SBS News in Easy English 22 April 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with . Flags will fly at half mast in Australia today to mark the death of Pope Francis in Rome at the age of 88. The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet says the Australian national flag will be displayed at half mast at all government buildings and agencies as a mark of respect and mourning. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the late pontiff was widely admired in Australia. "The first pope from the southern hemisphere was close to the people of Australia. For Australian Catholics he was a devoted champion and loving father." Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has also paid his respects to Pope Francis. He says the 266th pontiff was driven by Christian values of forgiveness and mercy. "He emphasised those values in his last Christmas address, saying, and I quote 'God's mercy can do all things. It unties every knot. It tears down every wall of division. God's mercy dispels hatred and the spirit of revenge.' With God, may Pope Francis rest in peace." Cardinals will meet in the coming hours [[Tue Vatican time]] to decide on a date for the funeral of Pope Francis. Based on protocols, the dates are likely to be this Friday [[April 25]] or Sunday [[April 27]], with the service expected to be held at St Peter's Square. Clare Johnson is a professor of Liturgical Studies at the Australian Catholic University. She has told SBS there will be a number of rituals observed as part of the official nine-day mourning period, called the Novendiale. "They're official days of mourning where masses of suffrage or masses of intercession are prayed each day. So, it's a novena of nine days where the Pope is remembered specifically on each of those days. The funeral itself will be dominated by red, which is the colour of mourning. The challenge of course with celebrating these masses within the season of Easter is that it's a season of joy. So we've got these kind of contrast between joy and sorrow." Labor has taken a clear lead in the polls with two weeks to go until election day. The latest Newspoll in the Australian newspaper puts Labor's primary vote at its highest point in a year, with the A-L-P at 52 percent on a two-party preferred basis and the Coalition on 48 percent. The poll shows Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is the preferred leader in areas such as defence and the economy, while Anthony Albanese is preferred on the electorate's dominant concern, the cost of living, along with housing and health. But the Prime Minister says Labor is not taking anything for granted as the campaign enters its final fortnight. "There's no complacency from my camp. I assure you of that, and this election is certainly up for grabs... And I remind colleagues that in 2019 the bookies paid out - and guess what? That (Labor win) didn't occur. That was a very unwise thing to do." A woman is dead and a man has been seriously injured after a major car crash on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Queensland Police say it started with a collision on the Bruce Highway at Palmview, allegedly caused by a man driving a Porsche, who then got out and shot another motorist. Chief Inspector Jason Overland says they have arrested the man. "Three crime scenes have been declared, and a woman and a man who were involved in the initial accident were taken to hospital. Sadly, since that, the female occupant of that vehicle has passed away." A top Australian university is reviewing the honorary law degree of a former Bangladeshi prime minister after they were accused of crimes against humanity for allegedly overseeing massacres and disappearances. The Australian National University's honorary committee says it is re-considering the honorary doctorate of law given to Sheikh Hasina in 1999 But the ANU has stopped short of committing to any decision before a larger review of its processes is complete. The confirmation comes days after an arrest warrant was issued following allegations of abusing political power by Bangladesh's anti-corruption commission. Work is underway to establish Tasmania's first Sea Country Indigenous Protected Area. The proposal for the Protected Area will focus around the Furneaux Islands in Bass Strait, also known as Tayaritja. Dr Beth Strain from the University of Tasmania says a management plan is being developed in a collaboration between her campus, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, and Victoria's Deakin University.
'What we're aiming to do is basically to primarily map the seagrass beds around the Furneaux Group, because basically they're large and extensive, probably thought to be the largest around Southern Australia, but they haven't been extensively mapped before this.'
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