Monday Morning Briefing: Saudi Arabia sentences five to death, three to jail over Khashoggi murder

Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said five people had been sentenced to death and three more to jail terms totaling 24 years over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October last year.

After days of protests across Iran last month, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared impatient. Gathering his top security and government officials together, he issued an order: Do whatever it takes to stop them. About 1,500 people were killed during less than two weeks of unrest that started on Nov. 15.

Violence in the Syrian “safe zone.” The United States' retreat from northern Syria created a void that opened the Kurdish-controlled region for new powers including Russia to send in forces. Turkey, which plans to establish a “safe zone” along the border to resettle refugees who have fled Syria, has seized a number of towns from Kurdish-led militias.

The Taliban said their fighters killed a U.S. service member in Afghanistan and posted photographs of a blood-soaked backpack and the identity card of a American soldier to prove it. The U.S. military said in a statement an American service member was “killed in action”, but gave no details and withheld the name of the service member until the next of kin were informed.

World

After two decades of grassroots efforts by Beijing to win hearts and minds, some supporters of the extradition bill admit being stunned by the hostility of Hong Kongers to Chinese rule. Read how the bill was launched, promoted and ultimately unraveled.

Why big business can count on courts to keep its deadly secrets. In a decades-long campaign, the defense bar persuaded Congress and other rule makers to replace transparency with opacity in litigation, ensuring that evidence of what companies know about dangerous products often remains hidden from the public.

Days after the March 10 crash of a Kenya-bound Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing jet that killed all 157 people on board, strangers began calling or visiting bereaved families, saying they represented U.S. law firms.

Fight or flight: Australians grapple with difficult decision as bushfires approach. It was oppressively hot, above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), and the wind was picking up. Bushfires were devastating nearby towns and now threatened Yanderra, a small village with just over 600 people located south of Sydney.

Business

Exclusive: Tesla to take new $1.4 billion loan from Chinese banks for Shanghai factory

U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla and a group of China banks have agreed a new 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), five-year loan facility for the automaker’s Shanghai car plant, three sources familiar with the matter said, part of which will be used to roll over an existing loan.

3 min read

China to lower import tariffs on frozen pork, avocados from January 1

China will lower tariffs on products ranging from frozen pork and avocado to some types of semiconductors next year as Beijing looks to boost imports amid a slowing economy and a trade war with the United States.

4 min read

Repo is Wall Street's big year-end worry. Why?

The $2.2 trillion repurchase agreement market - part of the inner workings of the U.S. financial system - is facing what could be another strain as the year comes to a close. That could have wider implications than just Wall Street.

5 min read

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