The number of Europeans fighting for terrorist groups skyrockets – The US claims to know “Jihadi John’s” real identity – A country’s ban on abortions is killing women and girls, says Amnesty International – France is about to become more Australian – And much more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

More than 3,000 European Muslim joined Islamic State (IS) fighters in Syria and Iraq, according to the European Union’s anti-terrorism chief Gilles de Kerchove.  That’s up from about 2,000 earlier this year.  It’s raising fears that US-led air strikes against IS targets will lead to retaliatory attacks in Europe.  De Kerchove also fears attacks from rival groups, such as al Qaeda, that might want to raise their profile to prevent being usurped by IS.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation believes it knows the identity of “Jihadi John”, the black-clad cretin seen beheading western hostages in Islamic State’s propaganda videos.  But FBI Director James Comey said the agency would not yet name or reveal the nationality of the man who spoke with a London accent.  The UK had earlier said intelligence agencies were “getting warm” in identifying the alleged masked murderer.

China is now acknowledging that 50 people died in last weekend’s violence in restive Xinjiang province, calling it a “serious terrorist attack”.  Earlier state media put the death toll at two.  Violence is on the rise in Xinjiang, where ethnic Uighur Muslims resent domination by Han Chinese and want to carve out an independent state called “East Turkestan”.

A Palestinian national unity government will take over responsibility for running Gaza, after a deal signed by the Hamas and Fatah factions.  Hamas had been running the show since 2007, including the disastrous war with Israel in July and August.  More than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed in the fighting, along with 66 Israeli soldiers and seven civilians in Israel.

Eleven people are still missing after a tourist boat capsized in the River Paraguay, separating Paraguay and Brazil.  Three bodies of Brazilian tourists have been recovered and the other 13 passengers managed to swim ashore.  The recreational fishing trip was to conclude in just 48 hours when a powerful storm hit the area.

Amnesty International is calling on El Salvador to end its draconian ban on all abortions, after a series of cases in which women were harmed by troubled pregnancies, and the fetuses did not survive.  Women and girls who violate the ban face lengthy prison sentences of up to 50 years.  “The horrific repression that women and girls in El Salvador face is truly shocking and akin to torture,” says Amnesty International.  “Shockingly, the ban extends even to cases where the life of the pregnant woman is at risk, and to children who have been raped.”

A Kenyan nurse has been sentenced to death for performing an illegal abortion in which the woman later bled to death.  Jackson Namunya Tali denies it, saying the women sought medical treatment after a botched abortion performed elsewhere.  Most abortions are illegal in Kenya, and the fact that this happened merely proves that laws do not stop women from seeking the procedure – but legalization and proper medical treatment saves women’s lives.  Period.

Health Minister Marisol Touraine says France’s new anti-smoking measures are patterned after Australia’s.  France will roll out new rules, including removing branding on packets and adding large health warnings reduced smoking.  It will also be illegal to smoke in children’s playgrounds or in cars carrying kids younger than 12.  Smoking is the main cause of death in France, with more than 70,000 people dying each year of tobacco-related illnesses.

America’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Eric Holder, is stepping down.  The first African American to hold the post, he distinguished himself by fighting for civil rights, voting rights, and LGBT rights.  Critics on the Left believe he went too easy on Wall Street after the financial crisis of 2008.  Critics on the right say.. well.. let’s just reiterate that Holder is the first African American to hold the post.