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Zomi Frankcom’s family has said aid workers “can’t be brave at any cost” as the Albanese government launched a new international push to protect humanitarian personnel.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, announced a ministerial group has been formed that would be “dedicated to upholding and championing international humanitarian law and driving action to protect aid workers in conflict zones”. She added that 2024 is on track to be the deadliest year on record for aid workers.
Speaking from New York on Tuesday, Wong confirmed other partners in the discussion included Switzerland, Jordan, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN.
Wong spoke of the government’s wish to see a de-escalation in the region, after the recent wave of Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Describing the situation as “deeply concerning”, she also warned that it was “beyond the capacity of the government to provide assistance to all” Australians currently in Lebanon.
Top news
RBA leaves interest rates unchanged for seventh month | The RBA ended its latest two-day board meeting on Tuesday by keeping its cash rate at 4.35%, the level at which it has remained since November. The decision was as economists had expected.
Deeming should have known she was ‘walking into a disaster’ | A federal court has heard ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming could have “worked out” she was “walking into a disaster” before she attended and spoke at a 2023 “Let Women Speak” rally that was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis, the court heard.
Albrechtsen more interested in a ‘fair’ trial than alleged rape | Janet Albrechtsen made the comments while speaking on a panel of four journalists from the Australian newspaper billed as a fearless discussion. Albrechtsen’s concern for Bruce Lehrmann extended to Brittany Higgins’ former bosses, Fiona Brown and Senator Linda Reynolds, but she made no mention of the alleged victim.
Trump praises ‘brilliant and brave’ supreme court over Roe decision | Donald Trump returned to Pennsylvania, telling his rally attendees that their state was critical to him winning back the White House and encouraging them to turn out to vote, though he also called early voting “stupid stuff”.
Japanese fighter jets fire flares at Russian aircraft for first time | An undisclosed number of warplanes were scrambled and fired flares after Russian maritime patrol aircraft apparently ignored their radio warnings, as tensions rise over increasing Russian and Chinese military cooperation in the region.
Telegram announces new crackdown on illegal content | The announcement comes weeks after the founder and chief executive, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on charges of failing to act against criminals using the app. Durov initially criticised his arrest, but he has since appeared to bow to Paris’s demands.
Tony Armstrong announces retirement from News Breakfast | A proud Gamilaroi man, Armstrong went from TV novice to one of the public broadcaster’s most popular presenters in a period he has described as a whirlwind.
Viral South Korean Olympic shooter scores first acting role | Kim Yeji, whose skill and nonchalance won the internet at the Paris Olympics (and a silver medal as well), has landed her first acting role – as an assassin.
Dorset ‘Stonehenge’ discovered under Thomas Hardy’s home | While writing his 1891 novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles – which is partly set at Stonehenge – Hardy was unaware that he was doing so atop a large henge-like enclosure that was even older than the famous monument on Salisbury Plain.
In pictures
Bird photographer of the year 2024 winners
The winning images in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition have been selected from 23,000 entries from around the world. Overall winner Patricia Homonylo’s image showed birds killed by colliding with windows.
What they said …
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“I’m 99. Let them arrest me.”
UK actor Thelma Ruby has threatened to “chain myself to the grounds” of the All England Club if controversial plans to build 39 new tennis courts at Wimbledon are approved on Friday, adding “we know, in this day and age, how important trees are”.
In numbers
Aimed at boys aged 12 to 18 with adverse childhood experiences or at risk of using violence, the program is meant to assist in recovery, help them avoid committing violence, and build evidence on how to deal with young men.
Before bed read
Australian voters may want children banned from social media. But they want stronger privacy rules even more.
The greatest risk is that measures to verify age will create honey pots of high-value personal information, writes Peter Lewis.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: KIND. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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