Good Morning Australia!! - Puerto Rico's hurricane death toll shoots up into the thousands - A grudge at the Vatican - Russia causes concerns with giant war games - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

The governor of Puerto Rico has updated the death toll from last year's Hurricane Maria from 64 to 2,975 lives lost.  This is after a comprehensive study from George Washington University (.pdf link) commissioned by the territorial government found that the death toll was actually 46 times more than the official number initially given out.  This is due to the breakdown of healthcare and sanitation on the stricken island, counting the vast number of people who died in hospital of water-borne disease, lack of maintenance meds, and other preventable maladies in the weeks and months after the storm.  The low number was the source of much criticism for the US territorial government and the Trump administration, which were accused of ignoring the true scope of the disaster eleven months ago.  The correction is important for the families of the thousands killed, because they will now be able to apply for federal funds to reimburse funeral expenses; the island will be eligible for more disaster aid. 

The Vatican official who accused Pope Francis of covering up reports of clerical sex abuse has gone into hiding and is refusing interviews.  75-year old Bishop Carlo Maria Vigano told a blogger that he had "purchased an aeroplane ticket" over unsubstantiated fears for his safety.  The Pope himself faced reporters and refused to comment on Vigano's allegations, and in so many words challenged journalists to do their jobs and consider the source.  Vigano has repeatedly claimed that a "homosexual current" is influencing the Vatican; improperly took part in conservative political demonstrations in the US against diplomatic and Vatican norms; and embarrassed Francis by getting him involved in the Gay Marriage debate against his wishes.  John Thavis of the Catholic News Service said Vigano "had a persecution complex.  He saw conspiracy theories all around him."

Russia plans to hold its largest military exercises since the fall of the Soviet Union at military ranges in central and eastern Russia. This will involve 300,000 personnel, including units from Mongola and China, as well as tens of thousands of tanks, personnel carriers, and aircraft.  Although far off in Siberia and beyond, these exercises come at a time of increased tensions with NATO and the West.  President Vladimir Putin has prioritized the build-up of the Russian military.

A UN report says all sides in the Yemen Civil War - the government, its Saudi-led coalition backers, and the Houthi rebels - have made little to no effort to protect civilians from fighting.  This rises to definition of war crimes, according to the paper which will be presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council next month.  Officials say more than 6,660 civilians have been killed and 10,563 injured in the fighting, and thousands more civilians have died from preventable causes, including malnutrition, disease, and poor health.

France's Environment Minister wasn't just a little frustrated when he quit his job - live, in the middle of a radio interview.  Nicolas Hulot apparently didn't warn his family nor his boss, President Emmanuel Macron.  Hulot says the government isn't sufficiently addressing climate change and other environmental threats, and that he felt "all alone" in government.  A popular environmentalist, Hulot turned down previous invitations to join government from Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Francois Hollande.  His resignation, which he said he hopes sparks a popular movement, is a blow to Macron whose popularity rating has dipped lately.