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Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan.
Liberal Senator Jonathon Duniam says the Australian government must prove to Australians they are finally serious about protecting our country from the risks associated with returning family members of suspected ISIS militants.
Syrian Kurdish forces have released 34 Australians from a camp in northern Syria, saying they would be flown to Australia from Damascus.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the federal government has no plans to repatriate the group.
He has told the ABC, Australian law must be followed, and individuals who breach it, will face the full force of the law.
In a statement, Mr Duniam said the government must commit to doing everything to prevent the group from re-entering Australia, while they present a risk, suggesting the government enact a Temporary Exclusion Order.
Such an order is typically used to prevent an individual from returning home from abroad if it's believed they present a terrorist threat or security risk, and was introduced by former Opposition leader Peter Dutton back in 2019.
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The New South Wales Police Commissioner, Mal Lanyon, says he has decided to not extend the restrictions on public assembly for another fortnight.
Police were granted powers under legislation that was passed by state parliament following the Bondi attack that allow for the Commissioner to make a declaration to restrict public assemblies - in certain locations - on a fortnightly basis for up to three months.
The restrictions have been in place since December 24 and expired earlier today.
Mr Lanyon says the police will now consider what's called form 1 applications for all protests, and he urged people to focus on staying calm.
"I want the community to consider and respect others. This is still a time for calm. It is two months out from the worst terrorist incident we've had in New South Wales. We want to work very closely with those who wish to exercise free speech and assemble in the public. We have done that previously; we will continue to do that. We want to ensure that public safety sits alongside public assembly. And we will continue to work very closely with organisers to make sure that happens."
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Former NRL star Matt Utai is in hospital in a serious but stable condition, after being shot twice in a drive-by attack in Western Sydney.
The 44-year-old was shot outside a home in Greenacre, at around 6 o'clock this morning.
Superintendent Rod Hart says officers are seeking to establish whether a vehicle found nearby is linked to the shooting.
"We believe that it was two males - a gun man and a driver of a white possibly a SUV. That after the shooting left the scene. And a vehicle very shortly after this crime was committed was located in a street in Wiley Park; and it had been set alight. We believe at this point in time that it is definitely a targeted attack. There is no ongoing threat to the community."
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In the United States, two people and a suspected shooter are dead, after a shooting during a youth hockey game in Rhode Island.
Police Chief Tina Goncalves says the shooting appeared to have been a targeted event, but did not provide further details.
One unidentified witness describes the terror in the aftermath of the incident.
"Many of them were hugging their parents, rightfully so. And you could see some of the parents watching the players kind of .. you could feel and ask them ‘how are you doing?’ And you could see the tears starting to come down and the parents hugging their kids. And I'm sure they're thanking God that they weren't the victim of the shooting. They're still alive with them today."
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Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning Hollywood actor known for starring roles in 'Apocalypse Now' and 'The Godfather', has died aged 95.
His wife, Luciana Duvall, announced his death in a statement on social media, saying he "passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort".
No formal service will be held for the actor.
And that's SBS News in Easy English. I'm Biwa Kwan.
