TRANSCRIPT:
- Residents fearful after an attack on a Melbourne synagogue;
- South Korea's president apologises for declaring martial law ahead of an impeachment vote;
- Ange Postecoglou unrepentant after a heated exchange with Tottenham fans.
The mayor of a Melbourne community at the centre of an early-morning arson attack on a synagogue says residents are devastated and fearful following the incident.
The Adass Israel synagogue at Glen Eira in Melbourne's southeast had two of its three buildings gutted after suspected masked intruders allegedly broke into the building and set it alight in the early hours of Friday [[6 Dec]].
The two are still believed to be at large.
Port Phillip mayor Louise Crawford has told Channel Nine there is limited information around the attack at this stage, but says the council is working with Victoria police and the Jewish community to ensure residents feel safe.
" When people were there praying and learning at a very early time in the morning, and it has gutted their synagogue, their shul, the place that they pray three times a day at, it's actually appalling and in a residential area. So I'm not sure if you understand how close this shul is into our little shopping strip, also to residents that live around. So it's been very frightening overall."
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Organisers of the Mardi Gras parade have agreed to let members of the New South Wales police force take part in the celebrations.
A series of resolutions designed to banish the force from the annual event has been narrowly defeated in a vote at the Mardi Gras annual general meeting this afternoon, 459 in favour to 493 against.
Uniformed members of the force have previously participated in the parade.
But the invitation was rescinded last year after an officer was charged with the murder of couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
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Two boats involved in a fatal collision on Sydney Harbour have been seized by police.
The boats will undergo mechanical examinations, while both skippers will also be required to undergo mandatory testing.
The examinations are part of the investigation that's now underway into the boat crash that saw a man in his 50s die from what's been described as a significant chest injury.
The boats had been preparing for the Cabbage Tree Island Race, the last offshore event contested by entrants in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race that begins on Boxing Day.
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The White House says it has not ruled out the possibility of more pardons before the Biden administration steps down on January 20.
While the US President has already issued a pardon for his son Hunter, top aides are now said to be discussing whether pre-emptive pardons to current and former public officials are in order, after Trump's pick for FBI Director, Kash Patel, vowed retribution against critics of the president-elect.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says Mr Biden is not part of the pardon discussions but will make the final decision.
She has also indicated the president and senior officials have been alarmed by the rhetoric coming from the Republicans.
"Republicans said they weren't going to let up, weren't going to stop. Recently announced Trump appointees for law enforcement have said on the campaign that they they were out for retribution. And I think we should believe their words. We should believe what they say."
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South Korea's president has apologised to the nation for declaring martial law, ahead of his impeachment hearing in the country's Parliament.
Yoon Suk-Yeol has appeared on television to deliver his apology, in which he's said the decision was born out of desperation - but that he would not that seek to avoid legal and political responsibility.
The apology marks the embattled leader's first public appearance since he rescinded the martial law order early on Wednesday, six hours after it was declared and after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote against the decree.
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A man extradited from Australia has been sentenced to ten years in prison in the UK over the death of a woman who attended one of his workshops.
61 year old Hongchi Xiao had been convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence.
He was accused of failing to get help for a 71 year old diabetic woman who had stopped taking insulin on his advice, with Xiao promoting instead paida lajin therapy, which involves getting patients to slap themselves repeatedly.
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To sport,
And in football news,
Aussie manager Ange Postecoglou has come under fire from supporters following Tottenham's 1-nil loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League that has seen them drop to tenth place on the ladder.
Postecoglou engaged in a heated exchange with fans after the match, which began when he was subjected to abuse from a minority of Spurs' travelling support squad.
But the former Socceroos coach says he has no regrets about what happened.
"Well, that would be me trying to dictate how they feel. Look, all I can say is I'm really disappointed with tonight and I'm determined to get it right and I'll keep fighting till we do."
