SIx In The Morning Tuesday November 18

18 November 2014 Last updated at 08:11

Four killed in Jerusalem synagogue attack

At least four Israelis have been killed and eight injured when two men with a pistol, knives and axes attacked a West Jerusalem synagogue, police say.

The attackers - Palestinians from East Jerusalem - were shot dead, police say.

Jerusalem has seen tensions between Israelis and Palestinians soar, with a string of deadly attacks and clashes over a disputed holy site.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to respond "with a heavy hand to the brutal murder".

"This is a direct result of incitement led by Hamas and [Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, known as] Abu Mazen, incitement that the international community has been irresponsibly ignoring," he said in a statement.

Hamas and Mr Abbas's Fatah party - both rival Palestinian factions - agreed to form a unity government earlier this year, in a move denounced at the time by Israel.

Asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Indonesia blocked from resettlement
Decision by Scott Morrison makes anyone who registered in Indonesia after June 2014 ineligible for a place in Australia’s humanitarian refugee intake

• Paul Farrell
• Follow @FarrellPF Follow @guardianaus
• theguardian.com, Tuesday 18 November 2014 08.20 GMT

Asylum seekers who have registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Indonesia will no longer be able to be resettled under Australia’s humanitarian programme.

The immigration minister Scott Morrison announced on Tuesday that asylum seekers who have registered with UNHCR after 1 July 2014 will no longer be eligible for one of the 11,000 humanitarian programme places set aside for asylum seekers living overseas.

The change in policy means that thousands of asylum seekers currently living in Indonesia – who often have limited work rights and social support – will be prevented from ever applying offshore to be resettled in Australia.

Terrorism fuelled by state violence, extra-judicial killings and ethnic tensions

Study reveals three main causes of fivefold increase in global bloodshed since 2000

CAHAL MILMO 

 

CHIEF REPORTER

 

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Terrorism has become dramatically more deadly and more widespread across the globe with a 60 per cent rise in the number of deaths and countries affected by major attacks, a study has found.

Fatalities from terrorist incidents rose from just over 11,000 in 2012 to nearly 18,000 last year, while the number of countries which experienced more than 50 deaths from terror attacks rose from 15 to 24, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI).

The authors of the comprehensive annual survey of terrorist incidents and trends said that the vast majority of the bloodshed was restricted to five countries – Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria – where groups such as Isis (also known as Islamic State or Isil) adhering to extreme Wahhabist interpretations of Islam are leading attacks.

Hong Kong police remove parts of pro-democracy camp

Authorities in Hong Kong have started evicting occupants of a pro-democracy protest site. The demonstrators have been staging a sit-in for weeks, demanding free elections in the 'autonomous' Chinese region.

Hong Kong authorities began clearing out a pro-democracy protest site on Tuesday following a court order.

Protest leader Joshua Wong said the protesters would "respect the decision of the courts." There was no resistance from the demonstrators as they were evicted from their spots.

A court ruled last Tuesday that bailiffs and police could remove barricades and tents from parts of the protest sites in the central Admiralty district. In one area, a court injunction was won to remove the protesters from the perimeter of an apartment building. The case had been filed by the building's owners. A long section of a highway near there remains under occupation, news agency AFP reported.

A second court injunction seeks to clear the second-largest camp, which is located in the Mongkok district.

Peter Stefanovic filmed in possible encounter with alleged ISIL executioner 'Jihadi John'

November 18, 2014 - 3:40PM

Marissa Calligeros

Footage has emerged of a possible encounter between Australian Nine News reporter Peter Stefanovic and the British-born alleged ISIL executioner known as "Jihadi John" four years ago.

Stefanovic was in Tottenham, North London, interviewing a group of protesters on the first night of the 2011 riots, when one man demanded his attention.

"Please, please, let me tell you something," the man says to Stefanovic.

The man in the footage bears a striking resemblance to former British rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, who has since been dubbed "Jihadi John" by the UK media.

Gender gap has narrowed in more than 100 countries

In recent years, many nations have reduced wage gaps, increased female college enrollment, and expanded the role of women in government. But there's still work to be done – a recent report estimates that complete gender equality in economic participation and opportunity remains decades away.

By Michael Holtz, Staff writer

A small but growing number of women have entered politics and the global workforce over the past decade, a trend that has helped narrow the gender gap in 105 countries.

Nations from Guatemala to Nepal have made significant gains in gender equality in recent years. Many have reduced wage gaps, increased female college enrollment, and expanded the role of women in government. Still, a report released in October by the World Economic Forum (WEF) shows that, as a whole, the world has far to go. It estimates that complete gender equality in economic participation and opportunity remains decades away.

That’s at least partly attributable to the lingering divide between women’s educational achievements and their economic gains, says Ricardo Hausmann, director of the Center for International Development atHarvard University.