SBS News in Easy English 12 June 2025

SBS Australia

a day ago

Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan. The future of the AUKUS security alliance between Australia, the US and the UK is uncertain, after the US announced a review into the deal. The Pentagon has launched a review of the agreement to ensure it aligns with President Donald Trump's policy agenda. Defence Minister Richard Marles has dismissed speculation the United States may back out of the deal, saying it is important to stick to the plan to ensure the defence capability is acquired. The Opposition's spokesman for defence, Angus Taylor says actions must be taken to ensure the AUKUS deal is maintained. "We have been consistent in providing bipartisan support to AUKUS. And we will continue. It is hugely important that it succeed for peace in our part of the world. This US review came out of the blue. We need to know to what extent was the review triggered by Labor's failure to fund defence in this country to a level that the US and other partners think is appropriate." Greens defence spokesperson David Shoebridge says the US review shows the AUKUS deal makes Australia a junior partner in America's military strategy, not an equal ally. Some of Australia's most popular sunscreens - including some made by Bondi Sands, Banana Boat and the Cancer Council - are not delivering on the claims made on the level of skin protection. Independent testing by consumer group Choice found more than three-quarters of SPF 50+ sunscreens did not have the advertised protection Choice CEO Ashley de Silva says only four of the 20 sunscreens tested in an accredited sunscreen lab actually met their claims of SPF 50 or 50+ protection. The Cancer Council says its test results shows their sunscreens meet their SPF ratings, but they have submitted the products for further testing. Several other popular brands have indicated they plan to do additional testing, following the findings. The chief executive of Monash IVF has resigned, after the fertility clinic revealed a second instance of an error involving an embryo transfer - two months after the first mix-up. Michael Knaap, who had been the chief executive since 2019 has resigned. Earlier this week, in a statement to the stock exchange, Monash IVF revealed the mix-up took place on June 5 at its Melbourne laboratory. An Australian sperm donor, caught up in a cyber security data breach, has told S-B-S he is unsure how he and his donor-conceived child will be affected. Isaac chose to use Genea Fertility, which was later hacked by cyber criminals in a data breach. The family histories of medication and mental illness of some of the clinic's donors are now being shared on the dark web. Isaac says he is worried his own sensitive medical information could be weaponised. His response has been voiced up by a journalist to protect his privacy: "What happens if I get a job which is relatively high profile or dealing with sensitive activity, could this open me up to not getting employed because an employer might've found my internet history, and maybe they have had ethical concerns or concerns with my health record. It's taken away my agency and my choice to disclose that information if I want to. That's only compounded further by the lack of information that I've been provided about this investigation and the data breach." In a statement, Genea told SBS its cyber teams are working hard to understand the nature and extent of the data that has been published, and to identify affected individuals. The Filipino community in Australia is marking Philippines Independence Day, with festivities to showcase the country's heritage, culture and community spirit. June 12th commemorates the declaration of Philippine independence from Spain in 18-98, and has been the country's National Day since 1978. Filipino-Australian Siegfrid Bacani was born in the Philippines and came to Australia as a teenager. He told SBS Filipino it is important that his son knows his heritage.
"I read storybooks to him. Not that my Tagalog is that great, but it is important to celebrate culture."