TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
Fire conditions are easing in Victoria but the threat is not over, with 12 active fires burning and reinforcements arriving to aid firefighters.
At least one person has died in the fires and over 300 structures have been lost, with cooler temperatures and lighter winds easing efforts to bring the fires under control.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says the loss of life is devastating.
"My thoughts and condolences are with that person's family, their loved broader community too, and indeed as we were talking yesterday, everyone across the emergency services and fire affected communities felt that loss when we heard the news yesterday afternoon, that someone had been lost to the fires."
Three emergency warnings remain in place for fires near Walwa, in the northeast, and the Otways, in the southwest.
The Northern Territory government has deployed a strike team of 22 firefighters, an incident management team of 11 members, and a liaison officer to assist Victoria.
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Social media company Meta says Australia's social media age ban fails to increase the safety and wellbeing of young Australians.
Meta, which owns Instagram, says it wants the government to engage with companies to "find a better way forward", such as incentivising the industry to raise standards for providing safer algorithms.
Since the ban was enforced, the tech giant says it has taken down over 330,000 Instagram accounts and over 173,000 Facebook accounts it believed belonged to users under 16.
If companies fail to take 'reasonable steps' to remove under-16s, they face fines of up to $49.5 million.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce told Seven's Sunrise the platforms are not the issue but rather the content people post on them.
"You've got to ban them using GROK to do nude images and sort of degrading images of people and say if you do that we're going to fine you but you can't sort of say we're going to ban X, that's wrong and that'll do more more social harm than social good."
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The 83rd Golden Globe Awards is underway at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.
Five Australians are among the nominees: including Rose Byrne, Jacob Elordi, Joel Edgerton, Sarah Snook, and Nick Cave.
South Korean director Park Chan-wook 's film 'No Other Choice' has three nominations.
He says the themes of the film emerged organically as the storyline came into focus.
"I started out wanting to make a film about job security, but then that naturally led to well, this man is the head of a family, so along with his job; he also feels that he has lost a sense of authority in his family as a father and husband. And that is why I wasn't able to avoid portraying the issue of masculinity as well. And because of the times we live in, it was also unavoidable to bring in the issue of AI, in terms of job security as well."
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A police officer and mother-of-two hailed as a hero for stopping a deadly stabbing rampage in Bondi has been diagnosed with a rare cancer.
New South Wales Police Inspector Amy Scott was celebrated for her bravery after running towards and shooting dead Joel Cauchi, ending the mass stabbing at Bondi Junction in 2024.
New South Wales Police Legacy, which helps support the families of officers, has set up a fundraiser for Inspector Scott.
Premier Chris Minns says he is devastated to learn she has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer.
"She's so important for New South Wales Police, and our community. I'm devastated. I'm devastated to hear this news I mean If anyone deserves a break, it's Amy and we just wish her the very best. She's an absolute champion."
That was SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
