A political earthquake in America – Brazil says it really, really is ready for the World Cup – Cuddly Rhinoceros loves his humans – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

A top-ranking republican in the lower house of the US Congress has lost his primary, and will not stand for reelection in November.  Eric Cantor, a 13-year veteran of his seat in a rural part of Virginia, lost to little-known small-town college economics professor David Brat, a bible-quoting ultra-conservative from the Tea Party of right-wing upstarts.  No one in Washington was expecting the loss, and the 12-point spread made it even more shocking. 

The end of Eric Cantor’s career throws republican succession plans into chaos as the big-business wing of the Republican Party loses another seat to the religious/social issues wing.  And by “religious/social issues”, I mean they hate everyone who isn’t a white, Christian male.  It also effectively kills any chance at immigration reform, championed by President Obama and the Democrats.  Brat ran his campaign on firm opposition to immigration reform, which he characterized as a plot “to give illegal aliens amnesty”.  Sensing a new threat from the right, big-business republicans are less likely to cooperate with the White House before the election.

South Sudan’s government and rebel leaders have agreed to end fighting and to form a transitional government within 60 days.  Previous deals to end the civil war have fallen apart, and the humanitarian crisis has grown as a result.  This time, regional powers are threatening sanctions if the two sides fail to follow through with the agreement.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says her country is ready for the World Cup, which begins on Thursday with a match between the Brazil and Croatia at Corinthians Stadium in Sao Paulo.  Critics and protesters say the promised infrastructure upgrades to handle the Cup never materialized, and the overall cost came at the expense of healthcare and education.  Transportation workers’ strikes also threaten the opener on Thursday and the final in Rio de Janeiro.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenney says the children of unmarried parents were treated like “an inferior sub-species” for decades in the Republic of Ireland.  The Taoiseach announced a commission would investigate the mistreatment of unmarried mothers and children, including the case of a Catholic Church-run home in County Galway where the remains of 800 children were found in an abandoned septic tank.  Ireland had ten such homes run by nuns until the 1960s.

The United Nations says it is will to mediate the tensions between China and Vietnam.  It started with China dragging a massive oil drilling platform into waters surrounding the disputed Paracel islands, which are far south of China’s internationally recognized 200-nautical mile economic zone.  Vietnam is rejecting China’s vague claims of historical ties to the region, and says China should negotiate.

Police in central China shot and killed a man who took 50 elementary school students and a teacher hostage.  This happened in Qianjiang in Hubei Province.  The suspect was an ex-convict who served prison terms for robbery and illegal gun making.  His motive was not disclosed, but China has suffered a spate of school attacks recently, mostly linked to mentally ill people or those bearing grudges.

A baby Rhinoceros has bonded with his human pals at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center in South Africa, after the little guy witnessed his mother killed by scumbag poachers and mutilated for her horn.  Gretjie at first wouldn’t sleep unless a female keeper was with him, and still tries to sit on her lap – but at 110 kilos, he’s not exactly a lapdog. Gretjie goes out for runs with the gang and plays with ostriches.  But at some point, the center is going to have a 2,000 kilogram puppy on their hands.