Good Morning, Australia! – The Liberal Party is shocked by the death of one of its MPs – One of Australia’s biggest singers wants the world to know he is not the voice of intolerance – Ukraine has a growing problem on its right – And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:
Liberal MP Don Randall was found dead in his car near the Boddington Gold Club in West Australia’s south on Tuesday afternoon. It’s believed the 62-year old died of a heart attack. Mr. Randall was one of two MPs behind the failed spill motion against Prime Minister Tony Abbott in February. The loss sets up a by-election in his constituency of Canning, WA, at a time determined by the speaker.
Singer Jimmy Barnes of Cold Chisel is asking the xenophobes of the group “Reclaim Australia” to stop using his songs at their neo-fascist rallies. After seeing a televised report of the group at an anti-Islam rally playing “Khe Sanh”, he released a statement disassociating himself from the group. “None of these people represent me and I do not support them,” wrote Jimmy, pointing out that his is a multi-cultural family. “I only want to say the Australia I belong to and love is a tolerant Australia. A place that is open and giving.” Violence, stupidity, and poor hygiene plagued a series of Reclaim Australia rallies over the weekend. And for some reason, the cops protected them.
The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) at least twice warned the government about seven Islamic State terrorists who crossed over from Syria to stage attacks. Turkey’s Hurriyet Newspaper reports that police did act on the information, and eventually rounded up some 97 people – but failed to detain any of the seven. It’s not clear if the young woman who detonated a suicide bomb at a Socialist community center in the town of Suruc yesterday was one of the seven. But the government is formally linking Monday’s attack that killed at least 32 people to Islamic State.
A mass funeral was held for most of the victims of Monday’s suicide bombing in Suruc, Turkey. Mourners wept and shouted slogans of the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations before the caskets were taken to the victims’ hometowns for burial. They also criticized the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which they see as lacking the interest to crack down on Islamic State, or in some cases even giving its tacit approval to the militants.
Three Spanish Journalists are missing in Aleppo, Syria. Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez, and Angel Sastre were working in the northern city and are feared kisnapped by extremists. Islamic State controls most of the region to the north and east of Aleppo.
A leading nazi hunter is asking Denmark to investigate a 90-year old citizen. Ephraim Zuroff of the Simon Wiesenthal Center says there is a strong case against Helmuth Leif Rasmussen showing he was as SS member involved in the mass murder of Jews during World War II, because of documents unearthed by the Danes themselves. Copenhagen police last year refused to file charges, claiming it wasn’t their jurisdiction.
Hundreds of Ukrainian fascists and nationalists rallied in Maidan Square in Kiev to protest the current government. The neo-nazi Pravy Sektor (Right Sektor) street thugs were a key component of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests that chased pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych from office. Now they’re trying to impeach the current president, Petro Poroshenko. But in recent months, they’ve been in constant conflict with police and authorities. Amnesty International accuses the group of kidnapping, detaining and holding private citizens in extra-judicial detentions
Liberia discharged its last four Ebola patients from a clinic, meaning there are no more known active carriers in the second outbreak. Two people had died earlier. These patients were part of the wave of Ebola infections that came after the country was declared “Ebola Free” back in May. More than 4,800 Liberians died of Ebola since December 2013, part of the 11,276 who died in the West African Ebola Epidemic.
Several promising drugs to fight Ebola are under development, but one company is throwing in the towel. Tekmira Pharmaceuticals of Canada says its experimental Ebola treatment would probably fail in a clinical trial. The company is changing its name to Arbus BioPharma and focusing on experimental treatments for the hepatitis B virus.