A daily five-minute news wrap for English learners and people with a disability.
This is SBS News in Easy English... I'm Claire Slattery.
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A fire at a hostel building in central Wellington has killed at least six people.
The fire started just after midnight on the top floor of the Loafers Lodge hostel.
Fifty-two people were evacuated, but many more remain missing.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says the number of deaths is expected to rise.
"Can I just acknowledge the incredible effort of our firefighters in the early hours of the morning to get people out of the building to try and get the fire out, putting themselves in harm's way to do that? Can I acknowledge the victims and their families?"
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the deadly fire as a "dreadful human tragedy".
He's spoken with his New Zealand counterpart Chris Hipkins and offered Australia's support.
"He took my call, he was on the way to the site... I expressed my condolences on behalf of Australia to our friends in New Zealand at this very difficult time, and offered any assistance of course, as always."
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Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says his proposal to lift the working hours threshold for those on JobSeeker would allow them to earn more while putting less strain on the federal budget.
The Coalition wants an increase to 10 hours to the time people on JobSeeker can work before their unemployment benefits are affected.
Last week's federal budget to boost JobSeeker payments by $40 a fortnight put the estimated total cost at $4.9 billion.
Mr Dutton says the opposition's proposal is about half the cost of the government's plan.
"As I say we've got massive vacancies. You move around the country and businesses in retail and tourism, hospitality can't find staff. So we want people off welfare, into work. It's better for them, and it's better for the country."
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A new report by Amnesty International shows a worrying increase in the use of the death penalty in countries around the world.
It shows that in 2022 there was the highest number of judicial executions recorded globally since 2017.
The report says the increase in reported executions does not include the thousands believed to have been carried out in China.
Twenty countries are known to have executed people last year, with a rise of 53 per cent compared to 2021.
Eighty-one people were executed in a single day in Saudi Arabia, while the death penalty was brought back in Myanmar, Singapore and Afghanistan.
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In the N-R-L,
St George Illawarra has sacked head coach Anthony Griffin.
It follows a six-match losing streak for the side.
Griffin was told by Dragons officials this morning that he would not be given the chance to finish the season.
Dragons assistant coach Ryan Carr will take over for the rest of the year.
The team is hoping to get Jason Ryles to take over as head coach next year, with fellow former Dragon Ben Hornby another option.
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