Sunday's news in under 5 minutes.

What’s making news today?

1. Abbott rejects ‘fanciful’ report he suggested sending ground troops to Iraq.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says a news report that he wanted to send thousands of Australian troops to unilaterally invade Iraq is “fanciful” and “false”.

The Australian newspaper is reporting that during a meeting on November 25 last year, Mr Abbott suggested sending 3,500 ground troops to confront the Islamic State terrorist group.

The report says Mr Abbott put the idea to leading military planners, who were “stunned” and advised him sending the soldiers without United States or NATO protection would be “disastrous”.

But Mr Abbott said the story was “fanciful”.

“You absolutely can’t leak something that never happened and I think just at the moment there is a little tendency on the part of journalists to pick up rumour, to exaggerate it, to beat it up, to further exaggerate it and then publish it as fact,” he told reporters in Darwin.

“I think people should be very wary about taking too seriously stuff which is claimed which no-one is prepared to put his or her name to.

“The story that I read today was fanciful, absolutely fanciful.”

A version of this article originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission.

2. Anti-Australian backlash in Indonesia after Abbott’s aid comments, with Indonesians donating #coinsforAustralia.

An anti-Australian backlash has begun in the Aceh province of Indonesia in response to Tony Abbott’s controversial comments about tsunami aid.

Groups of activists have begun a campaign called #KoinUntukAustralia, or Coins for Australia. Posts have been set up where angry citizens can donate coins and money as a symbol of returning Australia’s aid.

Abbot’s suggestions that money formerly given as aid following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami could be used as a bargaining tool for the lives of Bali Nine duo Chan and Sukumaran has angered many Indonesian citizens.

Many of them believe law and aid should remain separate issues.

One Twitter photo shows a group of Acehnese putting money into a cardboard box and is captioned, “Aceh people happily try to return your money @TonyAbbottMHR”.

3. 86 schoolboys abducted by militants in war-torn South Sudan.

Gunmen in war-ravaged South Sudan have abducted at least 89 boys from their school in oil-rich Upper Nile State, the United Nations says.

The boys – some as young as 13 – were taken while doing their exams and the total number of kidnapped children could be “much higher”, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.

“According to witnesses, armed soldiers surrounded the community and searched house by house. Boys older than 12 years of age were taken away by force,” UNICEF said in a statement.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions and the gunmen’s intentions were not clear, though in the past armed groups have forcibly recruited children before major offensives.

A version of this article originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission.

4. US Federal Court blocks US Government from keeping mothers and children asylum seekers in detention. 

A federal court has ordered President Barack Obama’s administration to stop detaining mothers and children seeking asylum in the United States.

The practice was implemented to halt a wave of Central American migrants last summer.

The order by US district judge James Boasberg in Washington removed a tool the administration had used to end illegal immigration from across its south-western border.

In his preliminary injunction, Mr Boasberg said mothers and their young children were coming to the US from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador to escape from violence and had “credible fear” and therefore could reasonably hope to obtain asylum.

A version of this article originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission.

5. Young fan with Downs Syndrome wins Scottish football Goal of the Month after overwhelming public vote. 

Eleven-year-old Celtic fan Jay Beatty was the overwhelming winner of the Scottish Premiership’s goal of the month award for January after he scored a penalty during half-time of the champions’ match at Hamilton Academical.

Jay, who has Down syndrome, received 97 per cent of fans’ votes after he scored to rapturous applause from home and away supporters on a VIP trip to see his team’s 2-0 win over Hamilton on January 17.

The award was announced by Jay’s favourite player, former Celtic striker Georgios Samaras.

“Jay my friend, you and me we’re the same now, scoring goals,” the Greece forward said in a statement.

I’m very happy to announce you won the goal of the month.”

Watch Jay’s amazing goal here:

A version of this article originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission.