Fears of Syrian humanitarian crisis grow, SA Finance Minister to present 2012 budget, and top Australian minister resigns. Here are the morning headlines you need to know:

Top Story: Fears are growing that parts of the Syrian city of Homs is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, with activists saying the lack of food and water is almost as great a threat as the violence- Al Jazeera

South Africa: Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will present the government’s 2012 budget on Wednesday afternoon, amidst speculation it would reach more than a trillion rand due to a planned infrastructure roll-out- Fin24

World News: Two days of talks with Iran have failed to produce agreement on how to verify that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful, the International Atomic Energy Agency has announced- CNN

Business and Economy: The Anti-Corruption Task Team has already frozen half a billion rand in assets, but Willie Hofmeyr, deputy national director of public prosecutions for the National Prosecuting Authority, expects this to increase to a billion rand in “the near future”- BusinessLive

Politics: Australia’s Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has resigned amid widespread reports of a leadership tussle between him and Prime Minister Julia Gillard- BBC

Sport: After a five month standoff, Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has apologised for his recent conduct following his touchline row with manager Roberto Mancini in September- BBC