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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Sam Dover.
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Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles are hosting their New Zealand counterparts in Melbourne today.
It is the first Australia-New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministers Consultations, known as ANZMIN, and aims to strengthen the security relationship between the two countries.
It is the first time the ministers have met since the change of government in New Zealand last year.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters told Sky News he is interested in learning more about Australia's defence deal with Britain and the United States, known as AUKUS.
"We're here to find out much more as to how we can understand it, and potentially be seriously a part of it."
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The Australian Government has announced new targeted sanctions on five groups directly linked to the Myanmar military regime.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says this decision comes as a response to the regime's mistreatment of the people of Myanmar, escalating violence, and the overall deterioration of the political, humanitarian, and security situation in the country.
The two banks funding the regime's actions, Myanma Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank, will face targeted financial sanctions.
Additionally, three groups responsible for supplying jet fuel to the Myanmar military will also face similar financial restrictions.
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The United Nations has rejected calls from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shut down the main aid provider to Palestinians in Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu told a group of ambassadors to the United Nations that Hamas has “infiltrated” the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, following Israel's claims that 12 of their employees took part in Hamas’ 7 October attacks.
Those allegations prompted the organisation to fire nine of the workers ahead of an investigation.
Meanwhile, several countries, including Australia have stopped their funding to the agency which has been an essential support service to the tens of thousands of wounded Palestinians and the up to 1.9 million Gazans who have been displaced by the violence.
UNRWA says the agency, which employs 13,000 workers in Gaza, should not be punished for the alleged actions of a dozen employees.
Jan Egeland, former head of the UN humanitarian agency and current secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, says defunding UNRWA would be catastrophic for Palestinians.
"Defunding UNRWA is -- means a collapse of humanitarian work among Palestinian women and children in their hour of greatest need when they're under this relentless, indiscriminate bombardment and when there is so little capacity for humanitarian relief."
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In sport,
New concussion guidelines to help protect Australia's athletes have been introduced.
The guidelines, announced today by sports and medical officials, include a 'return-to-sport protocol' which will ensure a minimum three-week break between when an athlete has a concussion and when they continue to play competitive contact or collision sport.
The guidelines, developed in collaboration between the Australian Institute of Sport, Sports Medicine Australia and several others have used the most up-to-date, evidence-based information on concussion for athletes, parents, teachers, coaches and healthcare practitioners.
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I'm Sam Dover. This has been SBS News in Easy English.
