1. Majority Republic support
Well this is a story I did not expect to read. The majority of Parliament supports Australia becoming a republic, including the avowed conservative MP George Christensen. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Labor Leader Bill Shorten has written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who led the failed 1999 Republic referendum campaign, urging him to progress the issue of an Australian Republic. The figures are being published on the eve of Turnbull's scheduled address to the Australian Republican Movement's 25th gala dinner on Saturday night. [Stephanie Peatling/Fairfax]
Michelle Grattan says Turnbull will never usher in a Republic and achieving one will be "no cakewalk" when the time comes again (likely when the Queen dies.) [The Conversation]
In other politics news:
It's been a busy but lovely day for me in Paris. (Yes I know - I'm a very lucky journalist being able to trek to so many different countries this year and I do pinch myself everyday!)
Yesterday I was in Cherbourg, at the shipbuilding yard of DCNS who is making Australia's twelve new submarines in a contract worth $50 billion. As mentioned in yesterday's Double Shot it was quite the shambles.
Christopher Pyne in Paris on Thursday. Photo: Latika Bourke
Today the Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne battled through a cold to give a speech to the Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defence. I caught up with him after his speech and asked him about the events of yesterday and whether or not all the media reporting that he wants the Defence Minister's job (currently held by the ailing Marise Payne) is true. He says whomever is making that claim is a "liar" and believes yesterday's press conference was "perfectly good." [My report/Fairfax]
2. EgyptAir
An EgyptAir Airbus A320. Photo: AP
Egypt claims it had found traces of explosives on the remains of the victims of EgyptAir flight MS804 that crashed into the Mediterranean last May, killing all 66 on board. [Reuters]
It's worth pointing out that still no-one has claimed responsibility for the disaster at a time when terrorists organisations like Islamic State are keen to demonstrate their ability to wage terror, as they are on the back foot in Iraq. Also worth remembering how the Egyptians denied the US finding that the co-pilot of EgyptAir flight 990 deliberately downed the plane.
3. Syria
Smoke rises in east Aleppo. Photo: AP
Syrian State television showed images of ambulances taking away wounded civilians after Iran, a key backer of Assad, held up initial evacuations. [Fairfax]
Often missed in the reporting is where people are being evacuated to. Martin Chulov reports they will be taken to Idlib, the last Syrian city outside of regime-control (aside from Raqqa which is held by Islamic State.) Idlib will be no refuge, Chulov says. [The Guardian]
4. Trump's latest thin-skinned rant
Donald Trump with (from left) Larry Page, Sherryl Sandberg and Mike Pence, listens in the direction of Tim Cook at the meeting on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg
Donald Trump's now taking aim at Vanity Fair after the magazine declared Trump Grill as possibly America's worst restaurant. So how does the next leader of the free world react to this slight? [Politico]
Has anyone looked at the really poor numbers of @VanityFair Magazine. Way down, big trouble, dead! Graydon Carter, no talent, will be out!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2016
Sigh. It's going to be a long four years...
Donald Trump met with Kanye West on Tuesday. Photo: Seth Wenig
Kanye West's friend, R&B; singer John Legend, doesn't believe West strolled into Trump Tower to talk about multiculturalism but for a publicity stunt. [News.com.au]
5. Murdoch buys Sky UK
Rupert Murdoch with his sons Lachlan, left. Photo: John Stillwell
Just weeks after acquiring Australia's Sky News, Rupert Murdoch has purchased Sky UK in an $19.8 billion move that will put pressure on British Prime Minister Theresa May. Her government has ten days to decide whether or not to approve the deal amid a backlash from Labour MPs who say Murdoch already owns enough media in Britain with his three newspapers The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times. Murdoch used to own News of the World until he had to shut it down after the phone-hacking scandal. [Chad Bray/The New York Times]
6. Three-parent baby technique approved
Britain's fertility regulator has approved the use of conceiving an embryo using two eggs and sperm. Doctors in Newcastle pioneered the technique to prevent the passing on of Mitochondrial disease. [BBC]
And that's it from me today, you can follow me on Facebook for more. Have a great weekend.