Syria's new rulers pledge to protect minority Alawite community in Latakia after recent attacks. Also: Germany’s chancellor loses vote of confidence, and hundreds of new species are found in Mekong in south east Asia.
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This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Alex Ritson, and in the early hours of Tuesday 17th December, these are our main stories. We report from the Syrian port city of Latakia, where the rebels, who are now the de facto rulers, are providing law and order.
Germany's embattled Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses a vote of confidence in Parliament, triggering the early elections he wants. France's President Macron will fly to Mayotte to oversee the relief operation after Cyclone Chido. Also in this podcast, the businessman and close confidant of Prince Andrew, who's accused of spying for China, has been named.
And hundreds of new species have been discovered in the Mekong region in Southeast Asia.
Every time we look, every time we take the time and patience to peer under a rock, look behind a tree and so on, we find new things. And to me, that's part of the excitement, that's part of the joy of living on this planet.
We start in Syria where just nine days since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad the people continue to celebrate their newfound freedom. There were celebrations also in the port city of Latakia. But Bashar al-Assad and most of his military and intelligence staff were Alawites.
and following recent attacks, some members of Latakia's minority Alawite community say they're now too scared to leave their homes. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, Syria's new de facto rulers, have pledged to protect everyone. Its fighters are patrolling Latakia's streets to try to curb any violence. From there, our Middle East correspondent Quentin Somerville sent this report.
It's hard really to do justice to the sense of bewilderment that's being felt about how quickly the Assad regime has fallen and the rebels have taken over this country. And that bewilderment is felt most sharply here in the Alawite heartland, the former Assad stronghold of Latakia. I'm walking right now past the statue of Hafez al-Assad. It's just his boots remaining.
The rest was pulled down by protesters. Where it stands now, there is the new Syrian flag with the green banner and the three stars rather than two. It's a transformation. I'm walking along here among the crowd with his two sons. Ismazim, hello.
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