Good Morning Australia!! - China plans military drills in the South China Sea with a friend - Indonesia executes international drug convicts - Turkey's bitter eternal punishment for coup plotters  - And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

China says it will hold naval drills in the disputed South China Sea with the world's biggest troll, Russia.  Beijing claims the drills are routine and not meant as a message to any other country.  China rejected a recent international court ruling saying it had no right to claim reefs and islets in the South China Sea and put military bases on them, mainly because these lay hundreds of kilometers beyond China's internationally-recognized maritime borders.  More than US$5 Trillion of trade moves through these waters annually.  Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam have rival claims.

An Indonesian firing squad overnight executed the first four of 14 drug convicts on death row, identified as an Indonesian and three Nigerians.  This third round of state sponsored killings under President Joko Widodo took place on Nusakambangan prison island.  Amnesty International condemned the executions as a "deplorable act that violates international and Indonesian law".  Officials did not elaborate on why the other ten were spared, or for how long.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to put the military under the control of the president's office, as part of a massive overhaul of the state following this month's failed coup.  Yeah, big shocker there.  Erdogan (who once had his balls kicked in by a horse) is also trying to seize the assets of of 3,049 detained judges and prosecutors as part of the investigation into the coup attempt.  The chief of Turkey's biggest petrochemicals firm Petkim has reportedly resigned and been detained.

In another sign of the insanity and bitterness into which Erdogan's Turkey is sinking, crews in eastern Istanbul cleared land behind a proposed dog shelter for a "traitors' cemetery" for at least 24 bodies of those who died allegedly trying to overthrow Erdogan.  "May every passerby curse them and let them not rest in their tombs," read a statement from the mayor's office.  Turkey's directorate of religious affairs is ordering that no prayers be said at the funerals for the alleged coup plotters.  Amnesty International (which is apparently having a busy day) said such moves were "contributing to what is a pretty poisonous and dangerous atmosphere".

Russia and Syria plan to open three "exit corridors" to allow civilians to flee Aleppo, and a fourth for militants to leave the besieged city.  Thanks to Russian air power, government forces have the rebel city surrounded.  President Bashar al-Assad is offering amnesty to rebels who give up within three months.

The Al Nusra Front in Syria says it is ending its association with Al Qaeda and changing its name to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.  The reason is to disassociate itself from international jihadism and "to remove the excuse used by the international community - spearheaded by America and Russia - to bombard and displace Muslims in the Levant," said the group's leader in a statement read before a new white flag that contrasts starkly with the black banners of international groups.  It's highly doubtful the move will convince Syria or its Russian allies, or the US which considers it a terrorist group.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not change her policy towards welcoming refugees, despite a recent spate of violence attributed to asylum seekers.  The attackers "wanted to undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need," Ms. Merkel said, "We firmly reject this." 

A girl is dead after an elephant at Morocco's Rabat Zoo picked up a rock and hurled it up and over the enclosure's moat and fence.  It is believed the seven-year old's father lifted her onto his shoulders to get a better view of the elephant when it happened.  Disturbing video showed the rock in the viewing area, the elephant, and the girl's family trying to stem the bleeding as they waited for help.   "In my opinion, it's unlikely the elephant was directly targeting the girl but exhibiting frustration.  You can't predict what animals in captivity will do," said Phyllis Lee, scientific director of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.