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Anti-government protesters are demonstrating across Iran – and being killed and arrested in their thousands, many of which will have been carried out by a shadowy volunteer paramilitary group that infiltrates the country's society.

The Basij – officially the Organisation for Mobilisation of the Oppressed – has carried out a raft of human rights violations against Iranians, and is part of a listed terror group in Australia.

This is what we know about it.

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What is the Basij?

Established in 1979 as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for a "20 million army" to defend the revolution, in 1981 it was incorporated into the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), which Australia listed as a state sponsor of terrorism last year. 

Initially, its members were deployed in the Iran-Iraq War, suffering heavy casualties as they were used in human wave attacks designed to overwhelm enemy troops and minefields through sheer weight of numbers.

Reports vary as to whether the organisation was disbanded following the war and revived in later decades or continued uninterrupted, but the ultimate outcome is the same: today, the Basij is predominantly focused on domestic societal control.

Estimates on the number of members vary.

In 2022, when the Basij was involved in the crackdown on the protests in the wake of Mahsa Amini's death, Reuters put the figure at 1 million active members, and potentially millions more overall volunteers.

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They are young, incredibly loyal to the supreme leader – active members go through 45 days of ideological training – and monitor citizens' behaviour throughout Iranian society.

Membership isn't just driven by loyalty to the ayatollah; there are significant perks on offer to those who sign up.

"Completing the training in Basij is a prerequisite to receiving social privileges… financial bonuses, loans on favourable terms, discounts on religious trips to holy places, social welfare or access to universities," the Journal of Modern Science reported last year. 

"Depending on their rank, Basij members also receive financial compensation."

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How does the Basij respond to protests?

According to the US-based thinktank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Basij is one of three Iranian organisations typically tasked with restraining protests, alongside the Law Enforcement Command (LEC) – the country's national police force – and the wider IRGC.

The paramilitary force was particularly noticeable in the response to protests over the 2009 presidential election, as well as in major demonstrations in both 2017-18 and 2022.

During the latter, an Amnesty International report detailed how Basij agents disguised themselves in the crowds, before breaking cover to assault protesters with batons, stun guns and rifle butts, and arrest them.

That Amnesty report also outlined how sexual violence was used by Iranian security forces, including the Basij.

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"Agents repeatedly took [a protester] and the other women into different rooms for 15-30 minutes at a time to rape them and then throw them out into the hall in a degrading manner when they had finished with them," a mental health worker who treated several survivors said in the report.

"She said the rape was systematic, that it was very clear they knew what they were doing, as if they had planned this," the health worker added.

The Basij was rapidly mobilised during the current protests, and while an internet blackout has strangled the flow of information out of Iran recently, eyewitness accounts have emerged of its agents firing at demonstrators and driving into people, including those not involved in the rallies.

Exactly how many Iranians have been killed is unknown at this stage.

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The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has put the death toll so far at more than 2600 – with another 18,470 arrested – while the exiled son of the last shah, Reza Pahlavi, claims the figure stands higher than 12,000.

"The Iranian regime is using an unprecedented level of brutality to suppress protests," the ISW said, without putting forward an exact number of deaths. 

"Security forces have fired on crowds indiscriminately – in some cases with machine guns – and killed scores of citizens across numerous locations," it added.

"Some Iranians who have bypassed the internet shutdown have reported very high volumes of dead protesters on the streets and in hospitals and morgues.

"Some reports alleged the presence of 700-1000 dead protesters at just one morgue in Tehran, not accounting for other locations around the capital or the country overall…

"This anecdotal information is most consistent with the regime killing many thousands in its crackdown."

– with CNN, Reuters

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A Greek tourist visiting his family in Australia for the holidays may never walk again after an accident at a popular beach.

Ioannis Vidiniotis, 28, was swimming with his loved ones at Cottesloe Beach in Perth – the city's postcard 1.5km stretch of sand – on New Year's Eve when he struck his head on a sandbank.

He became unconscious in the water.

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"Giannis went into the water feeling safe," his cousin Aristea Kazantzidou said.

"The next I saw him floating face down. None of us could have imagined how quickly everything would change."

Kazantzidou pulled her cousin from the water as a beachgoer with medical training and lifesavers rushed to help.

Paramedics arrived and provided treatment before rushing him to Royal Perth Hospital.

Vidiniotis had broken his collarbone and suffered catastrophic spinal injuries.

He is in the intensive care unit and unable to move his legs or close his hands, according to the Hellenic Community of Western Australia. 

"Surgeons have advised that, due to the extent of his spinal injuries, Ioannis may be facing quadriplegia," the organisation said on an online fundraising page.

Vidiniotis is expected to remain in hospital for another six to eight weeks and undergo a six-month rehabilitation program. 

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But surgeons have only given him a slim five per cent chance of regaining his ability to walk.

"This is the hardest reality for our family to face," Kazantzidou said.

Vidiniotis' parents are travelling from Greece to Western Australia to be with Vidiniotis.

The community has rallied behind the young man, raising almost $200,000 to cover the costs of his medical treatment. 

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The "Great Resignation" era is coming to an end and workers are hunkering down in long-term jobs, according to new research.

A career trend dubbed "job hugging" has gained momentum, where employees tend to stick to the same role they may not enjoy, but choose to remain in due to the tough job market.

A LinkedIn survey of 2000 people has found 59 per cent of Australians plan to stay in the same job in 2026, a sharp rise compared to 51 per cent last year.

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Four in five people also admitted they feel "unprepared" for a job search, while more than a third of Australians said they were wary of how AI may play a role in the hiring process.

Another seven in 10 Aussies said finding a job had become "harder" in the past 12 months.

After a post-COVID rise in job hopping, it appears workers are willing to stay in the same role as confidence in the job market decreases.

Economic uncertainty is listed as the top reason Australians are unwilling to change jobs, the research found.

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"After the 'Great Resignation', we are seeing the opposite behaviour," LinkedIn career expert Brendan Wong said.

"Australians are job hugging – staying in roles they might have otherwise left because the market feels uncertain and highly competitive.

"When four in five people say they feel unprepared to job hunt, it's not surprising many are choosing stability over risk."

Despite widespread suspicion over hiring managers using AI, it appears Gen Z is the generation most willing to accept it.

LinkedIn found 43 per cent of Gen Z job seekers say AI-led interviews would make them "less nervous".

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Wong said it was a good idea for job seekers to familiarise themselves with AI.

"AI is shaping almost every part of the job search, from finding roles to being pre-screened by recruiters and preparing for interviews," he said.

"The key is to start small."

Despite widespread reluctance to change jobs this year, the professional social networking platform reported there are a few career paths on the rise.

Chief among them are AI engineers, risk officers and mechanical engineers.

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Exclusive: Bethany Cooper thought signing up for email electricity bills would make budgeting easy.

Instead she was slapped with an almost $4000 bill right before the holidays because of what her electricity company has called a technical error.

Cooper and her child moved to Gillen in Alice Springs for a fresh start in 2024.

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They'd been in their new home for several months when Cooper realised she hadn't received a single power bill from Jacana Energy.

She was still receiving other emails from the provider and assumed if there was a problem with her billing, it would contact her.

That assumption proved costly when a $3700 "catch-up" bill landed in her inbox in December, 15 months after she moved in.

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