Good Morning Australia!! - Saudi Arabia draws lines for its allies in the Middle East - More doors are slamming shut in "open" Europe - The refugee who braved a perilous crossing gets his reward - And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

The diplomatic row that started with Saudi Arabia's execution of a Shiite Muslim cleric is spreading across the Middle East.  Saudi Arabia has convinced its allies Bahrain and Sudan to follow its lead and sever relations with Iran, and the UAE has downgraded its diplomatic team in Tehran.  The Saudis came under widespread criticism for the beheading of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who encouraged peaceful resistance to Saudi rule, but things went out of control in the Iranian capital with protesters storming the Saudi embassy and setting fires.   Saudi Arabia and Iran are the major powers in the Sunni and Shiite Muslim worlds, and are on opposing sides in the Syrian and Yemen Civil Wars.

For years, the Oresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden has been a symbol of Europe's openness, but that is changing under the weight of the refugee and migrant crisis.  The two are the latest European nations to impose border controls.  People trying to travel to Sweden over the bridge will be denied entry without the proper documents.  And rail commuters heading to Sweden will have to change trains at Denmark's Copenhagen Airport and go through ID checkpoints.  Denmark decided it "must respond" and will commence tighter controls on the German border and later expand to all entry points.  Denmark also expressed concern about the number of migrants who've come up through Europe en route to Sweden who are now stuck in its capital.

The UK has granted asylum to the Sudanese man who walked all 50 kilometers through the Channel Tunnel from France to England.  Abdul Haroun had been held in jail since the incident in August on charges of obstructing a railway.  Prosecutors at his hearing on in London revealed that he had been granted asylum on 24 December, but did not disclose the nature of the danger or oppression he'd face back in Sudan.  They also hinted they'd drop the charges against him.  Mr. Haroun's tale is an outlier in the overall scheme of the refugee crisis - most people trying to walk the tunnel have been killed by trains, at a rate that some experience train drivers couldn't take it and quit their jobs.

Venezuela set the stage for this year's political conflicts.  The new conservative majority picked veteran lawmaker Henry Ramos Allup as its leader in the legislature, the first time an opposition has held that spot in around 15 years.  The 72-year old said he would ensure the assembly would act "as an autonomous power".  The real fireworks come later on Tuesday when lawmakers arrive to be sworn in.  Three are vowing to take their seats even though the Supreme Court has blocked them pending an investigation into voting irregularities.  Tensions will be high around the building, as both sides called out their supporters for opposing rallies.

At least 25 people are recovering from injuries from a raucous amateur bullfighting event in Turbaco, Colombia.  Four people are in serious condition from being gored.  The annual New Year's "corraleja" involves dozens of locals getting into the ring with wild bulls that are probably not enjoying the company, noise, and flashing lights - and only a few professional bullfighters. 

One of those "Hoverboards" might have cost a Strathmore, VIC family their home.  The most-talked-about gift of the developed world's Holiday Season was set in a bedroom to charge its batteries when it apparently caught fire, causing a blaze that eventually chewed through the roof of the home in Melbourne's northwest.  The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a warning about the danger of fires and the potential for injury through falls.  Several airlines banned hoverboards from cargo or baggage because of the fire risk.  Actor Russell Crowe found that out when he tried to take one on a Virgin Airlines flight last month.