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TRANSCRIPT
- Ukraine and Russia escalates their attacks, as talks continue to stall
- Muslim groups condemn firebombing of a building set to become a Mosque
- And in sport, Eight more former AFL players join landmark class action against the league
Russia is reporting its air defences have downed 389 Ukrainian drones, in the largest reported overnight attack on Russia and Crimea since the war began in 2022.
The onslaught comes a day after Russia fired almost 1000 drones and dozens of missiles at civilian areas of Ukraine.
Ukraine authorities report that attack killed at least six people, injuring around 50.
Russia is maintaining its pause on peace talks, due to the war in the Middle East, but Kremlin aide Yuri Ashokov said the U-S had provided updates since it spoke with Ukraine delegates on the weekend.
Russian to English "It means that they held the talks, and they (the U-S) provided us with a detailed briefing on the results. We know where we stand and where they stand now.”
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The US says it is very close to meeting its core objectives in Iran, after Tehran earlier rejected a US peace plan.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insists US and Iran are in ongoing talks even as Iranian officials deny it.
She was questioned on the alleged 15-point plan to end the war offered to Iran by the US.
"Talks continue. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be, however I saw a 15-point-plan that was floated on media, I would caution reporters in this room from reporting on speculative points, speculative plans from anonymous sources. The White House never confirmed that whole plan."
But she warns more strikes could come if Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, and says the US President will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before.
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The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) has strongly condemned the firebombing of a church in Victoria that was set to become a Mosque.
The group says it was a deeply disturbing act that targeted a place of worship and came just 10 days after the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
ANIC is calling on all levels of government and law enforcement to do more to protect the Australian Muslim community and address growing Islamophobia.
No one was injured in the attack and a police spokesperson said the exact circumstances surrounding the blaze were yet to be established.
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A cyclone that has weaved its way across northern Australia before weakening is forecast to slam into the mainland for a third time.
Narelle is currently sitting about 330 kilometres northeast of Port Hedland and has been regaining strength.
It is expected to re-intensify into a category-four cyclone in the coming days after tracking southwest along the Pilbara coast.
Bureau of Meteorology Senior Meteorologist James Ashley says destructive winds, with gusts up to 140 km/hr, large waves and abnormally high tides are possible over the next few days, depending on where the cyclone makes landfall.
"Tropical Cyclone Narelle is expected to turn towards the south on Friday. And the timing of that turn is critical into where the system will track from there on."
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Sudanese paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces says that it has, alongside allies, seized control of the town of Kurmuk on the border with Ethiopia.
In a statement, the group says it also took over two nearby areas following days of fierce fighting.
Clashes broke out on Sunday around the small border town, which the army considers vital because of its position on one of the few roads to Ethiopia.
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says there are reports that at least 30 civilians were killed in the fighting.
"Local sources reported to us that more than 30 civilians were killed yesterday amid heavy fighting in Kurmuk town, which was surrounded and subjected to intense shelling and drone strikes. Some residents have reportedly fled across the border into Ethiopia. These incidents are just a few of the daily risks and suffering faced by civilians across the country."
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To sport,
Eight more former AFL players have joined a landmark class action against the league and 10 clubs, claiming they were negligently exposed to concussion-related injuries.
North Melbourne premiership player Ian Fairley is among those listed as lead plaintiffs in the new writ filed in the Victorian Supreme Court.
Other plaintiffs include former Carlton vice captain Nick Stevens and 302-gamer Michael Richardson, who played for Collingwood and Essendon.
The footballers follow ex-Geelong player Max Rooke who has been leading the case against the AFL and his former club since 2023.
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