TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
President Donald Trump says Venezuela's new leader will pay a "big price" if she refuses to co-operate with the United States, following the military operation to remove President Nicolas Maduro.
US forces attacked Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, bombing military targets and capturing Mr Maduro and his wife.
In a telephone interview with The Atlantic, Mr Trump says Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, could pay a big price if she doesn't support his administration's goals, including opening access to U-S investment in Venezuela's oil reserves.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has softened Mr Trump's claims that the US plans to run Venezuela.
He says the US will use control of the South American country’s oil industry to force policy changes.
"Well, I've explained once again. I'll do it one more time. What we are running is the direction that this is going to move moving forward. And that is we have leverage. This leverage we are using and we intend to use. We started using already. You can see where they are running out of storage capacity. In a few weeks, they're going to have to start pumping oil unless they make changes."
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The leaders of Denmark and Greenland are urging US President Donald Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland, after comments he made during an nterview with The Atlantic magazine.
President Trump told the magazine the US needs Greenland for defence reasons.
It comes a day after the US captured the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and the president said Washington would run the Latin American country.
This raised concerns the US would try to forcibly take the Danish territory Greenland.
The prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Fredereik Neilson said in a statement posted to Instagram on Sunday that the US should stop its threats against a close ally.
"We have been a close and loyal friend of the United States for generations. We have stood shoulder to shoulder in difficult times. We have taken responsibility for the security of the North Atlantic and not least of North America. That’s what real friends do. This is precisely why the immediate and repeated rhetoric from the United States is completely and utterly unacceptable."
The Arctic island's strategic position between Europe and North America makes it a key site for the US ballistic-missile defence system, while its mineral wealth is attractive as the US hopes to reduce its reliance on Chinese exports.
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Advocates are calling for the creation of a national donor conception register to help people access genetic and medical history across state borders.
This movement is gaining recognition as South Australia's existing registry successfully links hundreds of people to their biological heritage while highlighting the limitations of state-based systems.
Katherine Dawson, a donor-conceived woman who has already discovered 53 half-siblings, is leading the push for federal reform.
She says authorities must prioritise the long-term well-being of donor-conceived individuals by preventing barriers in the current framework.
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Australian politicians are returning to Canberra before the end of January to pass laws responding to the Bondi terror attack.
Parliament is expected to return within the next fortnight, allowing for the passing of laws to address so-called "hate preachers" who vilify people of other religions.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is still defending his decision not to hold a commonwealth royal commission, with calls for the measure from the opposition, Jewish groups, and other high-profile Australians.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonathon Duniam told Sky News that calls for a royal commission go beyond politics.
"I think, to continue to ignore these calls from all quarters of the community. It's not just political. It is those leaders out there, like former sporting greats and business leaders. But beyond the teals, you've got David Pocock, you've got Andrew Wilkie, you've got others who have very different views, to say myself or Sussan Ley saying we need to do this to actually take the issue seriously and deal with it."
That was SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
