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AAP Rolling News Bulletin for December 8 at 0500

Synagogue (SYDNEY) A spate of attacks and protests at places of worship across the country has prompted Australia's most populous state to consider new laws to better protect religious freedoms. Worshippers at Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue said they were "traumatised" after the building was badly damaged in an alleged anti-Semitic attack in the early hours of Friday. The incident prompted Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hit out at the Australian government, saying he expected action to prevent future violence. NSW Premier Chris Minns appeared to be heeding the call, with his Labor government vowing to explore how the state could better protect people's right to gather at places of worship free from intimidation. "I am horrified by the attack at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, and the recent sight of protests out the front of a religious institution," he said in a statement on Saturday.

Mideast Syria (AMMAN/BEIRUT) Syrian rebels have entered suburbs of the key city of Homs, sources say, pressing a lightning week-long advance as front lines collapse across the country and government forces battle to save President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year rule. A Homs resident, and army and rebel sources said the insurgents had breached government defences from the north and east of the city on Saturday. The Syrian military did not immediately comment on the reports. Fighting had raged around the north of strategically vital Homs since late on Friday with government forces reinforcing and using intense air strikes to hammer the rebels. Insurgents also seized almost the entire southwest within 24 hours and advanced to within 30km of Damascus as government forces fell back to more defensible positions, rebels said.

Trump (PARIS) US President-elect Donald Trump is returning to the world stage to join leaders for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, still a private citizen but already preparing to tackle a host of international crises. It will be Trump's first trip overseas since he won the presidential election in November and it could offer French President Emmanuel Macron an opportunity to play the role of mediator between Europe and the unpredictable US politician - a role the French leader has relished in the past. The two are expected to meet on the sidelines of Saturday's visit. While no agenda for their talks has been announced, European leaders are concerned Trump could withdraw US military aid to Ukraine at a crucial juncture in its war to repel Russian invaders.

Mardi Gras (SYDNEY) Police will continue to march in the Mardi Gras parade, with a series of resolutions designed to banish the force participating in the annual event narrowly defeated. The reprieve follows a decision to ban uniformed officers joining the 2024 march over concerns about their sometimes-fraught relationship with the queer community. Saturday's annual general meeting hosted by parade organisers decided 493 votes to 459 against barring police from marching until they "demonstrate a commitment to improving relationships with LGBTQIA communities". Motions to ban them without an option to later reconsider the merit of allowing them back in future and letting them march but not in uniform, were also defeated. NSW Police will need to apply to participate in the parade, along with every other participant.

Warehouse (WODONGA) Picketers are continuing to prevent a major Woolworths distribution centre from resuming operations in defiance of an earlier Fair Work Commission ruling. The group assembled outside a distribution centre in Melbourne's south-east on Saturday morning despite a ruling on Friday by the industrial umpire barring workers from blocking access to the site. Woolworths said its team members attempted to return to work at the centre in Dandenong but were "met by picketers who physically blocked their entry to the site". "We call on these picketers to stand down and allow safe entry to the site for our Dandenong team members who want to get back to work after more than two weeks of strikes," a company spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.

Syria Unrest (AMMAN/BEIRUT) Syrian rebels say they have seized control of the southern city of Daraa, the birthplace of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and the fourth city his forces have lost in a week. Rebel sources on Saturday said the military agreed to make an orderly withdrawal from Daraa under a deal giving army officials safe passage to the capital Damascus, about 100km north. Social media showed rebels on motorcycles and others mingling with residents on the streets. People fired shots into the air at the city's main square in celebration, according to the videos. There was no immediate comment from the military or Assad's government, and Reuters could not independently verify the rebels' claim. With the fall of Daraa, Assad's forces have surrendered four important centres to the insurgents in a week.

SKorea (SEOUL) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will address the nation ahead of a planned impeachment vote over his attempt this week to impose martial law. The speech on Saturday would be the embattled leader's first public appearance since he rescinded the martial law order early on Wednesday just six hours after it was declared, after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote against the decree. On Friday the leader of Yoon's own People Power Party said the president was a danger to the country and needed to be removed from power, increasing the pressure on him to quit even though PPP members later reaffirmed its formal opposition to his impeachment. Lawmakers will vote on the main opposition Democratic Party's motion to impeach Yoon, who shocked the nation late on Tuesday when he gave the military sweeping emergency powers in order to root out what he called "anti-state forces" and overcome obstructionist political opponents.

Synagogue (MELBOURNE) The Australian government is to blame for a firebombing attack on a Melbourne synagogue according to Israel's prime minister, as the hunt continues for two suspected arsonists. The Adass Israel synagogue at Ripponlea in the city's southeast was badly damaged after suspected masked intruders allegedly broke in and set it alight in the early hours of Friday. Two of its three buildings were gutted and two congregants who were inside at the time preparing for morning prayers were evacuated, one suffering minor injuries. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the fire as an "abhorrent act of antisemitism" and said he expected authorities "to use their full weight" to prevent future attacks. Mr Netanyahu hit out at the government's support for a UN resolution calling for an end to Israel's occupation of Gaza and denying a visa to Israel's former justice minister Ayelet Shaked in recent weeks.

In finance ...

Markets (NEW YORK) The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 rose to record closing highs on Friday following upbeat forecasts from Lululemon Athletica and other companies and as US jobs data fuelled expectations the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates this month. The Dow finished lower, as a 5.1 per cent drop in UnitedHealth Group shares weighed on the index. The S&P 500 consumer discretionary index rose 2.4 per cent to hit an all-time closing high. It led gains among sectors, boosted by Lululemon. Shares of Lululemon Athletica jumped 15.9 per cent after the sportswear maker increased full-year forecasts. Also in the consumer discretionary space, shares of cosmetics retailer Ulta Beauty advanced 9.0 per cent after the company raised its annual profit forecast. The US Labor Department report showed job growth surged in November, but an increase in the unemployment rate to 4.2 per cent pointed to an easing labour market.

In entertainment ...

VanDyke (LOS ANGELES) Entertainment legend