TRANSCRIPT:
- A state of disaster declared for multiple bushfire emergencies in Victoria.
- Iran's Supreme Leader signals a crackdown on escalating protests.
- Nick Kyrgios says he's not up to playing singles at the Australian Open.
Fire authorities in Victoria say an out-of-control bushfire at Longwood, in the central region of the state, is spreading, as multiple emergency bushfires are burning across Victoria.
At least 20 properties have been destroyed in the nearby town of Ruffy, and three people - two adults and a child - remain unaccounted for in Longwood East.
Premier Jacinta Allan has declared a state of disaster in 18 local government areas and the Lake Alpine Mountain resort, saying those who have been advised to leave must follow the advice if they can.
Firefighters are battling some 60 fires in the state, including 19 fires at emergency warnings, with some 50,000 hectares of bushland burnt.
Victorians across the state have been urged to monitor conditions throughout the weekend and keep up to date with the emergency Victoria website.
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A total fire ban has been issued for large parts of New South Wales as extreme weather conditions sweep across the state.
The ban will be in place in the Greater Hunter, Central Ranges, Greater Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, Southern Ranges, Southern Slopes, Monaro Alpine and Far South Coast.
Most of the state will be in extreme and high fire conditions, and Sydney is forecast to reach 42 degrees Celsius on Saturday, which would be its hottest day in six years.
Emergency Services Minister Kristy McBain says a total fire ban has also been declared in the A-C-T.
"This is the first time in a long time that there will be a total fire ban in the ACT. There will be a range of total fire bans across southern New South Wales as well. This event, obviously, in Victoria, and what we will experience in New South Wales and the ACT, you know, come six years after the black summer bushfires, so there are many community members out there who are in the impacted area last time that will be in this range of concern. So our thoughts are with all of those communities."
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Iran's supreme leader has vowed he will "not back down" in the face of growing nationwide protests over economic conditions, and has signaled a harsher crackdown is coming.
Thousands of protesters are continuing to march through the streets after the Iranian government cut the nation off from the internet and international calls.
Videos shared online by activists show protesters chanting against Iran's government in the streets of Tehran and other areas.
Rights groups have documented dozens of deaths of protesters in nearly two weeks
Spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence has urged de-escalation and compliance with international law.
"The right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in international law, must be protected. All deaths should be promptly, independently, and transparently investigated. Those responsible for any violations must be held to account in line with international norms and standards"
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Tensions are mounting in the US after the second shooting involving federal immigration officers in two days, with deepening rifts between state and federal officials over how and why the shootings occurred.
Protests broke out in Minnesota after ICE agents fatally shot a 37-year-old woman, with local and US officials offering starkly different accounts of the shooting.
The next day, a U-S Border Patrol agent shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, with federal officials claiming the driver tried to run over agents.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson says the federal government can no longer be trusted to tell the truth.
"We know what the federal government says happened here. There was a time when we could take them at their word. That time is long past. That is why we are calling on ICE to halt all operations in Portland until a full and independent investigation can take place. Our community deserves answers. Our community deserve accountability. And most of all, our community deserves peace."
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To sport now and in tennis...
Nick Kyrgios has conceded he's not up to playing singles at the Australian Open, ruling himself out of a likely wildcard, with three other veterans getting a start.
The local crowd-puller was tipped to receive one of the three remaining wildcards from Tennis Australia.
But he's announced on social media he would only play doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis at Melbourne Park, with the tournament getting underway on January 18th.
Multiple wrist and knee surgeries have limited Kyrgios to just seven singles tour matches over the past three years, with his ranking plummeting to 670.
Kyrgios said his body wasn't yet ready for five-set tennis and wanted the wildcard to go to someone who could "make their moment count".
