This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
Key events
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That's it for The Loop this morning — and the rest of the year
By Kate Ainsworth
Thanks so much for joining us throughout the morning, or if you've tuned in to a past edition of The Loop this year. We're taking a short break over the Christmas period, but we'll be back to do it all again in 2023.
If you're just catching up, here's some of what we covered (hit the link to jump to the post):
- Doctors for soccer great Pelé say his cancer has advanced, and he will spend Christmas in hospital
- The January 6 committee has delayed releasing its final report
- Brittney Griner has urged supporters to help Americans who have been detained abroad, including former US Marine Paul Whelan
- Tax figures show Donald Trump paid no income tax in 2020, his final year as president
- H&M has pulled its Justin Bieber collection after the singer labelled it 'trash' on his Instagram story earlier this week
You can keep up-to-date with other news on the ABC's website, by subscribing to our mobile alerts, and by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here.
See you next year!
Inventor of chicken tikka masala dies
By Kate Ainsworth
The chef who is believed to have invented one of Britain's favourite curries, the chicken tikka masala, has died aged 77.
Ali Ahmed Aslam's death was announced by on social media by Shish Mahal, his restaurant in Glasgow, writing:
"Hey Shish Snobs…Mr Ali Passed away this morning….we are all absolutely devastated and heartbroken."
The restaurant was closed for two days as a sign of respect, before Mr Ali's funeral was held on December 20.
Mr Ali told news agency AFP in 2009 that he came up with the idea for chicken tikka masala after a customer complained that regular chicken tikka was too dry — so he decided to pair it with the creamy tomato base that's since become a staple on Indian restaurant menus around the world.
NASA formally retires Mars InSight lander
By Kate Ainsworth
It's officially time to say goodbye to the Mars InSight lander after four years — NASA has formally retired the spacecraft.
The InSight lander was the first robotic probe that was designed to study the deep interior of the space world, and found that Mars is seismiscally active — recording more than 1,3000 marsquakes (as opposed to earthquakes).
Engineers said the probe last communicated with Earth on December 15, and it's unlikely to hear from it again — but NASA says it will continue to listen for a signal just in case.
Back in October, NASA predicted that the lander would reach the end of its operational life in a matter of weeks due to a heavy amount of dust gathering on its solar panels, which prevented its batteries from recharging.
Argentina's government defends World Cup winners parade
By Kate Ainsworth
Argentina’s government has defended the enormous parade held in Buenos Aires to welcome home the World Cup winning team, despite the event being cut short due to organisational chaos.
“The objective was to protect the players — not because they were going to be harmed, but rather because anything could help when so many people were trying to get close to them," Security Minister Aníbal Fernández said.
After days of public celebrations, most of the national soccer squad have been spending time out of the spotlight in favour of being with friends and family.
There had been some speculation that Argentina's third-largest city of Rosario would host its own celebrations for hometown hero Lionel Messi — but after millions of people took to the streets in Buenos Aires, officials are now emphasising the players are wanting to rest (can you blame them?)
Steven Spielberg 'regrets' impact Jaws had on sharks
By Kate Ainsworth
The iconic film director has apologised for the impact his 1975 Hollywood blockbuster Jaws had on sharks.
In a recent interview, Spielberg told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that he partly blames the film's popularity to the decline of sharks in the wild.
“I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and the film," he said.
"I really, truly regret that.
“That’s one of the things I still fear. Not to get eaten by a shark, but that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sport fishermen that happened after 1975.”
Soccer legend Pelé's cancer advances, will spend Christmas in hospital
By Kate Ainsworth
Sad news out of Brazil this morning — soccer legend Pelé's cancer has advanced, according to a recently released medical report.
The report says he's requiring care related to renal and cardiac dysfunction.
Pelé, 82, was diagnosed with colon cancer back in September 2021, and was hospitalised for his doctors to reevaluate his treatment in late November.
His daughter has also provided an update on his condition in an Instagram post, saying he will spend Christmas in hospital — sharing that they plan to make caipirinhas while in the ward.
Memphis zoo returns two pandas to China
By Kate Ainsworth
A zoo in Memphis, Tennessee, is returning two giant pandas that had been on loan from China for 20 years, after months of criticism advocacy groups that Ya Ya and Le Le have been receiving inadequate care.
A spokesperson for the zoo said the decision to return the pandas to China had nothing to do with pressure from animal advocates.
China requires foreign zoos that host pandas on loan to allow older animals to spend their final days on Chinese soil. At 24 and 22, respectively, Le Le and Ya Ya have exceeded the giant panda life expectancy in the wild by almost 10 years.
The World Wildlife Fund estimates there's about 1,800 pandas left in the wild and another 500 in zoos around the world.
January 6 committee delays releasing final report
By Kate Ainsworth
The committee investigating the deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol has delayed the release of their final report.
The report, which is expected to be more than 1,000 pages long, is based on nearly 1,200 interviews over 18 months, and was expected to be released online today.
The final report is expected to outline the case that former US president Donald Trump should face criminal charges of inciting the riot.
It's unclear what exactly has caused the delay to the report being release — but the committee said it expects to release the report tomorrow instead.
Penny Wong leaves China after meeting with foreign minister
By Kate Ainsworth
Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong has left China after a 90-minute meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, where she asked for two prominent citizens jailed in China to be reunited with their families "as soon as possible".
Senator Wong expressed Australias's concerns about the ongoing detention of Australian journalist Cheng Lei and writer Dr Yang Henjun.
"We advocated for a range of things," Senator Wong said after the meeting.
"They include for those Australians to be reunited with their families as soon as possible, but we also advocate for the observance of consular agreements."
Senator Wong also raised the issues of human rights and trade sanctions during the meeting, as part of her visit to China — the first by an Australian minister in more than three years.
"There was a discussion about opportunities for further dialogue to work through how we might do what I think is in the best interests of both countries and consumers in both countries and that is for the trade blockages to be removed," Senator Wong said.
War medals belonging to Weary Dunlop stolen in Melbourne
By Kate Ainsworth
War medals and documents that belonged to Sir Ernest Edward 'Weary' Dunlop have been stolen from Melbourne's inner south-east.
Police say thieves removed a safe from a property on Williams Road in Toorak sometime between 7:30pm on Sunday and 11pm on Monday, which contained letters and documents belonging to and written by Sir Ernest Edward 'Weary' Dunlop.
The safe also contained his medals and other honours presented to him, along with jewellery and electronics worth more than $30,000.
Weary Dunlop was an Australian surgeon who was renowned for his leadership while being held prisoner by the Japanese during World War II.
Anyone with information about the burglary or knows the location of the documents is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
All smiles in the White House
By Kate Ainsworth
Just before their press conference gets underway, US President Joe Biden has shared this tweet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Coming up: Zelenskyy and Joe Biden to speak at the White House
By Kate Ainsworth
If you're just waking up (no judgment here), Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Washington DC meeting with US President Joe Biden.
It's Zelenskyy's first overseas trip since Russia invaded Ukraine back in February.
We're expecting to hear from both presidents in about half an hour's time — and my colleague Bridget Judd is covering all the action here:
Brittney Griner urges supporters to help Americans detained abroad
By Kate Ainsworth
In a handwritten letter posted to her Instagram account, US basketball star Brittney Griner has urged her supporters to write letters to Paul Whelan, a former US Marine detained in Russia.
Griner was released from a Russian penal colony earlier this month as part of a prisoner swap, after she was first arrested in February for carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil.
US officials said they had tried to secure the release of both Griner and Whelan during the prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout, but Russia was treating Whelan's case differently.
After Griner's release, Whelan expressed dismay that more wasn't done to secure his release.
Griner said letters helped her "to not lose hope during a time where I was full of regret and vulnerable in ways I could never have imagined" and said the letters showed the "power of collective hands".
"There remain too many families with loved ones wrongfully detained," she wrote.
"I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families."
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried consents to extradition
By Kate Ainsworth
Founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, has consented to be extradited to the US where he's facing fraud charges.
Bankman-Fried appeared at a court hearing in the Bahamas overnight, after he was charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan last week of stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer assets to plus losses at his hedge fund, Alameda Research.
US attorney Damien Williams described it as "one of the biggest financial frauds in American history."
Bankman-Fried has been committed to custody before he is taken to the US.
It's still unclear when Bankman-Friend will leave the Bahamas, but it could happen as early as today.
Brits told to avoid contact sport and heavy drinking during paramedic strike
By Kate Ainsworth
Paramedics in England and Wales are stopping work for 12 hours to demand better pay and conditions — with Brits asked to avoid contact sport and heavy drinking due to a shortage of ambulances.
The stoppage means patients with broken bones, women in labour and elderly people who have suffered falls are unlikely to get an ambulance, which are being reserved for only the most serious cases — and many are being driven by members of the military.
The ABC's Europe correspondent Nick Dole is reporting that the situation is so dire in Britain that some patients have been told that unless they think they're about to die, they should get themselves to hospital — or be prepared to wait.
Two men have been arrested after siege in Toowoomba
By Kate Ainsworth
Queensland police have arrested two men after reports of gunfire during a stand-off in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, last night.
Officers were called to the Park Street home in relation to a search warrant and safely removed five people from the property, but two men remained inside.
An emergency declaration was issued around midday yesterday, with two men, aged 35 and 44, taken into custody shortly before 6pm.
Trump paid no income tax in final year as president
By Kate Ainsworth
After the US House voted to release Donald Trump's income and tax liability yesterday, a congressional panel has released his tax figures from 2020 — the final year of his presidency — showing Trump paid zero income tax that year.
The records also show that Trump's income and his tax liability greatly fluctuated during his four years in the White House, countering against the image that he's a successful businessman as he plans another run for presidency.
Reuters reports that Trump and his wife, Melania, paid some form of tax during all four years, the documents showed, but were able to minimise their income taxes in several years as income from Trump's businesses was more than offset by deductions and losses.
A Trump spokesman said the release of the documents was politically motivated.
News while you snoozed: Zelenskyy has met with Joe Biden
By Kate Ainsworth
If you missed it yesterday, reports were coming thick and fast that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be travelling to Washington DC to meet with US President Joe Biden.
He's since touched down in the US overnight — making it his first overseas trip since Russia invaded Ukraine back in February.
News Australia is searching for: Brisbane Heat
By Kate Ainsworth
- Brisbane Heat: A half century to Andre Russell all but secured the Melbourne Renegades to a four-wicket win over the Heat in the BBL last night. Russell hit 57 runs from 42 balls — meaning the Renegades are now 3-0 this season.
One more thing: H&M pulls its Justin Bieber collection
By Kate Ainsworth
Fast fashion giant H&M has removed its collection inspired by Justin Bieber after the singer branded it "trash" on social media earlier this week.
Bieber took to his Instagram stories to say he hadn't approved the collection that included t-shirts, tote bags and phone cases, and urged people not to purchase them.
"The H&M Merch they made out of me is trash and I didn't approve it," Bieber said.
H&M defended its line, saying it had followed "proper approval procedures" but has since removed the garments from their stores and online.
(Sidenote, is anyone else but me wondering if it's too late now for H&M to say sorry?)
