SBS News in Easy English
The minimum wage will increase by 5.2 per cent after a decision by the Fair Work Commission.
The outcome is a result of its annual wage review for 2021-2022.
The decision increases the national minimum wage from $20.33 to $21.38 an hour.
It equates to a $40 per week increase.
Fair Work Commission President Iain Ross says the ruling was reached after careful consideration.
"There has also been a sharp rise in the cost of living since last year's review. At the time of last year's decision, the consumer price index and the underlying measure of inflation both stood at 1.1 per cent. The comparable figures now stand at 5.1 per cent for the CPI and 3.7 per cent for the trimmed mean, or the underlying inflation rate."
The World Health Organisation has called an emergency meeting to determine if the growing monkeypox outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.
That is the highest level of warning issued by the UN agency, which currently applies only to the COVID-19 pandemic and polio.
W-H-O Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus says experts will meet next week to consider its spread beyond parts of Africa where it is endemic.
"So far this year, more than 1,600 confirmed cases and almost 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported to WHO from 39 countries. The global outbreak of monkeypox is clearly unusual and concerning. It is for that reason that I have decided to convene the emergency committee under the international health regulations next week."
Power retailers and producers have been put on notice to avoid engaging in any market manipulation during the current energy crisis.
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the Australian energy regulator has issued a warning and is monitoring for compliance with the regulations.
A cap has been placed on the wholesale price of electricity in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia to restrict the rapid rise in the cost of power.
Sarah McNamara from the Australian Energy Council - says the industry is working closely with authorities to ensure there is enough supply, but says customers should be prepared to face higher prices.
"This is an unprecedented set of circumstances. Some of the issues at play will resolve themselves in coming weeks. But we are still going to see upward pressure on prices for the foreseeable future. And the important thing to understand is that there are no silver bullet solutions to the situation we find ourselves in. But the market operator we do have enough supply available in the market."
Cuba says it has sentenced 381 people for participating in protests last year in July.
The charges include sedition, sabotage, robbery with force, and public disorder.
The protests were largest in the Communist-run country since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.
Some have received jail terms for up to 25 years.
Human rights groups are calling for the release of those sentenced.
Russian forces have tightened their grip on the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, cutting off the last routes for evacuating citizens.
Regional governor Sergei Gaidai says all bridges out of the city had been destroyed amid heavy bombardment.
He says some 70 per cent of the city is under Russian control, but that the remaining Ukrainian defenders are not completely blockaded.
In football, the 32-team field is set for this year's World Cup.
Costa Rica has taken the final place in the tournament, defeating New Zealand.
Meanwhile, many of the Socceroos side that beat Peru to secure Australia's spot in the tournament will arrive home in Sydney this afternoon.
