Welcome to SBS News in Easy English, I'm Biwa Kwan
In Vanuatu, the search and rescue response to the deadly earthquake could be affected by a developing cyclone.
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department has issued a warning that the low-pressure system in the Coral Sea has a 10- to 60 per cent chance of developing into a cyclone in coming days.
With communication infrastructure down, it has been hard to get an accurate and up-to-date official death toll.
At least nine people are dead - and a further 200 injured in what's being described as the worst earthquake to hit the Pacific island nation in more than a century.
Schoolteacher Shane Cook was among 146 Australians who has returned to Australia on board two planes supplied by the Royal Australian Air Force.
He says he has never experienced anything like the disaster that unfolded earlier this week.
"It was an experience. I was in the middle of Port Vila when the earthquake hit. So I watched buildings come down around me and people start screaming and running. And I had no idea what to do. So I just started following the crowd and we ended up running up a giant hill because people started sort of yelling the word 'tsunami' to everyone. Never in my life have I ever experienced that. And especially on my own, I had no one. So I just started following everyone that was running in that direction up the hill."
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French President, Emmanuel Macron, has visited cyclone-hit Mayotte, where he pledged to rebuild the French island territory.
Officials in France's poorest overseas territory have only been able to confirm 31 fatalities more than five days after Cyclone Chido struck.
But authorities say that number could rise to thousands of people.
Mr Macron has declared December 23 as a day of national mourning.
"Rebuilding Mayotte, that's the commitment I've made, that's the wish of the elected representatives of the population, i.e. rebuilding both housing and sustainable public buildings that meet the standards and that will cope with events like this cyclone or the natural events that, unfortunately, we have to deal with in the region."
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The New South Wales government says it is considering further legal options to prevent workers' strikes impacting on train services on New Year's Eve.
A Federal Court decision has allowed the industrial action by train workers to proceed.
Commuters have already been impacted, with up to 30 per cent of train services cancelled or delayed on Friday.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen says she will be looking at options to prevent disruptions on New Year's Eve.
"We are being hit by significant industrial action. It's unfair on passengers that this is occurring this time of the year. And that is why the government is taking every single legal step available to us. We want businesses to have certainty. Train services carry more than a million people. That's 3,200 train services that we need at a frequency of four and five minutes to get people in and out safely."
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The creator of the Australian children's TV show Bluey, Joe Brumm, says he is excited to take on the roles of writing and directing the Bluey film.
The animated feature film will be released in cinemas in 2027.
The series features a family of dogs including blue heeler puppy Bluey, her sister Bingo and their parents.
Mr Brumm says he always felt the show deserved to be a movie - and he wants it to be an event for the whole family to enjoy.
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And in sports, the search for the next Matildas coach could extend beyond February.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson says he won't put a strict deadline on the decision, saying it is important to find the right person.
He says the recruiting process is progressing with interviews and screenings of candidates.
The new coach needs to lead the team to compete in the home 2026 Asian Cup, the 2027 Women's World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
That was SBS News in Easy English, I'm Biwa Kwan.
