A daily 5 minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Greg Dyett.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton says there are reports to suggest Russia could use chemical weapons in the Ukraine conflict.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is backing up these concerns, warning it would be a serious mistake for Vladimir Putin to use those weapons.
Mr Dutton has told Channel Seven everyone wants to see a peaceful outcome for Ukraine but the situation is uncertain.
"China can exert influence on President Putin because that is really, as I see it one of the only exit strategies to get Putin out of (the) Ukraine as quickly as possible."
The United Nations estimates 2.3 million people have now fled Ukraine.
Politicians are paying their respects to Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching who died suddenly in Melbourne at the age of 52.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese says the party is shocked and many colleagues are posting tributes on social media.
Ms Kitching who died from a suspected heart attack, joined the Senate in 2016 and is being remembered for her advocacy work.
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet has declared it is a priority to help residents in the flooded Northern Rivers region of the state.
Mr Perrottet says finding homes for people, providing financial support and cleaning up flooded communities are the aims.
The state government, together with the Federal government has provided a $551 million housing support package for 25,000 households.
Almost $70 million is being spent to combat the outbreak of Japanese encephalitis which is a virus spread by mosquito bites.
It's already been detected across four Australian states.
There are currently 15 confirmed cases in Australia and two deaths have been recorded.
The federal government is working with the Australian Institute of Sport to fund more than $1.15 million for sports building projects around the country.
The grant program will benefit 11 sports to ensure all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports can grow.
The institute's Alex Newton says the funding will meet the needs of individual sports to enable better planning for the future.
"What we're trying to do is build the facility infrastructure, for small sports when they build them to train and compete to the best that they can perform at the Olympic and Paralympic Games."
I'm Greg Dyett and this is SBS News in Easy English.
