A daily 5 minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Greg Dyett.
Ukraine's President Voldodmyr Zelenskyy is once again calling for a ban on aircraft being flown over his country.
He is asking for what is called a no-fly zone after a Russian missile attack on a military base killed 35 people.
The Federal Government is facing growing pressure to cut one of the taxes on the price of petrol.
It's called the excise tax and it is currently set at 44 cents for every litre of petrol sold.
Members of the Nationals want the federal government to reduce that tax as a way of reducing the price of petrol.
Petrol now costs between $2.20 and $3 dollars per litre.
The price of petrol has increased because of the war in Ukraine.
The defence force says it is working closely with emergency services in the aftermath of the devastating floods and it understands residents are hurting.
Communities in New South Wales and Queensland are working through the clean-up process in response to the serious floods in both states.
Major General David Thomae says a taskforce helping with flood recovery is made up of more than 7,000 people and nine helicopters are assisting out across two states.
"In northern New South Wales, particularly in the Lismore government area, our heavy plant operators continue to clear the debris and restore access to services."
But some former emergency chiefs are criticising the federal government for ignoring warnings about the possibility of very serious natural disasters.
The Queensland Health Minister says she has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Yvette D'Ath is reporting she has mild symptoms of the coronavirus and is isolating at home.
Queensland has recorded almost 4000 new cases and two deaths.
Australians will be allowed back into New Zealand sooner than scheduled.
New Zealand has had some of the toughest border restrictions in the world because of the pandemic.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told T-V-N-Z her government will make an announcement on the matter later this week.
"Australians, just generally, were due to come in in July...visa waiver countries as well, thereafter. We're looking to bring those forward, because we believe we can safely do so. We'll be looking to make announcements on the time frames for that this week."
Iran has claimed responsibility for a missile attack which struck close to the U-S consulate in northern Iraq, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard last week.
No injuries were reported in Sunday's attack on the city of Irbil, which marked a significant escalation between the U-S and Iran.
Federal Trade and Tourism Minister Dan Tehan says the cruising industry will be able to resume on April 17.
Mr Tehan told Sky News he expects a formal announcement to be made on Wednesday.
"Now we have New South Wales on board, I am pretty sure we are going to have Queensland on board. My expectation is those protocols at a state level will be finalised in the next couple of days and my hope is Wednesday we will be officially announcing that it's the 17th of April."
The reigning King and Queen of Moomba this year are celebrating the return of crowds to the streets of Melbourne to enjoy the festivities.
The monarchs for 2022 are Channel Nine Newsreader Peter Hitchener and radio personality Fifi Box.
I'm Greg Dyett and this is SBS News in Easy English.
