Monday's news in less than 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the latest stories from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1. Salim Mehajer to break his silence in an interview where “nothing is off limits”. 

Auburn’s Deputy Mayor Salim Mehajer has been shrouded in controversy since his extravagant August wedding shut down a residential street in the NSW suburb of Lidcombe.

The nuptials between Salim and Aysha made headlines across the country, and Salim has since faced allegations of corruption as his history as a councillor and property developer has been scrutinised.

In the months that have followed the Mehajer’s wedding – which featured a $50 million fleet of cars and cinema quality pre-wedding video – four of his colleagues on the Auburn Council have called for his resignation, suggesting that he exploited the law to approve developments relating to his own business interests.

Salim will appear on Nine News tonight to discuss his political future and to address the allegations against him, saying “there’s nothing hidden” and that his business dealings have all been above board.

The couple will also discuss their lavish wedding, with Salim saying the event was meant to inspire others.

“I wanted to lead by example, not only show the world how a female should be treated but also… you only get married once so you give it your best shot.”

2. The Brisbane Broncos coach has criticised the NRL’s ‘golden point’ rule after their loss to the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL Grand Final. 

The North Queensland Cowboys won their first NRL title on Sunday night, claiming victory over the Brisbane Broncos, after trailing behind for the first 46 minutes of the nail biting final.

The Cowboys claimed victory by one point after Johnathon Thurston scored a golden-point field goal in the final minutes of the game.

The celebrations won’t end tonight! #NRL Premiers 2015 pic.twitter.com/DwDQKkEPV8

— NRL (@NRL) October 4, 2015

Thurston – who was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for the best player of the match – was in belief following the game’s conclusion.

“I can’t believe what I have just done. I love these boys, they have worked so hard. They work so hard, I see them every day, the sacrifices that they make, what they do for us every day. I love the club. Wow I can’t believe it,” he told Nine in a post-game interview.

Following the final, Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett has criticised the code’s “golden point” rule, saying that it is unfair on everybody and that the players would have been happy to replay the Grand Final next weekend.

“I still don’t see what’s wrong with a draw. The season doesn’t have to change anything. For 100 years we didn’t have the golden point and we still had a great game.”

3. Teen gunman responsible for the death of Curtis Cheng allegedly linked to extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. 

Fifteen-year-old Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar allegedly attended a lecture given by extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir on Friday before he shot finance worker Curtis Cheng outside NSW Police Headquarters in Parramatta.

Hizb ut-Tahrir has made headlines previously after video footage of a six-year-old boy declaring “you’re never too young to be a Soldier for Khalifa” surfaced. The group is known for vocally rejecting Western values like democracy and secularism. The group is currently under investigation by police.

It has not yet been confirmed whether Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir or was just attending the lecture.

4. Hundreds missing following deadly landslide in Guatemala. 

The chances that any more survivors will be discovered following the enormous landslide are growing slimmer, as diggers plough into the rubble of destroyed homes in the town of Santa Catarina Pinula.

350 people are still missing, with the official death toll sitting at 86. Among the dead were 17 children.

A senior official at CONRED, a disaster agency, told journalists that he doubted the searchers would discover any further survivors.

“But we have enough hope to keep looking, even if just one more person gets out alive,” he said.

5. Autism Spectrum Australia under fire for locking clients in coffin-like “calming boxes”. 

Autism Spectrum Australia is under investigation following reports that distressed clients at a Melbourne day centre were locked into large wooden boxes.

The box, kept in an Aspect classroom in Heatherton, was fitted with a lock, soundproofed with egg cartons and touted as a “calming device”.

The enclosure was built in 2014 and has subsequently been dismantled by order of the organisation’s head office in Sydney.

However, a whistle blower describes the structure as “coffin-like” and “abhorrent”.

“The box epitomises the type of practices that were occurring at that site,” a former Aspect site manager told Fairfax Media. “There was a complete disregard for the clients as human beings.”

The report comes in the wake of criticism of a Canberra principal, who approved the construction of a cage in which teachers could lock a ten-year-old autistic boy.

An investigation by the Disability Services Commissioner has now been launched.

6. The family of Curtis Cheng have paid tribute to a “kind, gentle and loving” man. 

The family of Curtis Cheng, who was shot at close range by radicalised teenager Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar on Friday, have released a statement via police farewelling their beloved husband and father.

“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken that he has been taken from us, but we are truly grateful for the fruitful and happy life he has shared with us,” they said.

“To the many people who have offered their condolences and kind words about him, we are extremely moved by your thoughts and sympathies.”

Curtis’s son Alpha added, “My father was a kind, gentle, and loving person. He was humourous, generous of heart and always put the family first. He has set a tremendous example for us as a family.”

“He will be missed by all of us. We will cherish our memory of him forever.”

7. UFC Champion Ronda Rousey is the first woman to feature on the cover of Men’s Fitness Magazine. 

Women’s UFC Champsion Ronda Rousey has become the first women to ever feature on the cover of Australian men’s health magazine Men’s Fitness, accompanied by the headline “Think you’re tough?”

Rousey posted a photo of the cover on her Instagram page, thanking the Australian publication.

“Thank you Men’s Fitness for making me the first woman on your cover,” she wrote.

Rousey joins Carmen Electra, Stacy Keibler and Maria Menounos, the three women to have featured in the American version of the magazine.

8. Deaths linked to over-the-counter codeine products have doubled in a decade, study finds.

Codeine products – including Nurofen Plus and Panadeine – may soon require a prescription after the number of related deaths soar.

Deaths linked to the painkiller have more than doubled in the decade since 2000, with an alarming increase in accidental overdoses, a study released today in the Medical Journal of Australia found.

An interim decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration means about 150 codeine products may no longer be available over the counter at chemists from June next year, Fairfax reports.

Concerns over deaths and injuries caused by the abuse of a mix of drugs, including codeine, ibuprofen or paracetamol prompted the move, which could affect common medicines include Nurofen Plus, Panadeine and Codral Original Cold and Flu tablets.

“Codeine is increasingly a drug of abuse in Australia,” the TGA ruling stated.

The study found almost half of all codeine-related deaths are accidental overdoses and that access to codeine poses a complex public health issue.

“Changing codeine prescribing practices may not be enough, as codeine is available over the counter in Australia,” the findings said, according to Fairfax.

The research found many of the deaths involved a fatal combination of drugs and that older women with a history of mental health issues were more likely to intentionally overdose, while those with a history of substance abuse and chronic pain were more likely to accidentally overdose.

If this post brings up issues for you, or you just need someone to talk to, please call Lifeline on 131 114. 

Do you have a news tip? We’d love to hear it. Email us at: news@mamamia.com.au

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