TRANSCRIPT
- Israel's National Security Minister resigns over Gaza ceasefire.
- Northern Territory child protection changes spark discrimination concerns.
- And in Tennis, Alex de Minaur survives scare to keep Australian Open hopes alive.
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Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has announced he will be resigning from the Israeli government in protest of the cabinet approving a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Haaretz reports that Mr Ben-Gvir also intends to withdraw his anti-Arab Jewish Power Party from the Netanyahu coalition government, a move that threatens to collapse the Prime Minister's slim majority.
Qatar's foreign ministry says the ceasefire in Gaza will come into effect today at 4:30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.
The initial ceasefire will last six weeks and will see the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, as well as the release of 33 Israeli hostages and over 1000 Palestinians prisoners from Israel including 95 women and children set free today.
In the West Bank, Nasser Ataya says his son will be coming home on his 19th birthday after being arrested in October 2023.
“At the beginning of the war, there was a deal, and we thought that my son's name would be part of that deal, but that didn’t happen. For this reason, this time, I don’t want to say that we lost hope, but we didn’t expect it. However, our luck was good, and thank God, it happened. The feeling we have about it is indescribable."
Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch say many Palestinian prisoners are being held without charge or trial.
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President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he will likely grant TikTok an additional 90 days to finalise a deal to prevent a US ban on the platform.
In an NBC News interview, Mr Trump indicated he had not yet decided but was considering extending TikTok's deadline after his inauguration on Monday.
A law banning mobile app stores and internet hosts from offering TikTok in the US takes effect on Sunday after the platform's Chinese parent company failed to sell its US operations.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew says the ban is a violation of the First Amendment.
"I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us, to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States. This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. As we've said, TikTok is a place where people can create communities, discover new interests and express themselves. Including over 7 million American businesses who earn a living and gain new customers using our platform. We are grateful and pleased to have the support of a president who truly understands our platform."
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Experts are raising concerns over proposed changes to Northern Territory child protection laws, warning they could discriminate against Aboriginal children.
Documents obtained by AAP reveal the NT government plans to amend child protection laws, allowing courts and the Department of Children and Families to bypass the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle in certain cases.
The principle, designed as a national standard, ensures Aboriginal children maintain connections to their country, culture, and family—a key factor identified in decades of reports as vital to their wellbeing and safety.
The draft legislation introduces a "special and exceptional circumstance" clause, permitting courts to disregard the principle if deemed necessary. Currently, over 90% of children in care in the Northern Territory are Aboriginal.
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Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has attended court for the first time on Saturday to fight a request by investigators to extend his detention as they probe his failed attempt to institute martial law.
After weeks of refusing to speak with investigators, Mr Yoon has become the country's first sitting president to be arrested on accusations of insurrection.
Tens of thousands of Yoon's supporters rallied outside the court and clashed with police as they chanted support for the suspended leader, who plunged South Korea into its worst political chaos in decades with his bid to suspend civilian rule.
The December 3 martial law declaration lasted just six hours, with lawmakers voting it down despite him ordering soldiers to storm parliament to stop them.
His supporters claim the leader is trying to save the country.
"Our country is truly in a precarious situation. Our President has informed us about this: how dangerous the situation is. That’s why people are waking up now and joining the right-wing, and supporting President Yoon"
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And now to Tennis...
Alex de Minaur has survived a huge scare to keep his Australian Open dream alive and etch his name in the tennis history books.
De Minaur stood three points away from a two-set deficit before fighting back to clinch a spirited 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-3 win over Francesco Cerundolo on Saturday.
De Minaur has never won a grand slam match from two sets to love down and had to pull out all stops to avoid needing to in a three-hour, 53-minute match on Rod Laver Arena.
The win has propelled the Australian hope into the last 16 for a fourth consecutive year and kept alive de Minaur's chances of becoming the first Australian man to win the Open since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
