TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned anti-immigration rallies that took place in Melbourne and Sydney, a week after the Bondi mass shooting.
As Australia marked a National Day of Reflection, anti-immigration groups gathered to direct blame for the attacks on immigration.
One Nation's Barnaby Joyce says Australians want change and claimed people in Sydney's western suburbs were associated with the two alleged Bondi gunmen.
"It's not an anti-immigration protest. I just told you what it's about - it's about temperance and resolve."
The New South Wales and Victorian Premiers also condemned the rallies, which Mr Albanese says were seeking to sow division in the aftermath of tragedy.
New South Wales Police estimate only around 200 people attended the rally in Sydney - and reports suggest only a few dozen were present at the rally in Melbourne.
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A 20-year-old man has been charged by police as part of an investigation - by counterterrorism detectives - into an alleged violent call to action on social media.
New South Wales Police says the man had not sought protest authorisation - and the social media post had allegedly called for protesters to attend a beach in Sydney’s south later this week.
New South Wales Police said in a statement that strong action will be taken against anyone engaging in criminal activity motivated by hate - and vowed there would be a swift and decisive response to anyone considering violence, retribution or vigilante behaviour.
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Victorian multifaith leaders have gathered for a vigil in Melbourne to mourn the victims of the Bondi massacre and spread a message of unity.
Around 120 community and faith leaders attended the vigil.
An advisory group member of the Victorian Multifaith Council, Balut Gulani, told attendees that violence has no religion.
"Let me be clear, violence has no culture, no religion. It does not belong to any faith or any community or any people. Violence only divides, harm the innocence, and undermines our common humanity. When the form of extremism emerges, we the voice of the reason and balance must rise. We cannot fall into the trap set by those who fueled hatred."
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The Nigerian government says its secured the release of 130 schoolchildren who were kidnapped from a Catholic school last month.
A presidential spokesman says the release leaves no children in captivity after 100 were freed earlier in December, and around 50 escaped following the abduction.
The exact number of children kidnapped from the boarding school in north-central Niger state is unclear, although the Christian Association of Nigeria puts the figure at 315.
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Cambodia's interior ministry says more than half a million people have been displaced within the country by two weeks of deadly clashes along the border with Thailand.
At least 22 people have been killed in the renewed clashes, which the government says has displaced around 400,000 people over the border in Thailand.
Both blame each other for reigniting hostilities, which came after dozens were killed in clashes in July.
With Thai officials ordering a temporary pause on fishing in Trat Province, local seafood vendor Srinual Saowanee says business is very tough.
"There are no customers. I bring in shrimp but can't sell them. From selling almost 100 kilograms a day, it’s now down to just about 20 kilograms. If there is no shrimp, this market would have almost nothing to sell. There’s no fish either, because the boats aren’t allowed to go out, so there's nothing."
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A paraplegic engineer from Germany has become the first wheelchair user to travel in space.
An engineer with the European Space Agency, Michaela Benthaus, sustained a spinal cord injury after a mountain biking accident in 2018 - and has since become an advocate for accessible space travel.
The 10-minute flight - aboard a Blue Origin New Shephard rocket - took her 105 kilometres into the sky.
She says it is an experience she will never forget.
"I think you should never give up on your dreams, right? I mean, there's also sometimes just a low probability that it comes true. And I just got very lucky, and I'm very grateful that Blue and Hans and everyone said yes to this journey."
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Australian teenager Indra Brown has secured back-to-back World Cup medals, with silver in the freeski halfpipe in Colorado.
The result improves on the bronze medal from last week's debut in China.
The 15-year-old's stellar form has perfectly placed her to qualify for the Winter Olympic Games, with the top 25 in the world rankings earning a berth.
I'm Biwa Kwan and that's SBS News in Easy English.
