World News Roundup: UN urges countries to reverse funding pause for Palestinian agency; Gunmen kill one person in Istanbul church in targeted attack -Turkish minister and more

At least nine countries, including top donors the United States and Germany, have paused funding for the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) following allegations by Israel that some of its staff were involved in the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Ukraine says it uncovers mass fraud in weapons procurement Ukraine's SBU security service said on Saturday it had uncovered a corruption scheme in the purchase of arms by the country's military totalling the equivalent of about $40 million.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Australia's New South Wales state premier condemns neo-Nazi rally

The premier of Australia's New South Wales state condemned on Sunday a neo-Nazi rally in the state capital Sydney as "appalling", a day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said neo-Nazism was on the rise in the country. Police on Sunday said around 30 men gathered at a park in the city's north and were issued with orders preventing them from entering other areas of Sydney, before they dispersed, with no arrests made.

UN urges countries to reverse funding pause for Palestinian agency

U.N. officials and aid groups called for countries to reconsider their decision to pause funding for the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians on Sunday, warning that its life-saving aid for some two million people in Gaza was in jeopardy. At least nine countries, including top donors the United States and Germany, have paused funding for the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) following allegations by Israel that some of its staff were involved in the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people.

Ukraine says it uncovers mass fraud in weapons procurement

Ukraine's SBU security service said on Saturday it had uncovered a corruption scheme in the purchase of arms by the country's military totalling the equivalent of about $40 million. The announcement of mass procurement fraud, confirmed by Ukraine's Defence Ministry, will have a huge resonance in a country beleaguered by Russia's nearly two-year-old invasion.

Gunmen kill one person in Istanbul church in targeted attack -Turkish minister

Two masked gunmen shot one person dead during Sunday service at a church in Istanbul, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, adding that authorities were working to capture the assailants. Yerlikaya said the attack, which Ankara condemned, took place around 0840 GMT at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church in the Sariyer district, and that one person - who was targeted by the gunmen - was killed while attending the service.

Climate change activists aim soup at 'Mona Lisa' in Paris Louvre

Two climate change activists hurled soup at the protective glass in front of the world-famous "Mona Lisa" painting in Paris' Louvre museum on Sunday. Video footage showed two women flinging red soup at Leonard da Vinci's masterpiece, to gasps from onlookers.

Pope calls for an end to wars, urges respect for civilians

Pope Francis on Sunday urged respect for civilians in conflict areas and said people were tired of wars, which he called a "disaster for the peoples and a defeat for humanity". After his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square, the pope said humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow in Myanmar and said the population must be respected also in the Middle East, hit by the war between Israel and Hamas. He also mentioned the suffering of people in Ukraine.

North Korea fires cruise missiles off east coast

North Korea fired multiple cruise missiles off its east coast on Sunday, its second such launch in less than a week, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The missiles were launched at around 8 a.m. (2300 GMT on Saturday) and were being analysed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities, the JCS said, without specifying how many missiles were fired or how far they travelled.

French PM considers more help for farmers as protests persist

The French government is considering further help for the country's farmers, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Sunday, as their nationwide protests to demand better pay and living conditions showed no sign of abating. Farmers in France, the European Union's biggest agricultural producer, complain they face unfair competition from rivals in more lightly regulated countries. To press their cause, they have set up roadblocks on major roads over the last week.

 More Palestinians displaced as Israel battles Hamas in south Gaza

Medical facilities are at risk of collapse in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza city now at the focus of Israel's offensive, the Gaza Health Ministry warned on Sunday, as fighting raged across the Palestinian enclave. Residents said Israeli planes and tanks also pounded areas in Gaza City to the north, where Israel has slowly been pulling out troops. The fighting could be heard in the nearby towns of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia, near to Gaza City.

Guterres: UN to punish staffers involved in 'terror,' urges UNRWA funding

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres vowed on Sunday to hold to account "any U.N. employee involved in acts of terror" after allegations that some refugee agency staffers were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. But Guterres implored governments to continue supporting the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) after nine countries paused funding.

(With inputs from agencies.)