Hello Australia!! - Big news out of North Korea - Evidence mounts that last week's Western missile strikes on Syria were a load of crap - Barbie and Frida Kahlo don't mix  - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

Breaking news on Saturday morning, North Korea has said it will halt its missile and nuclear weapons tests, which had been the subject of international condemnation.  This concession comes amid rapidly thawing relations between Seoul and Pyongyang, and fulfills a condition before North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can meet with Donald Trump.  It's also known that US CIA leader Mike Pompeo recently met with Kim Jong-un to lay the groundwork for the summit, which could come by June.

And now..

If you thought the Western missile strikes on Syrian chemical weapon cites were a load of BS, the Pentagon might agree with you.  A US military report described to the New York Times says shooting 105 missiles at Syria last week might have set back Syrian chemical weapon production, but President Bashar al-Assad is expected to continue researching and developing chemical weapons for potential future use.  Earlier, the oft-back-stabbed US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley claimed that the United States is "confident that we have crippled Syria's chemical weapons program".  And the orange clown Donald Trump claimed the strike was "perfectly executed", but then he had warned Syria and Russia that the missiles were coming more than 48 hours before they hit, so.. plenty of time for Putin and Assad to have prepared.

Oh, and Russia told Trump where is and isn't allowed to bomb.  At least that is what Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is boasting: "There were military leadership contacts, between generals, between our representatives and the coalition leadership," Lavrov is quoted as saying, "They were informed about where our red lines are, including red lines on the ground, geographically.  And the results show that they did not cross these red lines."  Good boy, Trump.  Now, sit.  Stay.  Roll over.  Or else a certain video gets uploaded to the internet.  

Oh, and the reason for those missile strikes?  The US, France, and the UK launched the missiles to punish Syria for killing dozens of its own citizens with a chemical weapon attack in Douma, outside Damascus.  Well, Syria and Russia have yet to allow inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) into Douma to gather evidence.  So, apparently the only ones to get anything out of this shyte-show is US defense contractors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin who will replace those missiles

Anyway...

The US Democratic Party is suing Russia, the Trump campaign, and Wikileaks for allegedly conspiring to to interfere with the 2016 election.  The suit, hopefully planned more as an attention-gabbing stunt than anything with a chance of succeeding, alleges: "The conspiracy constituted an act of previously unimaginable treachery: the campaign of the presidential nominee of a major party in league with a hostile foreign power to bolster its own chance to win the presidency."  A Trump spokesman denied the charges.

A US court has jailed a former Liberian warlord for 30 years for lying to immigration authorities to get into the country.  Mohammed Jabbateh during the 1990s told US authorities that he had never belonged to an armed group, and settled into a Liberian neighborhood in Philadelphia.  In fact, he was known as "Jungle Jabbeh" and had been a commander in both the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (Ulimo) and later the Ulimo-K.  Witnesses described how he ordered the hearts of three enemies to be removed and cooked for him to consume.  He's not convicted of atrocities, but human rights groups say they will take it.

Mexico has banned the sale of a Barbie doll tribute to the artist Frida Kahlo, part of a series based on "inspiring" women.  The ruling was based on the objection of the relatives who control her estate.  They said that the doll was too thin, the eyebrows too slight, and the eyes and skin were too light.
Frida As A BarbieNot only that, but the real 20th Century artist Frida Kahlo - whose self portraits reflected the pain and isolation of living with disabilities - was a committed Communist who often wore a Hammer and Sickle embroidered into her traditional Mexican clothing.
FULL COMMUNISMMattel has not commented, but the family hopes to have the doll pulled from sale in the US.

One of the biggest stars in electronic dance music Avicii has died in Oman at age 28.  "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii," read a statement from his management, "The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time."  He's known for his club hits such as "Wake Me Up", "Levels", and "Lonely Together" which featured the single Rita Ora.  Mr. Bergling had a history of health problems, and retired from touring in 2016 after having his appendix and gall bladder removed.

Lion has a mohawk.  In Kenya's Nairobi National Park.