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Iranian footballers ‘have been taken hostage by Australia, Tehran official says
Adeshola Ore
Iran’s foreign affairs ministry has suggested the country’s two remaining footballers who sought asylum in Australia are being forced to remain in the country.
Five of the seven members of Iran’s women’s soccer team who claimed asylum in Australia last week later changed their mind and have returned to the country.
Australia’s Iranian diaspora has raised concerns that the country’s regime may have pressured some players to return home.
Speaking to the ABC’s 7.30 program, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, was asked if the two remaining players were being kept in the country against their will. He replied: “I guess so.”
Baghaei reiterated claims that the women were taken “hostage” in Australia:
double quotation markThey didn’t seek asylum. They were forced to. They were coerced to. They didn’t do it voluntarily.
Baghaei said he was “quoting their coach” in making the claims.
double quotation markThey were invited to go to a room under the pretence of clarifying the doping or something like that. And then they put the paper beside them…. you can be given asylum.
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Updated at 15.45 EDT
Luca Ittimani
Hello, I’ll be taking you through today’s breaking news. Thanks to Martin Farrer for opening our live blog.
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Fuel taskforce will prioritise regional areas, says minister
Adeshola Ore
The resources minister, Madeleine King, says a new fuel taskforce will prioritise regional areas as petrol and diesel flows from the nation’s stockpile.
Yesterday the Albanese government appointed Anthea Harris, the former chief of the energy regulator, to head a national fuel supply taskforce.
Speaking to the ABC’s 7.30, King said the taskforce would ensure the released fuel reached service stations that had run out of supply “as soon as possible”:
double quotation markThere is a priority that fuel does go to regional areas and the places where it is needed.
They have to come out of the storage tanks, as you can imagine. There has to be arrangements and we are doing work that would ordinarily take weeks. It’s being done in days to ensure it does get to those petrol stations.
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Tropical Cyclone Narelle on track to hit Queensland coast as category-four storm
Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle is on track to make landfall in Cape York this morning, likely as a “high end” category-four storm.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest update suggests the system – which had been tracking as a category-five tropical cyclone – has weakened slightly overnight but remains a significant danger to a number of communities in Queensland’s north.
Sustained winds of 195km/h – with wind gusts up to 270km/h – have been recorded.
Emergency warnings have been issued for the Lockhart River, Port Stewart and Coen.
Narelle is expected to make landfall between 7am and 10am, Queensland time (8am and 11am AEDT). Tracking maps show the cyclone heading directly towards the small town of Coen.
It remains about 110km from the community and is moving about 21kmh.
Cyclones typically weaken when they reach landfall but the intensity of Narelle means it could remain destructive as it crosses Cape York and eventually reaches communities in the western cape.
Authorities are warning of combined threats – strong winds, heavy rain, flooding from already-swollen river systems and a storm surge as the cyclone arrives in conjunction with a high tide.
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Updated at 15.48 EDT
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Luca Ittimani with the main action.
There’s plenty of news about but the main action this morning is in far north Queensland, where a huge and fierce storm is about to make landfall.
Tropical cyclone Narelle has dipped just below the most severe category-five level as it approaches the coast, with the town of Coen bracing for a hit.
Narelle will make landfall within hours and we’ll bring you all the news as it happens.
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