In this bulletin;
- Fairfield West man charged over plan to carry out public place shooting;
- Trump threatens military action against Iran as Netanyahu visits Mar-a-Lago;
- And in cricket, Todd Murphy tipped for recall as Australia rethink spinner strategy for Ashes finale.
A 24-year-old man has been charged with more than 10 offences over an alleged plot to carry out a public-place shooting in Sydney’s south-west.
New South Wales Police say the charges follow a late-night raid on a home in Fairfield West on Sunday, linked to an investigation that began earlier this month.
Police allege officers seized prohibited drugs and a mobile phone.
The man was arrested when police returned on Monday night and took him to Cabramatta Police Station.
He faces charges including conspiracy to commit an offence, firearms and drug supply offences, directing a criminal group, and discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The man was refused bail and will appear in court.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon says more arrests are expected.
"We believe it was to be a targeted attack. And again, my credit goes out to the investigators who have worked tirelessly whilst we have been performing the amount of shifts that we have to make sure we quite rightly support the Jewish Australians who are directly targeted in Bondi, but also the rest of the community. Our investigations haven't stopped. You will see numerous arrests made by Strike Force Raptor and other units that are actually keeping the community safe."
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US President Donald Trump has warned Iran against rebuilding its nuclear programme, saying the United States would respond with force if it does.
He says it would be best for Iran to make a deal with the US.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we're going to have to knock them down. We'll knock them down, we'll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that's not happening. I heard Iran wants to make a deal. If they want to make a deal, that's much smarter. You know, they could've made a deal the last time, before we went through, you know, a big attack on them.”
Mr Trump made the comments while meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, as the two discussed the Gaza ceasefire and wider regional security concerns.
The ceasefire, which began in October, has been marred by continued violence, with hundreds of Palestinians killed since it took effect.
During the same time period, Palestinian militants killed three Israeli soldiers.
President Trump also claimed Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, had indicated a pardon for Mr Netanyahu over corruption charges was imminent.
That statement was later challenged by Mr Herzog's office.
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Premier Chris Minns has condemned a rise in Islamophobia following the Bondi Beach attack, warning racism will not be tolerated in New South Wales.
Mr Minns says police are on high alert after reports of racist abuse and attacks targeting members of the Islamic community, including girls wearing headscarves on public transport.
He says hate speech laws apply to everyone and offenders will face the full force of the law.
"It is disgusting to think that anyone could blame a young person, a young member of our community, a young Islamic girl, for the actions of two people in Bondi a couple of weeks ago. That is appalling. It'd be like blaming Ahmed al- Ahmed for the actions of those terrible terrorists on the 14th of December, when we all know he's an absolute hero. So I just want to make it clear that racism will not be tolerated. It's not vigilantism, it's not retribution, it's hateful racism in our community."
The Premier says New South Wales Police will act swiftly against any acts of racial vilification regardless of whether it is antisemitism or Islamophobia or any other type of racism.
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Residents in Australia’s far northwest are being urged to take shelter as Tropical Cyclone Hayley strengthens ahead of landfall.
The system is forecast to peak as a Category 4 cyclone, with wind gusts of up to 230 kilometres an hour, as it tracks towards Western Australia’s northern Dampier Peninsula.
Hayley is expected to make landfall tonight.
Authorities say it is no longer safe to travel in areas including Beagle Bay, Cockatoo Island and Derby, warning of a serious threat to lives and homes.
People in caravans or older buildings are being advised to move to evacuation centres or safer accommodation.
Sarah Scully, from the Bureau of Meteorology, says winds are expected to turn the cyclone in an east-south-easterly direction as it approaches land.
"We have issued a tropical cyclone watch all the way from Broome to Kuri Bay. However, we have a tropical cyclone warning from just north of Broome up to Cape Levesque. Now, within the warning area, gales may develop within the next 24 hours. So there is the potential for wind gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour to develop."
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To cricket,
Todd Murphy is likely to be recalled for the Ashes finale in Sydney after Australia coach Andrew McDonald said he is reluctant to leave a spinner out of the red-ball Tests.
Murphy was added to the squad following Nathan Lyon’s long-term hamstring injury but was omitted from the Boxing Day Test, marking Australia’s first home red-ball Test in 14 years without a frontline spinner.
Despite a four-wicket loss to England in a fast-paced match at the MCG, selectors defended Murphy’s omission, citing the pace-friendly pitch.
