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00:00Volodymyr Zelensky hails Paris talks with Trump and Macron as constructive.
00:12France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral reopens for the first time in five years since the
00:16devastating fire.
00:22Syrian insurgents say they've entered the capital Damascus and that President Bashar
00:27al-Assad has fled the country. It's the culmination of a lightning advance across the country
00:32that began on the 27th of November. Syrian state media had previously denied rumors that
00:37Assad had fled, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus. But Arabic media quoting
00:43the rebels say he boarded a plane on Saturday night and left Syria for an unknown destination.
00:49In the early hours of Sunday, Syrian army command notified members of the military that
00:53Assad's 24-year rule had come to an end. Assad has had little, if any, help from his
00:59allies. Russia has most of its forces tied up with the war in Ukraine, and Lebanon-based
01:04Hezbollah has been weakened by a year-long conflict with Israel. The rebel uprising,
01:10which began just 12 days ago, saw opposition fighters also take the cities of Aleppo and
01:15Homs.
01:22French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at the Elysee
01:26Palace in Paris on Saturday. The former U.S. president was invited to attend the reopening
01:31of the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral that was ravaged by fires five years ago. Macron welcomed
01:37Trump with a warm embrace, affording the president-elect the same treatment of a sitting U.S. president,
01:43as the red carpet was rolled out for his arrival. The pair headed into the presidential palace
01:48to engage in planned bilateral talks for 90 minutes. They were later joined by Ukraine's
01:54President Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined the meeting to discuss the situation on the ground
01:58in Ukraine. Speaking to the media after the talks, Zelensky said the meeting was constructive
02:04and the atmosphere was crucial, and later praised Trump for being resolute as always.
02:11He's also vowed to continue working with Ukraine's allies to ensure a continued response to Russia's
02:16assault on his country.
03:16Paris' iconic Notre Dame Cathedral has risen from the ashes. The UNESCO World Heritage
03:34site was closed to visitors and worshippers for five years to undergo intense restoration
03:39work after a fire broke out in 2019. The restoration timeline was hailed as a remarkable
03:46achievement for a structure that took nearly two centuries to build. The event was organized
04:01by French President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the restoration efforts. Some 1,500 dignitaries,
04:08including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S.
04:14Lady Jill Biden, and Prince William of Britain's royal family attended the historic event.
04:27Macron expressed his gratitude to the courageous firefighters and first responders who braved
04:31the flames and saved the cathedral from total destruction. The French President also thanked
04:38the more than 2,000 personnel who worked tirelessly to restore the medieval structure back to
04:43its former glory.