TRANSCRIPT
- An inquiry underway into the fatal shooting of a man by New South Wales Police
- Kurdish separatists based in Iraq launch an attack on Iran
- World-number-one Aryna Sabalenka to push for a third Australian Open title
An investigation is underway after police in northern New South Wales fatally shot a man they say was armed with a bow and arrow.
New South Wales Police say they encountered the man during a welfare check at a property at Gunnedah.
It is at least the third fatality from interactions with police this year.
On January 5, a man died in hospital after being pepper-sprayed, while on January 8, a man believed to be experiencing a mental health episode was shot dead after a six-hour siege.
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Iranian Kurdish separatists say they have launched attacks on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
A representative of an Iranian Kurdish separatist group in Iraq says the strikes by his group’s armed wing are in retaliation for Tehran's violent crackdown on protesters.
A spokesman says members of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, have played a role in the protests through both financial support and armed operations to defend protesters when needed.
Iranian activists say more than 2,670 people have been killed in the government’s crackdown on a recent wave of nationwide protests.
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Australian officials are investigating concerns that Elon Musk's Grok technology could be used to create child abuse material.
The social media platform says it has implemented new measures preventing the public Grok account from creating pictures of real people in revealing clothing, after countries including the UK threatened tougher laws.
But eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says there are still concerns that the AI chatbot Grok has been used to create pictures of children in compromising positions.
"I'm happy to talk about Grok. We've just announced a second investigation into X-AI. But we're also going to be implementing world-leading AI companion and chatbot restrictions in March of this year."
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Pro-Palestinian protesters have rallied in Sydney's CBD, despite protest restrictions in New South Wales.
The rally on Friday night was unauthorised as the New South Wales police commissioner chose to extend the government's controversial restrictions on protests, which bars demonstrations from public footpaths or streets.
This means gatherings are still permitted but police can issue move-on directions if they deem protesters to be obstructing public areas or behaving in what they call "an intimidatory or harassing manner."
Palestine Action Group spokesman Josh Lees says his group will not be deterred by the law.
"I mean it's crucial that we keep protesting for a free Palestine because Israel's genocide in Gaza continues. They've killed over 450 Palestinians in Gaza since the so-called ceasefire was announced, they continue to deny aid, they continue to demolish houses, they continue to occupy the majority of the Gaza Strip in what Amnesty International says is an ongoing genocide. We're also gathered here tonight because we are also taking a stand against the anti-protest laws that have been passed by this government."
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A coroner has referred the death of an exploited migrant worker to federal police.
21-year-old Filipino Jerwin Royupa died from injuries sustained when he exited a moving vehicle being driven by his training visa sponsor, which an inquest had heard happened because the man had threatened to take him to the police station or airport.
Coroner Rebecca Hosking has found that when the migrant was lying unconscious on the road, his sponsor delayed calling an ambulance before disobeying a request to leave the scene.
She found the young man had been required to work 60 hours a week of manual labour without receiving any of the training he had been promised, and he wasn't paid as agreed.
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To sport and in tennis news, women's world-number-one Aryna Sabalenka says she is aiming for a third Australian Open title, ahead of the tournament's start in Melbourne on Sunday.
Sabalenka missed out on a third straight Melbourne Park crown last year, losing to outsider Madison Keys in the final.
But the Belarusian says she's ready for any challenges that may come her way this tournament.
"I'm happy to be back. I have a lot of great memories from this place, and yeah, I can't complain about my start of the season. I think I played some great matches there, showed great tennis, and I'm super excited to start this tournament."
