TRANSCRIPT
A protester in Iran has reportedly been sentenced to death for taking part in widespread anti-regime demonstrations.
The protester has been identified in media reports and by some human rights groups as 26 year old Erfan Soltani, who was arrested just days ago on 8 January, amid protests in his city of Karaj.
The Norway-based Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights says the man's case has been rushed and non-transparent.
Azadeh Pourzand from the Centre for Middle East and Global Order has told the UK's Sky News there are heightening concerns over the use of the death penalty - and other measures - as a tool to suppress public dissent.
"Torture, detentions, killings on the streets, very serious injuries. And then waves of execution. And we see similar trends but in a way on a very different scale, on a much more expansive scale, than what we have seen in the past."
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The New South Wales government has responded to concerns that members of the Bondi community have been re-traumatised trying to access support after the terror attack on December 14.
Services have been made available through the state's Victims Support Scheme and Bondi Beach Victim Recovery Payment for the families of those who have lost their lives and those who survived the shooting.
The state government has now announced two Coordinators General, Multicultural NSW CEO Joseph La Posta and NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Michele Goldman, to assist the state government with service provision and community engagement.
Health Minister Ryan Park says the government is doing its best to ensure things are not made any harder for survivors.
"We don't want anyone to feel traumatised any more than what they've had to go through. They've been to hell and back and they will continue to go through hell and back as they recover from this traumatic event. So if there's ways in which we can make that easier and ways in which they can feel more supported, and if NSW Health can play a role in any of that, then we certainly will be."
Those needing mental health support can call Lifeline on 13 11 14
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The hundred-year-old Bondi Beach footbridge two gunmen used in a terror attack may be removed for a permanent memorial commemorating the victims.
Mayor Will Nemesh will raise a motion to begin the process of investigating the memorial's feasibility at an extraordinary general council meeting on Thursday night.
Some residents want the bridge to stay, but a local council report has found the structure is coming to the end of its life and will need to be taken down regardless of memorial plans.
Waverley Council says any changes will only occur after consultation with the Jewish community and local residents - which NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Michele Goldman is already involved with.
"I'll be talking to people before tomorrow night. I'll be present at the council meeting tomorrow night. And we'll make sure that views are shared."
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Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah is threatening defamation proceedings against South Australia's premier.
In a statement posted to Instagram, the author claims Peter Malinauskas has made many public statements about her and her character and suggested that she is an extremist terrorist sympathiser.
Ms Abdel-Fattah has said that her lawyers have now issued a concerns notice to the state leader in response.
The premier had been commenting in the midst of a mass boycott, which was in response to the author’s removal from the Adelaide Festival Writers Week program an event that was ultimately completely cancelled.
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A man has been charged for allegedly making threats to a federal politician's office.
The 43-year-old is accused of making multiple phone calls to the politician's office before he was reported on December 16 to a police team focused on individuals causing harm to Australia's social cohesion.
The allegations are the latest in a string of threats made against federal and state politicians.
The AFP says it received 951 referrals or threats against parliamentarians in the 2025 financial year, an increase of 63 per cent over the past four years.
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Books written by award-winning author Craig Silvey have been pulled from public schools in Western Australia following his arrest on child abuse charges.
The West Australian newspaper says the action has been taken on the orders of WA Education Minister Sabine Winton.
Mr Silvey's books are widely used in school English classes, but the minister says that should stop while the matter is before the courts.
Mr Silvey appeared in Fremantle Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material between January 7 and 9.
No pleas have been entered and Mr Silvey was granted bail with conditions.
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There are fears that farms in Queensland will be left exposed as more wild weather buffets the state.
Floodwaters have already killed more than 50,000 livestock, and those numbers are set to increase as the remnants of Cyclone Koji move slowly across the northern inland today [[Wed 14 Jan]].
Graziers complained flood gauges linked to the Bureau of Meteorology website were offline in the region when a monsoon hit recently, triggering a devastating deluge.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has told Nine he fears graziers will be blindsided again because there are no rain gauges in large parts of the Queensland countryside, leaving them without accurate data at critical times.
"You're dealing with catchments that are just so full. Parts of north and northwest Queensland they had a year's rainfall in a week. So they're just so swollen already. In many cases we've got cattle that are just perched on high ground. We're delivering fodder and emergency veterinary supplies to keep them alive. So that's the great fear. The great fear is if there is extra rain in catchments that are already high and not going down as quickly as we'd like."
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To sport and in football news,
Michael Carrick has been appointed as the new coach of Manchester United for the remainder of this season.
The former Manchester United midfielder will fill the seat previously occupied by Ruben Amorim, who was sacked last week after 14 months in charge.
His first game as coach will be the Manchester derby against Manchester City this weekend.
Carrick previously filled in as coach in the 2021/2022 season after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked.
