TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Sam Dover.
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Australia, Canada and New Zealand are telling Israel not to invade Rafah in Gaza's south, saying it would be catastrophic for the 1.5 million Palestinians taking refuge there.
In a joint statement released today, the countries' three Prime Ministers say Israel must "listen to its friends" and follow international law by protecting civilians.
Israel has already begun deadly airstrikes on Rafah, killing at least 74 Palestinians on Monday, but has not launched its ground operation yet.
The statement calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the release of all hostages and unimpeded humanitarian relief for civilians in Gaza.
It also condemns Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 and says the group must lay down arms too for a successful ceasefire.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is getting married, announcing his engagement to partner Jodie Haydon in a social media post this morning.
Anthony Albanese is the first Australian Prime Minister to get engaged during his time in office.
The proposal happened after the two spent Valentine's Day having dinner at the restaurant Italian and Sons in the Canberra suburb of Braddon.
The pair met in 2020 at an event in Melbourne, bonding over their shared loved of the South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL team.
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At least one person is dead and several others injured after a shooting sent crowds running in Kansas City in the United States.
The gunfire took place outside a landmark railway station in Kansas, where the NFL Chiefs were celebrating their victory at the Super Bowl.
Police say two armed people have been taken into custody and confirmed at least ten people were struck by the gunshots.
One Chiefs fan spoke to reporters about the incident.
"All of a sudden, people started crushing forward. Everybody started running. There was screaming. We didn't know what was happening but this day and age, when people run, you run. And so I put my hands around her and we tried to push through so people wouldn't run on top of us. There was a woman crying, saying something about someone had been shot. Of course, it's hard to know, is it a singular incident or is there an active shooter?”
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In tennis, Rafael Nadal says he is not healthy enough to play after pulling out of his planned return to tennis at the Qatar Open.
Posting on social media, the 37-year-old wrote that he will keep focusing to be ready for his upcoming match with Carlos Alcarez in Las Vegas.
Nadal pulled out of this years Australian Open after ongoing concerns about a hip injury sustained at the 2023 Australian Open.
The Spaniard has indicated this year might be the last of his career, and he will now focus on the French Open where he has won 14 of his 22 career grand slam titles.
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I'm Sam Dover. This has been SBS News in Easy English.
