Australia’s prime minister has accused his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu of being “in denial” over the consequences of the war in Gaza.

Anthony Albanese on Monday announced his country would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, following similar moves by the UK, France and Canada.

Albanese said frustration with the Israeli government had played a role in the move, saying Australians “want to see the killing and the cycle of violence stop”.

Israel, under increasing pressure to end the war in Gaza, has said recognising a Palestinian state “rewards terrorism” and Netanyahu called the decision taken by Australia and other allies “shameful”.

Netanyahu and his government have been facing growing condemnation over reports of starvation in Gaza.

Five people have died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, including one child, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, bringing the total number of malnutrition deaths to 222 – including 101 children.

Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza and has accused UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it. The UN has rejected this, saying it faces obstacles and delays while collecting aid from Israeli-controlled border zones.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday, Albanese said he had spoken to PM Netanyahu last Thursday to inform him of Australia’s decision.

“The stopping of aid that we’ve seen and then the loss of life that we’re seeing around those aid distribution points, where people queuing for food and water are losing their lives, is just completely unacceptable. And we have said that,” he said.

“I spoke with PM Netanyahu. He again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people.”

Albanese had earlier said the decision to recognise a Palestinian state was made after receiving commitments from the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, that Hamas would play no role in any future state

The move has drawn a mixed response in Australia, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry calling it a “betrayal”, and some Palestinian activists saying it doesn’t go far enough.

Right-leaning opposition leader Sussan Ley said the decision was “disrespectful” to the US, a key Australian ally.

Earlier this month, a pro-Palestinian protest drew at least 90,000 supporters who walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge, a day after a court ruling allowed the demonstration to happen.

Netanyahu said in a press conference over the weekend that it was “shameful” for countries including Australia to recognise a Palestinian state.

“They know what they would do if, right next to Melbourne or right next to Sydney, you had this horrific attack. I think you would do at least what we’re doing.”

More than 61,000 people have been killed as a result of Israel’s military campaign since 7 October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel launched the offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

ReplyReply allForwardAdd reaction

By Tony Obiechina Abuja 

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has constituted a 2025 Recapitalization Committee, following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the Nigeria Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025. 

Chaired by Mrs.

This includes ensuring compliance with revised capital requirements and promoting transparency and integrity in sourcing and verifying capital inflows.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, emphasized the critical role of recapitalization in stabilizing the industry and contributing to Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy vision during the Committee’s inauguration in Abuja on  Tuesday 

 He urged the 11-member Committee to approach their task with professionalism, diligence, and commitment to the common interest, assuring them of necessary support.

Committee’s terms of reference include to  create a detailed plan for the Commission and the insurance industry;  develop guidelines and circulars on recapitalization;  recommend the composition of Minimum Capital Requirements, and incentives and Concession Identify incentives and concessions that may be obtained from other regulatory authorities.

The Committee will submit monthly progress reports to Management and provide quarterly updates to the Governing Board and stakeholders. 

NAICOM is confident that the Committee will successfully deliver on its mandate, shaping the future of Nigeria’s insurance sector.

“The Committee’s success is vital to the industry’s stability and growth, and NAICOM looks forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to achieve this objective. 

“With the NIIRA 2025, NAICOM aims to position the insurance industry for greater transparency, innovation, and global competitiveness, aligning with the Federal Government’s vision of achieving a $1 trillion economy”, the Commission added.

ReplyReply allForwardAdd reaction

By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja

Again, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has come hard on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), asking the commission to stop both the media trial and witch-hunting of opposition leaders.

The ADC accused EFCC of being used by the government to harass and intimidate opposition party leaders.

On Monday the commission detained one of the leaders of the coalition and former Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, and subsequently invited Imo State Government officials to “urgently” provide information on the seven-month tenure of former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha.

With this, the party said that it has become crystal clear that the EFCC is out on a hatchet job — “a choreographed media trial targeted at bringing coalition leaders to disrepute.

n a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Tuesday the ADC questioned why the EFCC had suddenly found “urgent” reason to investigate David Mark 10 years after leaving the Senate Presidency, Ihedioha more than five years after his brief tenure as governor, and Tambuwal two years after leaving office as Sokoto governor. 

It said the pattern of ignoring APC stalwarts with fresher and well-documented cases, while targeting opposition figures with stale allegations, is proof of selective justice and an assault on political freedom.

Abdullahi said the detention of one of the Coalition leaders, former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, marked the start of the crackdown intended to intimidate key leaders of the opposition and discredit them through media trials.

“As shown in an EFCC correspondence currently circulating online, the Commission has now embarked on the investigation of another coalition chieftain, former Imo Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, with an “urgent” request to the officials to provide information related specifically to his brief seven months in office.

“Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, served as Governor of Imo State for just seven months, from May 29, 2019, until the Supreme Court removed him on January 14, 2020 — a full 5 years and 7 months ago. We therefore wonder what makes investigating him suddenly “urgent” now.

“Most notably, the EFCC has now surreptitiously started excavating all the files from the ADC Chairman, Senator David Mark’s tenure as President of the Nigerian Senate. Let us remind Nigerians that our Party Chairman, Senator Mark, served as the Senate President for eight years, from June 6, 2007, to June 6, 2015 — making him the longest-serving Senate President in our history. He left office 10 years and two months ago. Three Senate Presidents after, the EFCC suddenly remembered that he was a Senate President,” the statement said.

Abdullahi said the ADC believed in adherence to the rule of law and due process, like all Nigerians, but questioned the curious timing, selective targets, and political motivations that now seem to define the EFCC’s actions. 

According to him, a fight against corruption that begins and ends with the opposition is not justice — it is persecution. We have no doubts that this is witch-hunting; it is the APC government weaponising anti-corruption to do its political battle.

He said that having failed to stop the coalition, the jittery ruling party’s next move was to discredit its leaders by getting the EFCC to accuse them of looting the entire treasuries, noting that there were calculated media trials, which start and end with the accusation, the scandal, and the consequent lowering of public estimation. “It matters little whether there is a basis for these accusations — the game is the circus show.”

He said: *The questions write themselves: why now? Why these men? Why these timelines? If corruption truly has no statute of limitation, why are the EFCC’s files on APC’s own “big men,” many with fresher, documented cases, gathering dust in forgotten drawers? Why does the EFCC only discover “urgent” anti-corruption zeal when an opposition leader becomes a political threat?

“The truth is simple. These are not fresh investigations — they are political manoeuvres, cynical attempts to intimidate and weaken credible opposition voices ahead of the 2027 elections. The APC’s EFCC does not touch its own while they are in office or when they defect to the ruling party. 

“Once a former governor crosses over, their files vanish like morning dew. Since Ifeanyi Okowa joined the APC, have Nigerians heard a single whisper from the EFCC about his cases? Yet opposition leaders are hounded with allegations from decades past without a shred of new evidence.”

He said what the EFCC is doing on behalf of the APC government is anti-democracy, adding that every time the EFCC is deployed as a political bulldog, it tramples on public trust and shreds the credibility of our justice system, reminding the APC that state institutions did not belong to it, but to Nigerians.

“We call on citizens to speak up, to resist, and to demand that the EFCC stop this witch-hunting in the interest of our democracy. Today, it is David Mark, Ihedioha, and Tambuwal. Tomorrow, it could be anyone who dares to hold this government accountable.”

ReplyReply allForwardAdd reaction