defendants took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. They knew what they were doing was wrong, they knew what they were doing was risking great danger to Mr Perry but they did it anyway. In the end, these defendants were more interested in profiting off Mr Perry than caring for his wellbeing”.

**

Scientists are warning a highly contagious and deadly strain of bird flu could arrive in Australia in a matter of months.

The H5N1 strain of the virus has devastated wildlife around the globe and experts say Australia is not prepared.

Associate Professor Short says the global outbreak is spreading through birds extremely quickly.

"We’ve also seen an unusual number of spill overs of the infection to marine animals and now what we’re seeing for the first time is in the US this virus has spread into dairy cattle. So, in many ways it's not acting like a typical avian influenza virus."

Australia is the only continent free of the strain likely due to its geographical isolation, but that also makes its wildlife vulnerable.

Without being exposed to many strains of the virus, they’re unable to build up immunity.

The federal government has invested nearly $7 million into bird flu preparation. They have set up a dedicated task force to lead national preparedness planning and are undergoing a national exercise to test Australia's readiness.

**

Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon—will be questioned about the risks and benefits of AI tools in Australia during a national inquiry in Canberra today.

This will be the inquiry's fifth public hearing.

The firms, known for AI tools like Gemini, Meta AI, and Co-pilot, will be asked about the technology's business applications and potential misuse.

Microsoft, a key investor in OpenAI, which is the owner of ChatGPT, will also be present.

Launched in March, the inquiry is exploring A-I trends, errors, biases, and its effects on elections and the environment.

**

Australian breaking athlete Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun has come out on social media to speak about the Olympics controversy.

Rachael Gunn lost all three of her round-robin matchups at the Paris Olympics, prompting a hostile response to her performance and appearance online and in some mainstream media.

The Australian Olympic Committee had earlier slammed an online petition attacking the breakdancer and says it was "vexatious, misleading and bullying".

The petition claims Gunn set up her own governing body for breakdancing to qualify for the Games, misused funding and demanded an apology from her and Paris chef de mission Anna Meares.

The 36-year-old says the hate she received after the competition has been pretty devastating for her and her family, and urges the press to respect their privacy.

"Hi everyone. Ray Gunn here, I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me. I really appreciate the positivity, and I'm glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That's what I hoped. I didn't realize that, that would also open the door to so much hate, which has, frankly, been pretty devastating."

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