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SBS News In Easy English 19 February 2025

A high-angle photo shows a small inflatable boat with people in it, positioned next to a large whale. The whale is partially tangled in a fishing net, and a rescue effort appears to be underway.

Rescuers help a whale caught in a shark net off the coast of Queensland. Source: AAP / Jerome Delay

A daily 5 minute news bulletin for English learners and people with a disability.


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

Welcome to SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.

Anthony Albanese has labelled two Islamophobic attacks on women at a Melbourne shopping centre outrageous, almost a week after the assaults.

He says attacks on people for who they are and the basis of their race or religion are un-Australian.

Mr Albanese has also rejected an accusation by Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja that he had been silent over Islamophobic attacks and favoured other faiths.

The Prime Minister says that is not true.

"I take all attacks on the people on the basis of their faith seriously and they should all face the full force of the law. We have appointed a special envoy on Islamaphobia. That's an important step forward, and I am someone who celebrates our diversity and who respects people regardless of their faith."

Donald Trump has pushed back against Ukraine's objections to being excluded from talks aimed at bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.

He says that Ukraine has had years to bring an end to the war but have not, while also echoing his frequent claim that he could have prevented the conflict in the first place.

The US President has also seemed to suggest that Ukraine was to blame for the war which began after Russia invaded the country.

"I think I have the power to end this war and I think it's going very well. But today I heard 'well we weren't invited'. Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal."

A visually impaired woman who relies on rideshare services to get around is suing Uber, alleging she has been repeatedly refused rides because of her Guide Dog.

Paula Hobley says Uber refused to pick her up on 32 occasions from her home in regional Victoria, even though she had advised she was travelling with a service animal.

She says the refusals continued despite reporting the incidents to Uber, causing considerable delays and interruptions to her plans.

A major music festival will be the first to take part in a state government-driven pill testing trial in New South Wales.

The trial will commence at the Yours and Owl festival in Wollongong on the state's south coast at the beginning of March.

Health Minister Ryan Park says this is the fulfilment of a promise made by the Minns Labor government in December to allow a 12-month program, a practice some other states have already adopted and expanded.

He says the aim of the trial will be to help drug users make informed choices about what they are taking.

To sport,

Australia's Adam Scott says he'll understand if there's still bad feelings from PGA Tour players about the prospect of reunifying with those who defected to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf tournament.

Rory McIlroy has said he believes reunification is what's best for the PGA Tour membership and everyone has got to "get over it" and move forward.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan says reunification is a priority in the tour's negotiations with the Public Investment Fund, of Saudi Arabia.

Australia's 2013 Masters winner has been in the forefront of these discussions since joining the PGA Tour board at the start of 2024.

That was SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.


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