TRANSCRIPT
- South Korean MPs begin impeachment proceedings against the country's president
- Amnesty releases a scathing report over the actions of Israel in Gaza
- Matildas return to winning ways after 3-1 victory over Chinese Taipei
South Korea's parliament have voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his move overnight on Tuesday to temporarily impose martial law.
Mr Yoon's declaration of martial law late on Tuesday [Dec 3] attempted to ban political activity and censor the media in South Korea, which has been a democracy since the 1980s.
This prompted strong opposition from protesters and parliament as the military attempted to enter the National Assembly building and were met with staffers spraying fire extinguishers and blocking their access.
The Democratic party's Kim Seung-Won addressed the motion.
"It was a moment of military treason that we considered disappeared in the history. He has committed an unforgivable sin."
Following the introduction of the motion, a vote on impeachment must be held within 24 to 72 hours.
**
Amnesty International has released a scathing report over the actions of Israel in Gaza.
The report, titled "You Feel Like You Are Subhuman", documents the moves of the Israeli army in the enclave since the start of the war and their effect on the Palestinian people.
It calls for the international community to intervene and end what it dubs the genocide of the people of Gaza.
The release of the report comes a day after Australia joined a United Nations resolution for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Occupied Palestinian Territories.
It follows the issue of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, further tightening the grip around the nation's government.
**
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says that intensified military pressure on Hamas may lead to a potential hostage deal.
Addressing soldiers at an air force base, Mr Katz expressed optimism, citing recent operations as creating a chance to advance a hostage deal.
"Regarding Gaza, the most important thing today in the war in general is to return the hostages home. This is the ultimate goal that stands before our eyes and we are working in every way to make this happen. The intensity of the pressure on this monstrous organisation called Hamas is increasing and there is a chance that this time we will really be able to advance a hostage deal."
According to an internal statement seen by Reuters, Hamas says it has information that Israel intends to carry out a hostage rescue operation similar to one conducted in Gaza's Nuseirat camp in June and threatened to "neutralise" the captives if any such action took place.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began after Hamas-led fighters attacked on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing over 250 hostages.
Since then, over 44,500 Palestinians have been killed, and Gaza left in ruins.
**
Life Saving Victoria has released its annual drowning report ahead of the summer of 2024.
In total, 54 fatal drownings were recorded over the 12-month period examined by the organisation, the highest number in a decade.
The ten fatalities of victims aged 15 to 24 were double the ten-year average.
And the 21 from multicultural communities was the highest number ever recorded.
Volunteer Randeep Saini says the concerning trend is being addressed by helping to set up swimming lessons for culturally and linguistically diverse community members to access.
"So we can't shy away from the numbers. (They) Indicate very strongly a big representation of CALD communities. Now what is important is how do we provide a path for reducing these number of deaths in these communities."
**
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that this story contains the name of an Aboriginal person who has died.
The final round of coronial hearings into the death of Cleveland Dodd in Perth's Unit 18 juvenile detention wing resumed on Wednesday in Western Australia.
The Yamatji boy was found unresponsive after harming himself inside his cell in the Unit 18 children's wing of Casuarina high-security adult prison, where children were being held, in the early hours of October 12, 2023.
He died a week later.
Cleveland Dodd's family say they are heartbroken and still grieving the loss of their boy, adding they have been frustrated by numerous delays over the past eight months.
They will likely have to wait until mid next year before the coroner's findings are handed down.
**
In sport, the Matildas have beaten Chinese Taipei three-to-one at AAMI Park in their second-last game of the year.
Interim coach Tom Sermanni had the chance to try out a number of new players in the squad, with many of them rewarding him with their performance.
All three goals were scored by newcomers to the team, with Natasha Prior opening the score after just ten minutes and Sharn Freier doubling the advantage two minutes later.
Bryleeh Henry added Australia's third after Jin-wen Chen had temporarily closed the gap separating the two teams.
Brisbane Roar midfielder Sharn Freier says she's happy to have scored her first goal with the Tillies.
"Yeah I think obviously getting my first official goal is very exciting. I think the girls came out very strong and created some opportunities and I think I was lucky to bag one tonight so, very excited, yeah."
