TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
A joint counter terror taskforce has been established in response to the knife attack at a Western Sydney church.
A 16-year-old boy is in custody after the attack overnight at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, where Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed during a live-streamed sermon.
New South Wales Police, the Australian Federal Police and ASIO make up Strike Force Patrina which are investigating the incident.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess says the investigation will seek to ensure there is not further threat to the community.
"It does appear to be religiously motivated but we continue our lines of investigation. At the same time, our job is to look at individuals connected with the attacker to assure ourselves there's no one else in the community with similar intent. At this stage, we have no indications of that. But it's prudent that we do this to determine there's no threats or immediate threats to security. At this time we're not seeing that."
The terrorism threat level in Australia will remain at possible, with Mr Burgess saying a single incident will not change the threat level but it will remain under review.
—
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised a French citizen who used a bollard to try to try to protect people from Bondi Junction attacker Joel Cauchi.
Frenchman Damien Gauerot was captured in video confronting Cauchi on an escalator with a bollard.
Mr Albanese says Mr Gauerot is someone Australia would welcome as an Australian citizen.
"I say this to Damien Guerot, who is dealing with his visa applications, that you are welcome here, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like. This is someone who we would welcome becoming an Australian citizen although that would, of course, be a loss for France. We thank him for his extraordinary bravery."
—
Bruce Lehrmann faces a significant legal debt after losing his defamation case against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.
Lawyers have been instructed to apply for legal costs by Monday and Network Ten will attempt to recoup some of its legal fees.
In delivering his judgment, Justice Michael Lee found it probable Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins In Parliament House in 2019.
If you or someone you know wants to talk about sexual assault or harassment, family or domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
—
The youth curfew in Alice Springs has ended.
The all-night curfew was imposed at the end of March when the Northern Territory government declared an emergency following escalating violence.
Up to an additional 35 police officers will remain in the town, including 10 from South Australia, and government social workers will continue to support families.
—
Israelis are waiting to hear how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will respond to Iran's first-ever direct attack on their country as international pressure for restraint grew amid fears of an escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
Mr Netanyahu summoned his war cabinet for the second time in less than 24 hours to weigh a response to Iran's weekend missile and drone attack.
Israel's military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the country would respond but he didn't provide any details.
—
Scientists say there's been a fourth mass coral bleaching event caused by record-breaking ocean heat.
The declaration by the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration comes as the Great Barrier Reef suffers its fifth mass bleaching event in eight years.
The Administration's Derek Manzello says bleaching-level heat stress continues to be extensive across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
"So this announcement is really saying, you know, hey, this is a big warning call that, you know, marine health, ocean ecosystems are suffering because the oceans are warming at such an alarming rate that it's causing these devastating impacts to tropical marine ecosystems."
That was SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
