Brazil braces for the big finale of the World Cup – The UN wants a cease-fire in Gaza – Putin brings his chequebook to Latin America, forging ties to replace those lost in the EU and US – The driving beat behind a musical legend is gone – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Brazil is preparing for the final game of the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, and mobilizing the country’s largest-ever security operation with 25,000 cops and soldiers to keep an eye on things.  Argentina will take on Germany in Maracana stadium before thousands of soccer fans and several world leaders.  On Saturday, the Netherlands beat the host country, 3-0, securing third place in the tournament, deepening Brazil’s embarrassing plunge.

(NOTE: Links to music in the following item will make your Sunday ROCK)

The last original member of the influential punk rock band The Ramones is dead.  Drummer Tommy Ramone, born Erdely Tamas in Budapest, had cancer and passed away in his New York City home.  Tommy Ramone played on the first records from 1974 – 1978, including the classics “Blitzkreig Bop”, “Beat on the Brat”, “Judy is a Punk”, “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”, “Havana Affair”, “California Sun”, “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”, and “Teenage Lobotomy”.

The UN Security Council is calling for a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.  The statement, approved by all 15 Security Council members, did not point a finger, but called for “respect for international law including the protection of civilians.”  So far, 156 Palestinians have died in Israel’s bombardment that’s intended to target Hamas members, but is also killing civilians including women and children.  Case in point, an Israeli missile targeting a Hamas member destroyed a center for disabled people, killing two young disabled girls.  Hamas’ crappy rockets have failed to kill or injure anyone, and have done little damage.

US Secretary of State John Kerry managed to talk both presidential candidates in Afghanistan into a full audit of last month’s vote.  Both contenders, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, have claimed victory.  But now they have agreed to abide by the result of the recount.  The dispute threatened to derail any peaceful transition of power, since both men command strong loyalties in the military

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari is asking the hated Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to apologize to the Kurds for accusing them of sheltering extremists.  Kurdish MPs walked out of parliament in Baghdad last week over the insult.  Kurdish fighters then captured two oil production facilities in Northern Iraq, another step towards their goal of creating an independent Kurdish state.

Before Russian President Vladimir Putin went to Brazil for today’s World Cup final, he made several stops in latin America to strengthen ties, First, he went to Havana to write off 90 percent of Cuba’s debt to Moscow – more than A$34 Billion.  Then he stopped in Nicaragua to meet President Daniel Ortega (an ally of the USSR back in the 1980s), leading to speculation of Russia’s silent involvement in a planned transoceanic canal to compete with the Panama Canal.  Then, Putin went to Buenos Aires to sign deals for Russian participation in constructing new nuclear reactors in Argentina. 

Three buildings in Casablanca, Morocco collapsed killing at least eight people and injuring 55 – but authorities caution those numbers could rise.  This happened in the Bourgogne neighborhood, a cosmopolitan area with a large international population living alongside old city dwellers of varying income levels.  Authorities say the cause of the disaster is not yet determined.

Recovery crews on Monday plan to re-float the fatally damaged Costa Concordia cruise ship and begin work to tow it away from the coast off of Italy’s Giglio Island.  32 people died when it struck the reef and capsized two and a half years ago.  21 Aussies survived the wreck.  Crews have spent months attaching large, empty tanks to the ship’s sides that will be pumped full of air, which will allow it to float, and be towed away to be scrapped.

The 15-year old girl who was the lone survivor of the shooting that killed her parents and four siblings spoke at their memorial on Saturday.  Cassidy Stay said she is “on a straightforward path to a full recovery” from the grazing wound to her head.  Her grandfather says Cassidy is a hero, and there might have been 20-people murdered had she not played dead in her home near Houston, Texas, wisely biding her time to call police on 33-year old Ronald Lee Haskell, who was arrested before he could get to the rest of the family in southern Texas.