TRANSCRIPT
- Syrian rebel groups close in on the capital city Damascus
- Jewish community leaders call for government action on rise of anti-Semitism
- Australian teenage sprinter Gout Gout sets a new national record for the 200-metre
Syrian rebel forces have entered the key city of Homs, a key crossroads city linking the capital Damascus to Syria’s coastal areas.
A Homs resident, and army and rebel sources say rebels breached government defences from the north and east of the city on Saturday.
The Syrian military did not immediately comment on the reports.
At the same time, a video has been released of protesters in a Damascus suburb tearing down a statue of President Bashar al-Assad's father.
The government is denying rumours that President Assad has fled the country, saying he remains in Damascus despite opposition fighters closing in on the capital.
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has survived an impeachment motion that was prompted by his short-lived attempt to impose martial law this week.
The motion fell short of the 200 votes needed after members of his party boycotted the vote.
The main opposition party, Democratic Party, says it won't give up and will revive the motion next week.
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The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris reopens its doors today, five-and-a-half years after it was ravaged by a devastating fire that destroyed its spire and roof.
World leaders - including President-elect Donald Trump, America’s first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy - are expected among some 1,500 guests for the reopening service.
Reverend Olivier Ribadeau Dumas is the Notre Dame's rector.
He says it is an important moment.
"The reopening of the cathedral is an important moment. We've been waiting for it for a long time. At the same time, Notre Dame de Paris is the very sign of the presence of a soul in the heart of our city. It's important for Parisians, it's important for Catholics, it's important for the French and for the whole world. The emotion felt five years ago is the same emotion felt today."
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Members of the Australian Jewish community are calling for the government to take urgent action to combat anti-Semitism in the country.
It comes after an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne's southeast on Friday morning.
Jewish community members say they have been targeted by pro-Palestinian group members in recent weeks and have called for an end to acts of harassment.
Alex Ryvchin, co-chair of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, says the Prime Minister needs to call a emergency cabinet meeting.
"We need to see greater funding to secure our Jewish community's facilities and institutions, as a matter of urgent priority. There should be a declaration of a national emergency. When you have a 300 per cent increase in anti-Semitism in this country over the last year, a greater increase than any country anywhere in the world, something is amiss in our society. And it requires the Prime Minister to convene with the Premiers around the country and together determine what they're going to do to combat this problem."
Meanwhile, former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he has written to the Prime Minister calling for a response to the rise of anti-Semitism in the last year.
"Today, I penned an open letter to our Prime Minister. It was a call to action. Enough is enough. Because the terrorist attack at Adass synagogue was just the latest in a long list of anti-Semitic attacks that has occurred on the Prime Minister's watch in our country since October the seventh last year."
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Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has announced that two more treatments for those suffering from type-two diabetes will now be subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Diabetes is one of the top ten causes of death in the country, with at least 125 people diagnosed with the condition every day.
At least 116,000 patients are expected to benefit from the changes to the scheme, saving hundreds of dollars in medicine costs per year.
Minister Butler says the listing will make things easier for doctors as well.
"Clinicians, doctors, GPs and specialists will be able to prescribe these life-changing treatments to patients much earlier in their diabetes journey. So before they've had to show these excess sugar levels, giving them relief sooner, and giving them relief before some of these lasting health damage is done. It will provide an extraordinary amount of support."
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In athletics,
Australian track and field athlete Gout Gout has eased past the 200-metre heats in the Australian All-School Championships.
The Queenslander of South Sudanese heritage reinforced his standing as one of the world's most exciting sprinters at the age of 16, with a time of 20.39 seconds.
That's 0.02s faster than the national record set by Peter Norman 56 years ago.
