TRANSCRIPT
- Tropical Cyclone Koji set to make landfall in Queensland
- A state disaster declaration remains in place across fire-ravaged parts of Victoria
- Aryna Sabalenka books a spot in her third consecutive Brisbane International final.
Tropical Cyclone Koji is forecast to cross the north Queensland coast in the coming hours as a category one system.
The Bureau of Meteorology says it will make landfall between Townsville and Bowen, bringing with it damaging wind gusts of up to 120 kilometres per hour and the risk of life-threatening flash flooding.
The affected zone stretches from Townsville and Mackay - including Bowen, Proserpine and the Whitsunday Islands.
Premier David Crisafulli says these Queenslanders have already had to face weeks of heavy rains and flooding.
"Our great concern remains that rainfall because it can lead to flooding in a large part of the state on the coast. Many of these areas have received big rainfall in the last week."
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A state disaster declaration remains in place across fire-ravaged parts of Victoria, as emergency services continue to battle out-of-control blazes.
More than a dozen fires are still burning across the state, while authorities say at least 130 buildings have been destroyed, including homes and agricultural properties.
Authorities have described the losses sustained in major fires in Walwa, Otway and Longwood as significant.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has praised all residents who heeded evacuation orders.
"Communities did respond. They did leave they did respond and I thank you for that - because it is by taking the advice, listening to the emergency services, and following the advice we know that is both the best way to save and protect lives. It's also enormously important to support the work of the firefighters who are out there protecting our community."
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In Uganda, thousands of supporters of opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine have attended a rally ahead of the country's election this week.
Veteran leader 81-year-old Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986 - and is aiming for a new term of office in the vote on the 15th of January.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, called on authorities to ensure that everyone can take part "fully and safely" in the election.
His office has released a report that concludes the vote is taking place "in an environment marked by widespread repression and intimidation".
Mr Wine says he and his supporters will not be deterred by efforts to suppress them, including police force being deployed against them.
"Many times as you have seen, they are hounding us, they are beating us left right and centre, they are teargassing us, they pepper spray us, they even shoot live bullets at us. They are scared of the people. They know that the people are voting out a dictator - but as you can see, all the military and the police are under capture. What they are doing is illegal."
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Nearly 50 authors have pulled out of next month's Adelaide Writers' Week, after the festival elected to remove Palestinian Australian author, lawyer and activist Randa Abdel-Fattah.
The Adelaide festival's board announced on Thursday [[8 Jan]] it did not wish to proceed with Dr Abdel-Fattah's appearance at the event due to what it called "national grief" and "community tensions", after the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14.
The board clarified it does not mean to suggest her writings have any connection with the tragedy.
Award-winning local and international writers - including Trent Dalton, Helen Garner, Zadie Smith, and Yanis Varoufakis - have all withdrawn from the event in protest.
Mr Varoufakis, who also served as Greece's former finance minister, says he's disappointed by the turn of events.
"I was very much looking forward to returning to Adelaide for what has been for decades now a brilliant festival of books, ideas and debate. No longer. The Zionist lobby destroyed it. By forcing the board of the Adelaide Writer's Festival to disinvite fellow author Randa Abdel-Fattah. By forcing the Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week, the remarkable Louise Adler - my great Jewish friend to resign - they are leaving me personally with no option."
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In tennis, World-number-one Aryna Sabalenka has charged into a third consecutive Brisbane International final, with a straight-sets win over Karolina Muchova.
Muchova won the previous three meetings between the pair, but there was no stopping the defending Brisbane champion, Sabalenka, who triumphed 6-3 6-4 in an hour and 29 minutes.
The 27-year-old hasn't dropped a set in her title defence and will play Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the decider tonight.
