SBS News in Easy English 17 January 2025

BS Easy English bulletin image square.png

A daily 5-minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability. 


Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with .

TRANSCRIPT:

There has been another antisemitic attack in Sydney.

Police say two cars were torched and a house and vehicles splashed with paint and antisemitic slogans in the suburb of Dover Heights.

The house is reportedly where a prominent member of Australia's Jewish community used to live.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says police are directing extra resources to investigate this and a spate of other attacks.

"Strikeforce Pearl has 20 detectives working on antisemitic violent attacks in our community full time. They're making headway in their inquiries. Just yesterday, they executed their third arrest in relation to property damage offences in New South Wales in November of last year. These attacks in New South Wales will not be tolerated, and those who are perpetrating these attacks will be met with the full force of the law."

.

The federal government has unveiled a new strategy to combat racially and politically-motivated violence.

The Albanese Government has promised a $106 million dollar investment into the new Counter-Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy over the next four years, if Labor is elected for another term.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says the plan is comprehensive and includes strengthening support services and identifying vulnerable people and deterring them from violence.

Mr Burke says foreign nationals who engage in racially-motivated behaviour may also be forced to leave Australia.

"I have no hesitation in cancelling visas where people are making clear they have values that have no place in Australia. And I have refused visas and cancelled visas where people have been showing these forms of bigotry."

.

A woman has been charged over allegations she poisoned her child in a $60,000 social media scam.

Police are alleging a child was admitted to a hospital in Brisbane for a genuine and serious medical condition when staff raised concerns the one year old's mother was poisoning her.

Detective Inspector Paul Dalton says the child and her siblings are now in a safe situation.

He says it's been a confronting case for everyone involved.

"There are no words to describe the - just how repulsive offensive this nature are. Child protection investigators regularly have to deal with - investigate offences against children of very serious and distressing ways. There is no excuse for hurting a child, particularly one so young that is totally dependent on adults too careful and love for them."

.

State Emergency Service crews have responded to over 3,000 incidents since Wednesday morning amid heavy rain in New South Wales.

But more chaos could be on the way.

Sarah Scully from the Bureau of Meteorology says up to 100 millimetres of rainfall is predicted in some areas on Friday.

"We have issued a severe weather warning for both damaging winds and heavy rainfall extending from the mid north coast all the way down into the Sydney Metro area. So if you or anyone you know lives within eastern parts of the country, it's really important that they stay up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings."

.

Human Rights Watch has released its annual review of human rights practices around the world - and it's not good news for Australia.

The group's Australian director Daniela Gavshon says the treatment of children in the criminal justice system is tarnishing the country's human rights record.

She says on an average day, there are more than 4,500 children under youth justice supervision across the nation, more than half of those [[57 per cent]] Indigenous.

.

Richard Marles is to become the first minister to visit Kiribati in almost two years.

The deputy prime minister will travel to the island for high-level talks with the nation's re-elected government.

The Pacific Island nation temporarily closed its borders to foreign diplomatic trips, but has now reopened them.

.

A new report says Australian researchers are being forced to live in poverty as they pursue PhDs.

The report from Universities Australia and the Australian Council of Graduate Research says the average PhD stipend is just over $32,000, well below the average annual full-time salary of more than $100,000.

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy says the average candidate is 37 years old who is juggling family and financial responsibilities.

He says many people are therefore being put off doing further studies as they cannot afford it.

Share