A daily 5 minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan.
Twenty Australians are among the first evacuees from Gaza after the decision to open the Rafah crossing.
One of the evacuees says the situation in Gaza is disastrous.
"It's just been an awful situation, I can't describe it. It's just beyond description. It's something that I've never been through. Something that I never saw in my life, it's just a disaster, atrocity, holocaust, if you want to call it holocaust, it's even worse than holocaust and there I am, I'm just so glad to leave."
The Australian evacuees were met by consular officials in Egypt to discuss ongoing travel arrangements.
Assistant foreign minister Tim Watts says 65 Australians are still in Gaza.
More than 400 foreign passport holders and injured Palestinians have been allowed to leave Gaza for the first time in more than three weeks.
It comes after Qatar brokered a deal between Egypt, Hamas and Israel on Wednesday.
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The United Nations Secretary-General's spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, says significant challenges remain in scaling up the amount of aid entering Gaza.
Israel has allowed international aid groups to send more than 200 trucks carrying food and medicine to enter from Egypt over the past 10 days, but aid workers say it's not nearly enough.
Mr Dujarric says Secretary General Antonio Guterres is again calling for an end to the violence.
"The Secretary-General reiterates that all parties must abide by international law, international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. He condemns, in the strongest terms, any killings of civilians. And of course, on a broader, broader framework, the Secretary-General continues to call on all parties to bring an end to this shocking violence, pain and suffering."
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A new study shows some employers in Australia are planning to reduce pay for workers that continue to work from home, in an effort get people to work in the office.
According to the Future Of Work report, by law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, while some companies are trying to use incentives to bring people back into the workplace, such as events, others are following a more hardline approach.
The lord mayor of Perth, Basil Zempilas, told Channel Seven he agrees people need to get back into the office.
"I've long maintained that the best place for workers is at work. The odd day for a bit of work-life balance, fine. But not every day and not two days a week; come to work. Work. That's what you're there for. That's what the job you've got is for. And the best place to do it well is in the office."
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Environmental scientist Timothy Jarvis has been named South Australia's 2024 Australian of the Year - and a nominee for the Australian of the Year Award to be announced in January next year.
The polar explorer says he will be using his new platform to encourage others to find hope to act amid despair over the climate crisis.
He says his current project is pushing for the protection of more parts of the Antarctic, after his advocacy helped result in the declaration of a marine sanctuary off the World Heritage-listed Macquarie Island.
He urged others to do what they can to make a difference.
"I think it will be the fact that everybody stepping up and taking responsibility for part of the problem themself. The famous and sadly now deceased environmental retailer Anita Roddick said: 'If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.' You know, it's up to each of us to try and make a difference."
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Iranian-born human rights activist and actress Nazanin Boniadi is set to to be recognised for her work in an award ceremony for the Sydney Peace Prize next week.
People in Iran have been protesting for the last year, defying a crackdown by security forces.
The protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's morality police on September 16 2022.
Ms Boniadi spoke to SBS Persian about the situation in her home country.
"When we say gains have been lost, I think that of course the outcome that they (the people) wanted was a seconded democracy. And they haven't been able to achieve that. And partly because the international community failed them. And they continue negotiating with their oppressive regime."
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And in football, goals by Mary Fowler, Sam Kerr and Tameka Yallop have resulted in a 3-nil win for the Matildas over Taiwan in front of 19,000 fans in Perth.
To qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Australia must now beat world No.50 Uzbekistan in February.
Fowler says it is incredible to see the team excel across all three games in the second stage of qualifying in Perth.
"And I think that first camp after a big camp after a big tournament can go either way. Either everyone is really tired and performances drop off a bit. Or you are able to build off that momentum. And I think you can see in this camp, in three games we were able to build up off that - and everyone was just as motivated as they were in the World Cup. It has been a really good camp for everyone. And it's great to get through good results."
I'm Biwa Kwan. This is SBS News in Easy English.
