The US goes to bat for an imprisoned Aussie reporter – A new disease to fear – Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s last hours, Paul Walker’s will, and Bunny Rugs’ legacy – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs.

The US White House is calling on Egypt to free three jailed journalists, including Australian Peter Greste.  The three worked for al Jazeera in Egypt, but were arrested in December for supposedly aiding terrorists.  Al Jazeera is viewed in Egypt as critical of the interim government that replaced Islamist Mohammed Morsi.  White House spokesman Jay Carney said journalists and academics, “regardless of affiliation, should be protected and permitted to do their jobs freely in Egypt.”

Russia says Syria will complete the shipment of chemical weapons out of the country by 1 March, weeks behind schedule.  Moscow claims the authorities in Damascus were planning “a large shipment” this month.  Last week, the US criticized Syria for giving up only a fraction of its stockpile.

A train ripped through a minibus in Ukraine, killing 13 people.  This happened near the town of Belaniy, 270 kilometers east of Kiev.  Local officials say the bus driver ignored traffic lights and audible warnings of an oncoming train. 

Ukraine MPs are considering a change to the constitution to limit the powers of President Viktor Yanukovich, a key demand of protesters who’ve gridlocked the capital Kiev for months.  It puts the speaker in a difficult position; Pro-Yakukovich MPs are trying to block the move, but if parliament doesn’t act it will likely enflame protesters even more. 

China has a deadly new strain of Bird Flu to worry about, and scientists are warning health officials not to underestimate the potential for epidemic.  A 73-year old in Nanchang City caught H10N8 Bird Flu after visiting a poultry market and later died.  And authorities have isolated a second H10N8 patient.  China has already been coping with an outbreak of a similar influenza virus called H7N9, which has killed around a quarter of those infected.

An official with Japan’s national broadcaster NHK is under fire for denying that the Nanking Massacre ever happened. Naoki Hyakuta is a prominent novelist in Japan, and was appointed to the NHK board of governments by nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  A few days ago, Abe’s hand-picked head of NHK Katsuto Momii claimed that all militaries used sex slaves during World War II (of course, they didn’t.. but Japan did).

An art gallery in Rotterdam, Netherlands this week will display a relic of World War II:  Anne Frank’s toy marbles.  The most famous victim of the Holocaust gave them to a friend before her family went into hiding because “they might fall into the wrong hands.”  Although The Diary of Anne Frank is the most widely read document to emerge from the Holocaust, the museum says it’s important to display the marbles to remind the world that Anne Frank was “just a little girl”.

Authorities are piecing together the final hours of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  On Saturday morning, witnesses in New York City say he seemed fine while ordering a four-shot espresso.  But within hours others told investigators he appeared to be “high” or “out of it”.  By Saturday night, he was withdrawing US$1,200 from an automatic teller in a small market by his home.  And on Sunday morning, he was found dead, surrounded by as many as 70 packets of what is believed to be heroin.

Court records show that “Fast and Furious” actor Paul Walker left his estate of US$25 Million to his daughter, Meadow Walker.  The actor’s dad, Paul Sr., filed the will with the court, asking that Paul’s mother Cheryl Walker be appointed the girl’s guardian.  Some reports speculate it sets up a confrontation with the girl’s custodial parent in Hawaii.  Paul Walker died on 30 November in a fiery car crash

Reggae great Bunny Rugs is dead at age 65.  The lead singer of the wildly popular soul-reggae band Third World died of leukemia at his home in Florida, after leaving a hospital where he had been treated.  Born William Clark in Jamaica, he joined Third World on the group’s second album and stayed there until his passing this past weekend.  The group was signed to Island Records and had hits on British and U.S. charts, including “Now That We Found Love”, “Always Around”, “Try Jah Love”, “96 Degrees in the Shade”, and “Reggae Ambassador”.