Good Morning Australia!! - Turkey adds to the chaos in Syria - Terrorists murder foreigners staying in the biggest hotel in the Afghan capital  - Saying goodbye to Dolores - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

Under the perfectly Orwellian name "Operation Olive Branch", Turkish tanks and ground troops pushed into Syria against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara views as a terrorist group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). 
@MarkLowen/twitter
It came hours after Turkish air, missile, and artillery strikes into Afrin Province - Until today, one of only relatively secure parts of Syria where hundreds of thousands of refugees sought shelter from the multi-party civil war.  The YPG released photos of the results of the Turkish shells.
YPG/twitter
Turkey claims its goal is to create a 30-kilometer "safe zone".  The US State Department, which arms and trains the YPG while being allied to Turkey through NATO, is urging the Turkish government to show restraint. 

The Taliban is claiming responsibility for a bloody attack on Kabul, Afghanistan's largest hotel.  An armed unit of the extremist group attacked the Intercontinental Hotel overnight, burning rooms and killing diners in the capital's hilltop luxury hotel where foreign guests tend to stay.
Kabul, Afghanistan/twitter
Kabul, Afghanistan/twitter
"They were wearing very stylish clothes," said an eyewitness quoted by the BBC.  "They came to me and asked for food.  I served them the food and they thanked me and took their seats. Then they took out their weapons and started shooting the people."  The gunmen, speaking in local dialects, demanded to know which guests were the foreigners, sparing Afghans.
Kabul, Afghanistan/twitter
The siege lasted for hours, with guests escaping the carnage by lowering themselves with ropes made from bed sheets from balcony to balcony down the six-storey building face while thick, black smoke poured out above them.  Afghan troops managed to rescue 160 people while dozens were injured.  At least 14 foreigners are among the dead, including several Ukrainians.

These trouble spots bubble over while the US is preoccupied in its own mess, the government shutdown caused by the Republican-led Congress being unable to pass spending bills.  Even when a Democrat offered a temporary partial fix to allow the military to be paid their salaries, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shot it down.  Obviously, Democrats and Republicans are pointing their fingers at each other - but even Republicans are speaking out against the diminished White House's complete lack of leadership from self-styled master dealmaker Donald Trump, with South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham calling the administration "pretty unreliable".

Germany's center-left Social Democrats (SDP) have approved the blueprint for continuing coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc, which has been unable to form a government following September's somewhat inconclusive elections.  It puts Ms. Merkel a step closer to delivering on her promise of stability in the heart of Europe.  A grand coalition of the two largest parties would keep the fascist and rascist Alternative for Germany (AfD) at bay, after it won over just enough of Merkel's former supporters dissatisfied with her welcoming immigration policy.

One protester was shot dead in clashes with Honduras police in the latest round of demonstrations against the country's total-BS presidential election.  The Central American country has been rocked by violence since government election authorities declared conservative President Juan Orlando Hernandez winner of the election - but that came after a lengthy delay in which critics say the government rigged election results to favor itself.  This means 31 people died in unnecessary political violence since the 26 November election, and protests show no sign of slowing down.

DR Congo police unleashed live ammo and tear gas at anti-government protesters, killing at least five people.  The demonstrators are demanding the ouster of President Josef Kabila who has clung to power for 17 years.

Japan is gearing up for a series of hangings, one of the few countries to still carry out capital punishment in that manner.  It's because of the end of legal proceedings in the Aum Shinri Kyo cult trials stemming from the Sarin gas attack in the Tokyo Subway in 1995.  All appeals are done after courts convened more than 250 times over the decades.  Cult leader Shoko Asahara and twelve close disciples are sentenced to die.  The doomsday cult wanted to hasten the end of the world by releasing the deadly nerve gas in the subway of the world's busiest city; twelve people died and thousands were hurt.  Some suffered profound, life-changing disabilities to their central nervous systems and lungs, while others were blinded.

Thousands filed past the open coffin of Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan at Saint Joseph's Church in her native Limerick, Ireland.  Such an honor is usually reserved for presidents and popes and other heads of state, giving a glimpse of how Ireland treasured Ms. O'Riordan, who sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.  "She was so lovely, so peaceful, so beautiful.  She looked like a doll," County Clare grandmother May O'Connor told The Irish Times, although it was apparent that fans came from all over the world.  The singer died suddenly last week in London, the cause of death still undetermined.