This is SBS News in Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the government's position on defence spending, dismissing calls from the US to lift spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP - or gross domestic product.
Leaders at the NATO summit this week agreed to raise their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the US expects countries in the Asia-Pacific, including Australia, to match the target of 5 per cent.
Mr Albanese says Australia is sticking to the current plan to lift defence spending to 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2034.
"We have increased our defence investment. We have increased it by $57 billion over the medium-term; and by more than $10 billion in the short-term as well. I am not going to comment on things between Spain and the United States. My job is to look after Australia's national interest - that includes our defence and security interests. And that is precisely what we're doing."
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Australia has increased its funding commitment to the global vaccine group Gavi, as the US says it is withdrawing all of its funding over vaccine safety concerns.
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic, did not provide any evidence to support his claim that Gavi, had "ignored the science" in immunising children around the world.
The Chair of the Board of Gavi, Jose Manuel Barroso, says the organisation has multiple processes in place to prioritise the health and safety of children.
"Gavi is indeed a unique organisation in global health - with a public-private model that has brought together national governments, donors, vaccine manufacturers, scientific institutes and grassroot organisations to vaccinate more than 1 billion children in low income and middle income countries. And I have to say that Gavi has done it always following the best scientific advice, the best science in the world - putting as a high priority vaccine safety."
At a summit in Brussels, donors pledged A$13.75 billion in funding to cover the five years until 2030.
Australia has announced it will provide A$26 million more than what was requested, for a total contribution of A$386 million over five years.
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A violent online extremist group called Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the Australian government.
Terrorgram uses encrypted platforms to distribute racist and nationalist propaganda designed to provoke terrorist attacks.
The listing means anyone found to be a member - or associated with the group - could face up to 25 years in jail.
Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke says such extremist hatred has no place in Australia.
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Traditional owners of a region in Western Australia will travel to Paris next week to raise concerns with the United Nations, about a draft decision to deny a World Heritage listing for an ancient rock art collection.
There are more than 1 million rock carvings at the Pilbara site, which is next to a Woodside gas plant.
Last month, the UN agency UNESCO indicated it would not be approving a World Heritage listing for the rock art collection, because of damage from nearby industry.
The state and federal governments have given Woodside permission to extend its North West Shelf gas plant for another 40 years.
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The composer who wrote the theme for Mission: Impossible and more than 100 other arrangements for film and television has died.
Lalo Schifrin died of complications from peneumonia.
He was 93.
The Argentine won four Grammys and was nominated for six Oscars.
He also arranged the grand finale musical performance for the World Cup in Italy in 1990, in which the Three Tenors: Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras, sang together for the first time.
(Excerpt from the performance)
Welcome to SBS News Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan.
