Hello Australia!! - Venezuela on the edge of chaos - A US court finally equates racism and terrorist - Zimbabwe's crackdown on dissent is decried - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

A dangerous new crisis has erupted very suddenly in Venezuela, with Donald Trump leading a stream of nations announcing that they recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president.  Trump expected to announce US sanctions on Venezuelan oil later this week.  Guaido declared himself to be the president last week, despite the complete lack of an election or any form of referendum on the matter.  The US-led Organization of American States (OAS) actually congratulated Guaido and urged on a coup.  In reaction, President Nicolas Maduro says Venezuela is breaking diplomatic relations with the United States, and has given US diplomatic personnel 72 hours to leave the country. 

The situation in Venezuela has heated up very suddenly.  For now, the armed forces are backing Maduro as police have clashed with opposition supporters.  Both camps called huge numbers of demonstrators to fill the streets in the capital Caracas.  Unlike past crises in Venezuela, Maduro does not have a continent of friendly "Pink Tide" countries supporting him, after the far-right and conservative took control in the major countries like Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru - those leaders are backing Guaido.  Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, Mexico, Bolivia, South Africa, and a few others support Mr. Maduro.  We'll likely find out today where the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and India will land.

For the first time, a US court has convicted a white supremacist of terrorism in the murder of a black man.  James Harris Jackson, a 28-year old US Army veteran from Baltimore, admitted to stalking several African American men in New York City before settling on his target - Timothy Caughman, a 66-year old man collecting bottles and cans for recycling.  Jackson murdered Caughman by stabbing him in the back with a sword.  "This resolution won't bring back Timothy Caughman, a beloved New Yorker who was executed for being black on a midtown street corner," said said District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. in a statement.  "It won't reverse the alarming rise of white nationalism in America.  It is, however, the loudest message that a civil society can send to would-be terrorists."  New York has no death penalty, so Caughman will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Police in Arizona arrested a nurse after a patient who had been in a coma for 14 years gave birth.  Nathan Sutherland is accused of one count of sexual assault and one count of abusing a vulnerable adult, a 29-year old woman who had been a patient at Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix for years.  The facility's CEO was sacked and two other staffers were also removed.

Zimbabwe's Human Rights Commission is accusing the military of using "systematic torture" in a crackdown on protests.  The report bluntly stated that at least eight deaths had been reported since last week, "mostly attributed to use of live ammunition", and that the "armed and uniformed members of the Zimbabwe National Army and the Zimbabwe Republic Police instigated systematic torture."  It raises questions about how much control President Emmerson Mnangagwa actually has over his armed forces, after he announced that abuse of civilians would not be tolerated. 

Also in Zimbabwe, tributes are coming in for singer and musician Oliver Mtukudzi, who died aged 66 after a four-decade career.  "Tuku", as he was known, came to prominence speaking out against white minority rule in the 1970s, but also criticized the autocratic rule of former president Robert Mugabe - especially with his 2001 song "You Are Too Old".  Mr. Mtukudzi was not afraid to take on political or social commentary and stood up for people with HIV/AIDS.