Escalating unrest in Syria lays bare new regime’s momentous challenges

Division between minority populations drag Syria further into cycle of violence and attracts Israeli opportunism

Seven months on from Bashar al-Assad’s fall, Syria is descending into yet another wave of bloody sectarian violence.

A local dispute between a Bedouin tribesman and a member of the Druze minority sparked clashes that drew in Syrian government forces and triggered Israeli airstrikes – leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

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Man shot dead by police in Townsville

Police allege the man was armed with a machete and knife on The Strand in Townsville’s North Ward on Saturday morning

The Queensland police service says officers have shot and killed a man in Townsville after they allege he moved towards them with a machete and a knife.

Police were called to reports of a man armed with multiple weapons on The Strand and intersecting McKinley Street in Townsville’s North Ward just before 10am on Saturday, the QPS said.

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Labor moves to bolster penalty rates and overtime pay protections for millions of workers

Legislation will prevent award wage penalty rates from being cut in exchange for higher rates of base pay if it will leave workers worse off

Workers who rely on award wages would have their rights to penalty rates and overtime pay protected under one of the first pieces of legislation to be introduced to the new federal parliament.

The changes to the Fair Work Act would effectively ensure workers paid under awards cannot have their penalty rates reduced in return for a higher rate of base pay if it leaves workers worse off.

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Kremlin Unleashed? Trump’s Deadline Invites Escalation in Ukraine, Ex-CIA Analyst Warns – Kyiv Post

  1. Kremlin Unleashed? Trump’s Deadline Invites Escalation in Ukraine, Ex-CIA Analyst Warns  Kyiv Post
  2. Does the EU need US to make sanctions on Russia effective?  Royal United Services Institute
  3. Trump has driven Putin into a corner — what's next?  Online.UA
  4. Putin stunned, allies look for options: Analyst breaks down risks of US ultimatum  RBC-Ukraine
  5. Sanctions Crunch Time: Russia’s Wish List vs. Transatlantic Resolve  Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
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Death toll grows from torrential rains in South Korea with thousands unable to return home

Four people have died and two are missing after four days of heavy rain as authorities warn of landslides and flooding

Torrential rains that lashed South Korea for a fourth day on Saturday kept nearly 3,000 people from returning to their homes, as the death toll reached four people.

Rain is forecast to last until Monday in some areas, as officials urged extreme caution against the risk of landslides and flooding, with warnings issued across most of the country.

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Scott Morrison to testify before US House panel on China

Former Australian prime minister to appear at hearing about countering China’s ‘economic coercion against democracies’, select committee says

The former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison will testify at a US House panel hearing next week about countering China’s “economic coercion against democracies,” the committee said on Friday.

Rahm Emanuel, the former US ambassador to Japan, will also testify before the House select committee on China.

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The U.K. Closed a Tax Loophole for the Global Rich. Now They’re Fleeing. – WSJ – The Wall Street Journal

  1. The U.K. Closed a Tax Loophole for the Global Rich. Now They’re Fleeing. - WSJ  The Wall Street Journal
  2. When Millionaires Say They’re Leaving—They Almost Never Do  Forbes
  3. Non-doms are abandoning London’s wealthiest postcodes – and it affects all of us  The Independent
  4. The ultrarich move in herds. Just ask London.  The Japan Times
  5. Capital Exodus: The UK's Tax Reforms and the Rise of Global Investment Hubs  AInvest
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