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00:00Germany's opposition CDU leader, Friedrich Merz, visits Kiev to reaffirm support for Ukraine.
00:12Relief mixed with caution as world leaders react to the downfall of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
00:22This is what the streets of Damascus looked like on Sunday. No movement, no business, lifeless almost.
00:28The calm after the storm. That's because Syria's rebel forces imposed a curfew on the capital
00:34on the first day since overthrowing the country's longtime president Bashar al-Assad.
00:38The curfew is 13 hours long, starting from 4 p.m. local time through to 5 a.m. on Monday.
00:45It's a stark difference from the scenes of cheering and celebration that erupted after news broke of the end of Assad's reign.
00:52And Syrians, taking in a new reality, one that brought a sense of calmness to the streets of Damascus
00:58and an end to the fighting, were happy to oblige.
01:01They're hoping this newly found peace can last, and the leadership of the rebel coalition which overthrew Assad
01:08is echoing the same sentiment.
01:23It's a new beginning for the country that's been under President Bashar al-Assad's rule for 24 years,
01:28and emotions are continuing to run high.
01:52The people, thank God, love us. They've been waiting for us for a long time.
01:57We'll free them from this regime, thank God.
02:02Abu Mohammed al-Gulani, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group,
02:06has appointed ex-Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali to oversee the transitional government.
02:12Al-Jalali served as Prime Minister under Assad and is tasked with ensuring state institutions
02:18and social services run uninterrupted until a permanent political solution is reached.
02:28Syrians in Moscow gathered at the Syrian embassy on Monday to celebrate the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad
02:35and to host the opposition flag over the building.
02:40It comes as the Kremlin says Russia has given political asylum to Assad.
02:45Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that President Vladimir Putin personally made the decision.
02:53He added that Moscow is doing everything needed to ensure the security of its military bases in Syria
02:59and will hold discussions with the country's new authorities.
03:04Meanwhile, Israel's foreign minister said its forces struck suspected chemical weapon sites
03:09and long-range rockets in Syria.
03:12The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens.
03:19That's why we attacked strategic weapon systems like, for example, remaining of chemical weapons
03:34or long-range missiles and rockets in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.
03:45The strikes came after Israeli forces seized a buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights in Syria,
03:51violating a disengagement agreement dating back to 1974.
03:56Saar ensured that the move was temporary and for security reasons.
04:04Leader of Germany's opposition centre-right Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Friedrich Merz,
04:10said his party stands firmly with Ukrainians.
04:14Merz, also the CDU's candidate for Chancellor in Germany's upcoming February snap elections,
04:20said this on Monday as he arrived in Kiev for a visit.
04:24I am looking forward to the new meeting with the President
04:28and would like to find out what the situation is in Ukraine
04:32and what we can do to help this devastated country to defend itself against Russian aggression.
04:40His visit follows that of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kiev last week.
04:45It also comes at a critical time with the trajectory of the Ukraine war still uncertain
04:51as Kiev waits to know the plans of incoming US President Donald Trump.
04:56Ukraine is seeing a rise in talks with its European allies ahead of the Trump presidency.
05:07Syrians across the world rejoiced the downfall of Assad's regime on Sunday.
05:13In Istanbul, people stormed the Syrian consulate,
05:16took down its flag and waved the green Syrian independence flag claimed by opposition groups.
05:23Hundreds of Syrians in Germany also took to the streets
05:27in a Berlin neighborhood famous for its Arabic culture.
05:31Meanwhile, foreign leaders have called for an inclusive political transition.
05:37Turkey's foreign minister urged international actors to preserve Syria's territorial integrity.
05:43In a post on X, the EU's foreign chief, Kayakalas, said the EU's priority is to ensure security,
05:49vowing to work with all constructive partners in Syria and the region.
05:54Also on X, French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the Syrian people,
05:58sending wishes for peace, freedom and unity.
06:02German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote that religious communities and minorities
06:06must be protected now and in the future.
06:09Romania's far-right presidential candidate, Kalin Djorgescu, stood outside a closed polling station on Sunday,
06:23in protest of the second round of the country's presidential election being cancelled.
06:29The country's top court made an unprecedented decision to annul the first round of the vote,
06:34following intelligence alleging Russian interference on social media to promote the so-called TikTok messiah.
06:41This vote has been annulled, and by annulling democracy, we are also annulling our freedom.
06:49George Simeon, leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians,
06:54echoed Djorgescu in denouncing the election's cancellation.
06:58After topping the polls in the first round, Djorgescu was set to face the liberal candidate Elena Laskony on Sunday.
07:05New dates will be set to rerun the presidential vote from scratch.
07:15At least five people have been killed after an explosion destroyed an apartment block in the western Dutch city of The Hague.
07:22Emergency services said four people have been rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital,
07:27but it's unclear how many people may still be trapped.
07:31Mayor Jan van Zanen said that the cause of the blast is unknown.
07:35Investigators say police are looking for a car seen driving away from the scene at speed just after the explosion.
07:43Authorities also said that five apartments were destroyed, while 40 neighbouring apartments have been evacuated.
07:51A specialised urban search and rescue team has been deployed to the scene with four dogs trained to find victims.
07:59The same team was previously used in Turkey after devastating twin earthquakes that struck the south in early 2023,
08:06killing at least 59,000 people.
08:21Paris' iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral has risen from the ashes.
08:26The UNESCO World Heritage Site was closed to visitors and worshippers for five years
08:30to undergo intense restoration work after a fire broke out in 2019.
08:37The restoration timeline was hailed as a remarkable achievement for a structure that took nearly two centuries to build.
08:52The event was organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the restoration efforts.
08:59Some 1,500 dignitaries, including US President-elect Donald Trump, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky,
09:06US First Lady Jill Biden and Prince William of Britain's Royal Family attended the historic event.
09:13Macron expressed his gratitude to the courageous firefighters and first responders
09:17who braved the flames and saved the cathedral from total destruction.
09:23The French President also thanked the more than 2,000 personnel who worked tirelessly
09:27to restore the medieval structure back to its former glory.
09:43Jacques Audillard's Emilia Perez has won big at the European Film Awards.
09:47The French director's genre-bending musical celebrated five wins,
09:51including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress.
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