This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
Key events
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Live updates
Let’s set you up for the day
By Peta Fuller
Thanks for joining us this morning.
If you're catching up, here's a bit of what we've covered:
- China's 'breathtaking' protests could bring harsh reprisals, expert says
- Brussels sees riots after Morocco beat Belgium in a surprising upset at the World Cup
- Brisbane Airport will review a security incident after thousands of people had to be rescreened on Sunday
- Donald Trump has denied he met with a white supremacist while dining at Mar-a-Lago
- And Elon Musk on plans for "Twitter 2.0"
You can keep up-to-date on other news on the ABC's website, by subscribing to our mobile alerts, and by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here.
NSW SES says flooding situation has eased
By Peta Fuller
The flooding situation across the state's central west has been helped by a week of clear weather, the NSW SES says.
There are 13 flood emergency warnings across the state.
Earlier reports that stated the SES was predicting the Riverina community of Deniliquin to exceed major flood levels in the coming days were incorrect.
Spokesperson Greg Nash says the peak has passed:
"For the people of Deniliquin, we saw that peak pass through at 9.18m on Tuesday.
We just need people to stay aware of the information for those areas and listen to our warnings and advice - but for the people of Deniliquin that peak has definitely passed and going further downstream."
BBC reporter detained covering Shanghai protest
By Peta Fuller
The BBC says Chinese police assaulted and detained one of its journalists, before later releasing him after several hours.
The British public broadcaster said in a statement that Ed Lawrence was handcuffed, beaten, and kicked by police during the arrest.
Protests are taking place around the country and were sparked by the deaths of 10 people in a building blaze that firefighters struggled to reach due to lockdown barriers.
US prepares for holiday season COVID surge
By Peta Fuller
Hospitals in the United States are preparing for a surge in the number of COVID-19-related hospital admissions, following this week's Thanksgiving holiday.
The United States has registered over 98 million confirmed cases, with the death toll approaching 1.08 million.
The virus kills approximately 300 to 400 people daily across the US.
Brisbane Airport to review incident after thousands of passengers had to be rescreened
By Peta Fuller
Brisbane Airport Corporation spokesperson Stephen Beckett says about five passengers yesterday entered the domestic terminal on Sunday afternoon — without getting proper security checks.
More than 2,000 people had to be rescreened.
He's told ABC Radio Brisbane, airport authorities will today try to work out exactly what happened:
"They went through the scanners and they for some reason required the ticket okay, from the security person or some form of supplementary screening.
They ended up in the terminal before they got that and as a result we have to rescreen all of those passengers.
We had a swift response from our security team. We had eyes on them all the time, so we knew where."
But there were still long wait times at the airport this morning:
Pesutto puts hand up for Victorian Liberal Party leader (if he wins his seat)
By Peta Fuller
The Victorian Liberal Party is searching for a new leader after Matthew Guy announced he was stepping down after his second election loss.
And John Pesutto says he'll throw his hat in the ring for the gig — but he has to win Hawthorn first.
Latest counts have him just ahead of Independent Melissa Lowe, with two-thirds of votes counted.
Mr Pesutto has told ABC Radio Melbourne:
"I haven't talked to everybody yet but the discussions I have had so far have been really positive and everyone seems receptive to the concept of me being a potential leader so I'm encouraged by that and I will continue to pursue that."
Colorado shooting victim 'wanted to save the family I found'
By Peta Fuller
We've heard from Thomas James, who was one of two people who helped take down a shooter at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub.
He's in the US Navy (a Petty Officer 2nd Class) and officials said he reportedly pushed a rifle out of the shooter's reach while Army veteran Rich Fierro repeatedly struck the shooter with a handgun the shooter brought into the bar.
Five people were killed and 17 injured.
James said they were all "family... and family looks after one another."
He ended his statement with:
"Your family is out there. You are loved and valued. So when you come out of the closet, come out swinging."
At least 14 killed in Cameroon landslide as search for survivors continues into night
By Peta Fuller
A landslide during a funeral ceremony in Cameroon's capital has left at least 14 people dead, the regional governor said, and dozens missing.
Centre Regional governor Naseri Paul Bea told the Cameroonian national broadcaster CRTV that the search for survivors was continuing into the night:
“At the scene we counted 10 bodies, but before our arrival four bodies already had been taken away... there are also a dozen serious cases dispersed in hospitals."
Blank pieces of paper spreading as symbol of protest in China
By Peta Fuller
Images and videos circulated online showed students at universities in cities including Nanjing and Beijing holding up blank sheets of paper in silent protest, a tactic used in part to evade censorship or arrest.
Widespread in-person protests are rare in China, where room for dissent has been all-but eliminated under President Xi Jinping, forcing citizens mostly to vent on social media where they play cat-and-mouse games with censors.
- Reuters
Russia planning new strikes, Zelenskyy says, in a 'difficult' week
By Peta Fuller
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned the coming week will be difficult, with more attacks on electricity infrastructure.
"We understand that the terrorists are planning new strikes. We know this for a fact. And as long as they have missiles, they, unfortunately, will not calm down," Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
Germany holds on for a draw against Spain
By Peta Fuller
So good news for German fans — they've fought back with a late goal to draw 1-1 with Spain in a dramatic World Cup group match.
While a draw isn't the worst for Spain, they had all three points in their grasp with a few chances missed.
The ABC's Andrew McGarry is blogging over here, and breaks down what this means for Group E?
- Spain PL2, W 1, L0, D1, GD: +7 PTS: 4
- Japan PL2, W1, L1, D0, GD: 0 PTS: 3
- Costa Rica PL2, W1, D0, L1, GD: -6 PTS: 3
- Germany PL2, W0, D1, L1, GD: -1 PTSL 1
Germany has to beat Costa Rica — preferably by a decent margin, and then hope that Spain beats or draws with Japan.
Newborn among seven dead in Italian landslide
By Peta Fuller
Search teams have recovered seven dead, including a 3-week-old infant and a pair of young siblings, buried in mud and debris that hurtled down a mountainside and through a densely populated port city on the resort island of Ischia.
The landslide was triggered by the heaviest rainfall to hit the island in 20 years.
Germany v Spain: World Cup powerhouse nations take it down to the wire
By Peta Fuller
There's a thriller World Cup match happening over here — Germany is taking on Spain, and they've just equalised (they're 1-1 with minutes on the clock).
Catch the last of our live coverage over here:
Anthony Fauci urges politicians probing COVID origins to keep politics out of it
By Jessica Riga
Reporting by North America correspondent Carrington Clarke in Washington
White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci has urged any politicians probing the origins of COVID-19 to keep politics out of it.
Dr Fauci is stepping down from his role as America's top infectious disease public official after decades of service.
But he has become an increasingly polarising figure with some members of the Republican party saying he has stood in the way of an investigation into the origin of COVID-19.
In his final White House briefing, Dr Fauci said he's not against an investigation but says the evidence suggests a natural origin to the virus.
But he says the Chinese government hasn't provided primary evidence to help with the investigation.
He says he'll personally be willing to appear before Congress to give evidence.
Islamist militants claim attack on hotel in Somalia
By Peta Fuller
Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for attacking a hotel in Somalia's capital Mogadishu — they said they were targeting the nearby presidential palace.
Ahmed Abdullahi, who lives close to the scene, said:
"We were shaken by a huge blast, followed by heavy exchange of gunfire... We are just indoors and listening to gunfire."
The assailants stormed the Villa Rose hotel, which is close to the presidential palace, two police officers told Reuters, and it wasn't clear how many attackers there were.
Mohammed Abdi, one of the police officers, said some government officials at the Villa Rose were rescued after using windows to escape.
The state minister for the environment Adam Aw Hirsi wrote on Twitter:
Trump denies meeting with white supremacist at Mar-a-Lago dinner
By Peta Fuller
Donald Trump said the encounter at Mar-a-Lago, with white supremacist Nick Fuentes was inadvertent, and happened during a dinner meeting last week with the rapper Ye (aka Kanye West), who himself has drawn widespread criticism for making anti-Semitic statements.
Trump in a message on his Truth Social media site said he met with Ye and "we got along great, he expressed no anti-Semitism, & I appreciated all of the nice things he said about me on 'Tucker Carlson.'
"Why wouldn't I agree to meet? Also, I didn't know Nick Fuentes," Trump wrote.
Brussels sees riots after Morocco beats Belgium at World Cup
By Peta Fuller
Police had to seal off parts of the centre of Brussels, deploy water cannons and fire tear gas to disperse crowds following violence during and after Morocco's 2-0 upset win over Belgium at the World Cup.
Dozens of rioters overturned and torched a car, set electric scooters on fire and pelted cars with bricks. Police moved in after one person suffered facial injuries.
One big thing to know now: China's 'breathtaking' protests
By Peta Fuller
China has seen its most widespread protests for more than 30 years, with demonstrators across the country calling for an end to COVID Zero measures.
The ABC's East Asia Correspondent Bill Birtles says the protests have been gathering steam over the weekend, as cases hit a record of 40,000 a day in China.
Human Rights Watch China director Sophie Richardson says she thinks it's reasonable to expect that there'll be harsh reprisals:
"Seeing people protesting in broad daylight, unmasked in parts of the country that we know are awash in police and surveillance cameras — it is just breathtaking. And in many ways I think a powerful statement of how frustrated people are."
News Australia is searching for
By Peta Fuller
- Elon Musk: The Twitter CEO is trending again this morning — after Musk's tweeted about "Twitter 2.0 The Everything App" will have features like encrypted direct messages (DMs), long-form tweets and payments
One more thing: A former UK minister could win reality TV show contest
By Peta Fuller
It's an unlikely shot at redemption — Matt Hancock was theUK's health secretary but now he's attempting to win the UK version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here — (shot in Australia).
He got caught breaking his government’s own COVID rules when video emerged of him kissing an aide he was having an affair with.
And he's actually made it to the final three, against former England soccer star Jill Scott and actor Owen Warner.
Former rugby player Mike Tindall (whose wife, Zara, is the niece of King Charles III) just left the show, saying about Hancock:
"He clearly wants to win. Once a politician, always a politician. Always polling for votes."
