TRANSCRIPT
- Australia to restore its funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to help assist Gaza
- The Palestinian Authority has appointed Mohammad Mustafa as their new Prime Minister
- Liverpool and West Ham seal their place in the Europa League quarter-finals
Australia will restore funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to help assist the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
It comes after the federal government froze funding in January after serious allegations by Israel that some of its staff were involved in Hamas' October 7 attack against Israel.
Aerial support will also deliver defence force parachutes to help bring aid to civilians in Gaza after the United States began airdropping humanitarian supplies.
Australia will also provide an additional $4 million to UNICEF to provide urgent services.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong says UNRWA does lifesaving work.
"Australia is unpausing our contribution to UNRWA, the Australian government has been briefed by the World Food Programme that there are large stocks of food outside of Gaza's borders but there is no way to move it across the border into Gaza and deliver it at scale without Israel's cooperation, and we implore Israel to allow more aid into Gaza now."
The Federal Opposition says it disagrees with the decision.
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The Palestinian Authority has appointed Mohammad Mustafa as their new Prime Minister.
Mr Mustafa's appointment comes after mounting pressure to overhaul and revitalise the governing body of the occupied Palestinian territories and improve its governance in the occupied West Bank where it is based.
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Hamas says it has presented a comprehensive "vision" for a ceasefire deal to mediators in Egypt.
The militant group says it wants Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, provide relief and aid, and allow the return displaced Gazans to their houses.
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Aged-care staff will get wage rises of up to 28 per cent after the Fair Work Commission handed down a landmark decision for the sector.
More than 100,000 indirect employees in the sector will enjoy a wage boost after the Health Services Union lodged an application for a 25 per cent across- the-board increase in 2020.
Personal carers will see an increase between 18 and 28 per cent, home-care staff will get a rise of between 15 and 26 per cent and there will be a 6.8 per cent increase for those involved in support services.
Gerard Hayes is Secretary of the Health Services Union.
"Dignity comes to aged care. Older people will not be treated as commodities. They will be cared for in their older years. We have an ageing population. This will go a long way to ensure that people will age with dignity, and people can care for people without.”
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Thieves have stolen memorial plaques in Melbourne erected by families in memory of their dead children.
Victoria Police say 75 plaques were taken from the Altona Memorial Park in Melbourne's west sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday.
The bronze plaques were erected in memory of children by their families in the Garden of Little Angels.
Detectives have warned scrap metal dealers to be wary of anyone attempting to sell the plaques, and to report any suspicious activity to police.
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In football,
Liverpool and West Ham have both sealed their place in the Europa League quarter-finals in style after beating Sparta Prague and Freiburg 6-1 and 5-0 respectively.
