This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happened.
Key events
Live updates
That's all for The Loop this morning
By Tom Williams
Thanks for joining me today. If you're catching up, here's a bit of what was covered (click the link to jump straight to the post):
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Wellington 'absolutely traumatised' after deadly hostel fire
- Elon Musk subpoenaed in Jeffrey Epstein case
- France will no longer host the 2025 Rugby League World Cup
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Microsoft wins EU antitrust approval for Activision deal vetoed by UK
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Vice Media is filing for bankruptcy
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The Weeknd is back to his birth name on socials
You can keep up-to-date with other news on the ABC's website, by subscribing to our mobile alerts, and by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here.
Dutton says JobSeeker recipients should be able to work more hours
By Tom Williams
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says a proposal to lift the working hours threshold for those on JobSeeker would allow them to earn more while putting less strain on the budget's bottom line.
The coalition has called for an increase of five to 10 hours to the time people on JobSeeker can work before their payment benefits are removed.
As AAP reports, Dutton says the opposition proposal amounts to about half the cost of the government's plan to boost JobSeeker payments by $40 a fortnight.
The opposition leader says the coalition is yet to formally consider whether it will support the government's $40-a-fortnight boost to JobSeeker.
However, he is hopeful there will be cross-party support for lifting the working hours threshold.
"We want a discussion with the government to properly consider what we're putting forward because it's put forward in a genuine spirit of bipartisanship," he tells ABC Radio.
"We want to see the government properly consider what it is we're putting forward before we say what the next step is, and it's a lot of money … any policy change within the welfare space is expensive."
Queensland police cleared to use a chokehold banned in other states
By Tom Williams
Queensland police have been cleared to use a controversial chokehold in certain situations, after it was banned just over a month ago.
As AAP reports, the use of the lateral vascular neck restraint (LVNR), also known as the "sleeper" chokehold, was banned on April 14 following a 12-month review, bringing Queensland into line with other states and territories.
Queensland police have now clarified the "ban" and cleared police to use the LVNR hold in dangerous situations.
"A clarification was issued to QPS officers on Monday reaffirming that the LVNR not be used in the course of ordinary policing duties and outlining statutory provisions concerning force that may lawfully be used to prevent death or grievous bodily harm," a police spokesman told AAP.
Police have defended the clarification, insisting it does not change the force's stance against the use of the chokehold.
"Contrary to media reporting, there has been no change to the QPS position regarding LVNR," a QPS spokesperson says.
"These provisions were available to officers when the ban took place last month and have been outlined in the clarification issued yesterday to make it clear to officers following concerns raised by the Queensland Police Union of Employees."
Dog 'does not face any charges' after man tries to frame it for speeding
By Tom Williams
Here's a strange story out of the US.
Police in the state of Colorado say a driver who was pulled over for speeding has tried to switch places with his dog to avoid arrest.
An officer allegedly watched the man move around inside a car before he got out on the passenger side in the town of Springfield, with the dog in the driver's seat.
The man, who supposedly appeared to be drunk, is said to have run from the officer when asked about how much he had had to drink, before being caught.
After being taken to the hospital to be checked out, the man was arrested.
Here's what police say happened to the dog:
"The dog was given to an acquaintance of the driver to take care of while the party was in jail. The dog does not face any charges and was let go with just a warning."
US special counsel says FBI lacked evidence for probe into alleged Trump-Russia collusion
By Tom Williams
A report by US Special Counsel John Durham has found the FBI lacked evidence to investigate Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and relied too heavily on tips provided by Trump's political opponents to fuel the probe.
The FBI's Crossfire Hurricane inquiry looked into potential collusion between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
But Druham says the FBI had insufficient evidence and "confirmation bias" during the investigation.
You can keep reading this story here:
Want to stay across the latest on the deadly Wellington hostel fire?
By Tom Williams
My colleague Shiloh is blogging all of the latest details about the blaze, and you can follow along at the link below:
Elon Musk subpoenaed in Jeffrey Epstein case
By Tom Williams
The US Virgin Islands has subpoenaed Elon Musk in its lawsuit accusing financial services company JPMorgan Chase & Co of helping to enable sexual abuses by late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to a court filing, the Virgin Islands issued a subpoena to Musk on April 28.
The filing says Musk, one of the richest people in the world, may have been referred to JPMorgan by Epstein.
Musk is yet to comment.
The US Virgin Islands accuses JPMorgan of missing red flags about Epstein's abuse of women on Little St. James, a private island he owned there.
The bank says it should not be held liable for a former top executive's relationship with Epstein, who was found to have died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The subpoena is calling for all communications between the entrepreneur and JPMorgan regarding Epstein as well as communications between Musk and Epstein.
The subpoena also sought all documents regarding fees that Musk paid to Epstein or to JPMorgan.
It also asked Musk for all documents reflecting or regarding Epstein's involvement in human trafficking and his procurement of girls or women for commercial sex.
Musk was pictured with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's confidante, at a 2014 Vanity Fair Oscars Party. But Musk in 2020 tweeted that he did not know Maxwell, and she "photobombed" the billionaire at the event.
At least four people dead in New Mexico shooting
By Tom Williams
Police say at least four people, including a suspect, have been killed in a shooting in the US state of New Mexico.
The shooting unfolded in a residential area of Farmington, New Mexico, about 290 km northwest of Albuquerque, the state's largest city.
Two officers were wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, who was killed at the scene, and there were multiple civilian victims, at least three of whom died, the Farmington Police Department said.
The shooter was believed to have acted alone.
The gun violence prompted security lockdowns at several public schools in Farmington.
New Zealand PM Chris Hipkins calls Wellington hostel fire a 'terrible tragedy'
By Tom Williams
Wellington 'absolutely traumatised' after deadly hostel fire
By Tom Williams
More now on that deadly hostel fire in New Zealand's capital Wellington, which authorities say has killed at least six people.
Wellington City Council spokesperson Richard MacLean tells ABC News Breakfast that a number of elderly people have been caught up in the emergency, as the hostel accommodates "a cross-section of the community".
"The reason I say that is because the city council, we're opening a welfare centre this morning and we've got 50 people there who escaped the fire and a lot of them are elderly people," he says.
"Everyone is absolutely traumatised by this event. This is not something that we normally expect to happen in Wellington.
"I was just at the emergency centre we've set up. There's a lot of people there who just escaped pretty much in their pyjamas and bare feet into a very cold night.
"We're basically having to go and find clothing for a whole bunch of people who have potentially lost everything."
Microsoft wins EU antitrust approval for Activision deal vetoed by UK
By Tom Williams
Microsoft has won EU antitrust approval for its massive $US69 billion ($103 billion) acquisition of Activision Blizzard, in a significant boost which could prompt other countries to follow suit, despite a British veto of the deal.
The US tech giant still faces a battle to clinch the world's biggest gaming industry takeover, however.
It has until May 24 to appeal a decision by Britain's Competition & Markets Authority to block it, and a final decision may take months.
The US Federal Trade Commission's case against the deal is also pending, though Japan approved it in March.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says it is still "engaging with overseas regulators" as it carries out a review of the proposed deal.
The European Commission says the transaction is pro-competitive due to Microsoft's agreement to licence popular Activision games such as Call of Duty to rival game streaming platforms.
Multiple fatalities after hostel fire in New Zealand
By Tom Williams
Authorities in New Zealand say multiple people have died after a fire broke out overnight at a four-storey hostel in the capital, Wellington.
The Loafers Lodge hostel has a capacity for 92 guests, but it's unclear how many people were inside at the time of the fire, at around 12:30am local time.
Police say their initial assessment "is that the number of deceased is fewer than 10".
They say they are waiting to access and assess the building to confirm details.
"It is currently unsafe and until we can access the building — and reconcile numbers of people who are safe — we are not in a position to determine how many people are deceased or unaccounted for," police say.
"Our focus is on identifying those people as soon as we can."
France will no longer host the 2025 Rugby League World Cup
By Tom Williams
France will no longer host the Rugby League World Cup in 2025, with organisers citing a failure to meet financial criteria outlined by the French government.
France won the bid to host the 2025 World Cup in January 2022.
"Despite all the work carried out by the organising committee, it hasn't been possible to fully secure the risk of a deficit," organisers say.
"Despite the interest shown in this unique sport … the board had to decide to renounce organizing this major international competition, which the International Rugby League had entrusted to France.
"The conditions of financial viability initially defined by the state to support the project, set in January 2022, were not fully met, despite the search for solutions and the additional three months granted by the state to the organizing committee at the end of 2022."
In a statement, International Rugby League (IRL) says it expects to be able to inform member nations of planned qualifying matches and alternative fixtures by July.
France will host this year's men's rugby union World Cup from September 8 to October 28.
Vice Media is filing for bankruptcy
By Tom Williams
The rumours are true — digital media company Vice Media is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Vice says it has agreed to sell its assets to a consortium of lenders in exchange for $US225 ($336 million) million in credit.
The company says its media brands will continue to produce content and keep paying its employees and vendors as the sale goes through in the new few months.
In a statement, Vice co-CEOs Bruce Dixon and Hozefa Lokhandwala say the "accelerated court-supervised sale process" will strengthen the company and position it for long-term growth.
They say it will safeguard "the kind of authentic journalism and content creation that makes VICE such a trusted brand for young people and such a valued partner to brands, agencies and platforms".
Vice assets and liabilities are worth up to $1.5 billion, according to the bankruptcy filing.
There has been a wider surge of media layoffs and closures in the US, including job cuts at Gannett, NPR, the Washington Post and other organisations.
In April, BuzzFeed announced BuzzFeed News was being shut down as part of a cost-cutting drive by its corporate parent.
News Australia is searching for: Rob Burrow
By Tom Williams
In case you missed it yesterday, there was a heartwarming moment at the finish of the Leeds Marathon, when former Enlish rugby star Rob Burrow — who retired in 2017 and was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) two years later — was carried across the finish line by his former teammate, Kevin Sinfield.
Sinfield and other Leeds Rhinos players pushed Burrow in a wheelchair for most of the marathon, before Sinfield lifted him out of the chair at the end of the race.
Sinfield said fundraising efforts around the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon had raised more than 3 million pounds ($5.6 million) for a variety of charities.
One more thing: The Weeknd is back to his birth name on socials
By Tom Williams
Canadian pop star The Weeknd has reverted to his birth name Abel Tesfaye on his social media accounts.
The singer, known for hits like Starboy and Blinding Lights, asked fans on Twitter in April if he should make the change.
Today's name change comes after the award winning artist told W Magazine that he wanted to "kill The Weeknd".
"I'm going through a cathartic path right now" he said. "It's getting to a place and time where I'm getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter."
Tesfaye said he had said "everything I can say" as The Weeknd, and added that his next album would probably be his "last hurrah" under that name.
His latest solo album is 2022's Dawn FM.
