TRANSCRIPT:
- Iran takes aim at Australia over a social media post;
- Hamas leaders face US criminal charges over the October 7 attack;
- North Queensland assistant coach James Maloney sacked after being charged with drink driving.
The Iranian government has summoned the Australian ambassador in Tehran over photos of a Wear It Purple celebration at the embassy. [[Sept 4]]
The summons has come a day after state media said the post "promoted homosexuality".
The post on the embassy's official Instagram account expresses dedication to creating "a supporting environment where everyone... can feel proud to be themselves".
The semi-official ILNA news agency has quoted Australian ambassador Ian McConville as saying the post was not intended to insult the Iranian people and their values, and that the Islamic Republic was not mentioned in it.
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The United States has laid criminal charges against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior militants in connection with the October 7 attack in Israel.
It's the first effort by US law enforcement to formally call out the masterminds of the attack.
The seven-count criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York City includes charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, conspiracy to murder US nationals and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says US President Joe Biden continues to work towards a ceasefire agreement even as they seek accountability.
"Make no mistake about it. Hamas leaders are going to pay for these crimes. And he and his team for sure will keep, working around the clock to get this hostage deal done. And this is a president that has been, pretty, pretty clear about that."
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Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, has been covered by a wave of smoke coming from wildfires in the Amazon.
The city's Civil Defence officials have issued a high risk alert in several regions until Friday.
The region has experienced the highest number of fires in almost two decades, around 25,000 for the January to July period.
This man, Bruno Nascimento, says many people are finding the conditions difficult.
"Since yesterday, the weather has been really hazy. Right now, I have a very inflamed throat, and I'm going to the hospital to get checked because it's really bad. Even drinking water, even hydrated, it's not helping. Deforestation greatly affects São Paulo, and everyone feels it."
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The federal government has declined to intervene in Western Australia's troubled youth justice system, after the death of a 17 year old teen in Banksia Hill last week.
The teen's death prompted crossbench parliamentarians to ask the Commonwealth to step in to oversee crucial reforms.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the control of youth correctional institutions must remain with the state.
"There's an investigation that must be allowed to take place. But what I say is, to the call that was there for somehow the Commonwealth from Canberra to run juvenile justice in states and territories is not the way forward. States and territories, people closer to the ground, are in a better position to deliver those services."
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The latest national accounts figures are expected to reveal the Australian economy is barely growing when they're released today.
Such an outcome would line up with the RBA's latest forecasts that a weaker economy is an expected consequence of an aggressive round of interest rate hikes aimed at fighting inflation.
Federal Housing Minister Clare O'Neil has told the Seven Network while the government knows many Australians are struggling right now, it has the right policies to turn the situation around.
"We're managing the budget in a way that assists the economy to recover. We've seen two back-to-back Liberal deficits turned into Labor surpluses... I recognise that things are really tough out there for people - and just know that the government is doing everything in our power to help households and get the economy back on track."
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Another 20 species have been added to Australia's endangered list.
Native plants, including a Waratah species that's a symbol for the nation, account for most of the additions.
But they also include two lizards, a sea snake, a crayfish, a fish, and an entire ecological community on King Island off Tasmania.
Nine of the new listings have jumped straight into the critically endangered category, meaning they are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.
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In rugby league news,
North Queensland assistant coach James Maloney has been sacked by the club after being charged with drink driving.
The 38-year-old had previously won premierships with the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla, and joined the club this season after finishing his playing career in France.
Cowboys general manager of football Micheal Luck says it was a fairly amicable departure, while Maloney himself has told News Corp he was "disappointed in himself" but harboured "no ill-will" towards the Cowboys club.
