Good afternoon. Australia is reinstating funding to a key UN aid agency amid concerns about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while calling on Israel to allow lifesaving supplies into the territory “now”.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, announced the decision to unfreeze $6m in emergency funding for UNRWA on Friday, as part of a broader package of support.
“We have children and families who are starving,” Wong said. “We have a capacity, along with the international community, to assist them and we know that UNRWA is central and vital to delivering that assistance to the people who need it.”
Australia was among more than a dozen countries to pause funding to UNRWA in late January after the Israeli government alleged 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
Top news
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What they said …
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“He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but he is a tool.” – Tim Pallas.
It’s not very often the Victorian treasurer holds a press conference just to sledge someone – let alone another member of the Labor party. But he did exactly that this morning, ripping into the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, for his “welfare state” comments after the latest carve-up of GST revenue.
In numbers
Police were called after reports of a vehicle being driven dangerously in Bondeno, a town of 13,000 inhabitants, north of Bologna.
Before bed read
Grant Page, one of Australia’s most renowned stuntmen, has passed away at 85. He was wild, bold and brilliant and had a storied career, appearing in some of Australia’s most loved films, including The Man From Hong Kong, Mad Dog Morgan and Stunt Rock.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: OFF. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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