SBS News in Easy English 6 August 2025

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TRANSCRIPT:

The leaders of Australia and France have made plans to meet at a United Nations gathering in September.

It's expected that Palestinian statehood and the crisis in Gaza will be the focus of their meeting.

It's been confirmed in a phone call between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and French President Emmanuel Macron.

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An interfaith coalition has called on the federal government to sanction Israel.

The open letter in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald is from a range of Jewish, Muslim and Christian groups.

They say Israel is committing genocide and Australia must take stronger action.

Dr Raten Jneid signed on behalf of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.

"Sanctions and the recognition of Palestinian state are not radical acts. They are necessary steps to uphold international law and human dignity. They would send a message that Australia is prepared to act on principle, not just words, and that the rights of Palestinians are not negligible."

Dr Julie Macken signed for the Sydney Archdiocese's Peace and Justice Office.

"We all know what it will take to stop it. It will take stop providing Israel with armaments and impose sanctions that send a clear message to the key players here that this is not going to be approved of by the international community. Anything less than that is just performative of peace, and I think the world has had a gutful of performative of peace."

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An Indigenous group has launched an appeal to prevent the construction of a stadium that would be used for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

The Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation has lodged a protection application with the federal government.

It follows the Queensland government fast-tracking legislation to override 15 environmental and heritage acts in order to build the stadium.

But Yagara Elder Uncle Steven Coghill has told N-I-T-V the site contains stories, possible ancestral remains and ancient trees.

"The remnants of our cultural and social and political being in South East Queensland is still there. It's remnant now there. We still know stories about it. We still understand what was going on there in the end of the day, and we want to preserve that – it's as simple as that – for all Australians, not only for First Nations people but for all Australians."

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A group of Chinese students have signed a petition urging the Australian government to speed up the visa process for international postgraduates.

There are now around 280 signatures on the petition.

Arabella Wang helped organise the document.

She has told SBS Mandarin that there are long waiting times - which some students feel is intentional.

"We suspect that Australia doesn't welcome students to pursue PhD. Masters degrees and undergraduate degrees create financial benefits to Australia, but not PhD. So (the Australian government) may not want us to come to Australia, it delays (our visa process) to wait for your scholarship to expire."

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A zoo in Denmark is asking people to donate small, healthy but unwanted pets to feed their predators.

The Aalborg Zoo has issued the callout on its social media, assuring the pets will be euthanised by trained staff.

The Zoo says live guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens are possible donations.

The zoo says it's attempting to mimic the natural food chain of the animals such as the Eurasian lynx.

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Japan is marking 80 years since the United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

The attack killed an estimated 140,000 people by the end of 1945.

The bombing was followed three days later by another in Nagasaki, prompting Japan’s surrender and ending World War Two.

Rebun Kayo is a Hiroshima University researcher who regularly searches for the remains of those who have never been found in the years since.

"Even though 80 years have passed, as fellow human beings, we first need to bring out the remains to light. Then, we must give them a proper, human burial. Right now, it’s just soil covering them - it can’t really be called a burial. They should be placed respectfully in an urn and laid to rest somewhere appropriate. And unless we all come together, put our hands together in prayer, and honour them, I believe, for these individuals the war still hasn’t truly ended.”

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