Abbott’s government plunges in the polls – Kiev swaps prisoners with the Russian-backed rebels – China outdistances the pro-democracy protests – And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

A new poll shows the Abbott government rapidly losing favor with Australian voters.  The News Corp Australia poll shows Labor decisively ahead of the coalition in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia.  Only in WA does the Abbott government poll ahead of Labor. 

Ukraine’s government and pro-Russian rebels in the east have commenced a large prisoner swap near the rebel-held city of Donetsk.  Kiev is releasing 222 prisoners in exchange for 150 soldiers captured by the Kremlin-backed insurgents.  Earlier, talks in Minsk aimed at hammering out a peace deal wound up without an agreement.

Russia will try to organize a meeting of Syrian opposition factions with the purpose of working out a common position.  “If” it happens – and that’s a big “if” – it would take place in late January, and would possibly be followed by a meeting with the Syrian government.  Given the diverse nature secular and jihadist opposition groups that often fight with each other, it’s unclear how many would take part.

Syria’s Air Force attacked two northern cities under the control of Islamic State (IS), killing at least 45 civilians in the process.  Helicopters and small airplane dropped barrel bombs – steel drums full of shrapnel and explosives – on Qabaseen and neighboring al Bab, which has also been frequently targeted by US-led attacks against Islamic State.  Angry residents cursed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, which seemed to be targeted at a civilian marketplace with no obvious militant presence.

A judge in Thailand is postponing witness testimony in the case of two men charged with murdering two British tourists.  That will now be pushed back until July.  34-year old Hannah Witheridge of Norfolk and 24-year old David Miller of Jersey were found on a Thailand beach in September; she died of head wounds, he was killed by a blow to the head and drowning.

Chinese Premier Li Kequiang is praising Hong Kong authorities for maintaining “stability” during months of pro-democracy protests.  The demonstrators demanded fully open elections for the next Hong Kong leader in 2017, but the government did not concede and only candidates vetted and approved by Beijing will be allowed on the ballot.  The main protest camps were cleared out on 15 December, although cops have had running clashes with small groups of protesters since then.

A judge in Turkey released a 16-year old accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but the youth still faces trial and a possibly four-year prison sentence.  The opposition condemned the arrest of the teen identified only by the initials “MEA”.  He allegedly criticized the Islamist ruling AK party during a speech given to commemorate a Turkish soldier killed by Islamists in the 1920s.  Critics see this as further confirmation of the erosion of freedom of speech in Erdogan’s Turkey.

A New Zealand man told a court in Myanmar he he no intention of insulting religion when he created an image of a Buddha wearing headphones to promote his bar.  Philip Blackwood is on trial for insulting Buddhism, which is a growing rallying point among Myanmar nationalists.  He faces two to four years in prison if convicted.

In Ireland, Dublin’s High Court says that life-support can be ended for a brain-dead woman who was 18 weeks pregnant.  Lawyers appointed for the fetus wanted to ensure there was no chance of the fetus surviving before throwing the switch.  The judge said that continuing artificial life support on the young woman who has been brain-dead since 3 December would “deprive her of dignity in death”.