Hello, Australia! – Real science knocks out another climate change denier’s argument, as Australia is faulted for abdicating its climate leadership – Big business rapscallion Alan Bond is dead – An Islamic State “moron” brings down the wrath of the US war machine – And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

The argument by climate change deniers that somehow global warming stalled in the late 1990s has just been rendered moot.  The “pause” never happened, according to US researchers reporting in Science magazine, it’s an illusion caused by inaccurate data.  The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found the warming rate over the past 15 years to be “virtually identical” to the previous century.  The new analysis corrects for ocean observations made using different methods as well as including new data on surface temperatures.

A panel led by former UN Secretary General Kofu Annan has slammed Australia as a climate change “free rider”.  The Africa Progress Panel’s 2015 report faults Oz for going from “leadership to free-rider status in climate diplomacy”.  Yesterday, energy consultants Pitt & Sherry released a report stating that Australia’s emissions had jumped 1.6 percent in the first nine months after the scrapping of the carbon price in June 2014.

Former billionaire, one-time media magnate, winner of the America’s Cup yachting trophy, and convicted fraudster Alan Bond is dead at age 77, having never regained consciousness from heart surgery earlier this week.  His family described Bond as a “larger than life” character, and thanked the staff at Fiona Stanley Hospital in West Australia for their “heroic efforts” in treating him.

Salvagers on the Yangtze River in China have fully righted the Eastern Star passenger ship, which capsized on Monday with some 458 people on board.  China’s state-run Xinhua news agency tweeted a photo showing only the top deck above water, and the roof crushed.  Only 14 people are known to have survived the disaster, and the death toll has been raised to 97 – but it’s feared more than 400 are dead.

The death toll in that petrol station explosion in Accra, Ghana is now 175 lives lost.  President John Dramani Mahama has declared three days of national mourning from Monday.  This happened after two days of terrible rain.  Burning gasoline from a truck depot fire floated on floodwater to the petrol station, where people in and out of vehicles were taking shelter.  People were trapped in burning vehicles, which also blocked others from escaping.

Actress Nichelle Nichols is in hospital after suffering a stroke, according to a post on her official Facebook page.  The 82-year old is best known as Lieutenant Uhura from the original Star Trek TV series and the first six movies.  She’s reportedly awake and alert, eating and in good spirits.  A little over three months ago, her costar Leonard Nimoy died after struggling with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

The dumbest member of Islamic State brought a US airstrike down on an IS group headquarters (and his arse), because he posted a selfie to social media.  IS Air Force Airmen were combing through social media posts to locate the center and then “they see some moron standing at this command,” said General Hawk Carlisle.  Twenty-two hours later, bombs were falling.  Islamic State propagandists use frequent postings on social media to try and attract new recruits.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner met with US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden during her visit to Moscow in April.  “They spoke about the (US) National Security Agency’s electronic surveillance, its ramifications for world leaders and impact on the citizens of foreign countries,” said Anthony Romero of the American Civil Liberties Union.  Although the US just passed an intelligence reform bill that addresses many of the concerns that Snowden brought to light, the US government apparently still considers him to be a fugitive criminal.

Adorable Raccoons try to get out of rain, adorably. 

The Israeli Defense Force has scrapped a punishment for an American-born IDF soldier who was caught eating a pork sandwich packed in his lunch by his Grandma while in uniform.  The IDF normally keeps kosher, ruled the soldier “violated rules and regulations”, and sentenced the soldier to eleven days in prison.  Relatives spoke to the media and punishment was commuted to the same number of days confinement on base.  But then a member of the Knesset complained to the Defense Minister, and the punishment was removed altogether. "We were wrong,” said Gribadier General Moti Almoz, “There are tensions in Israeli society and there are different stances and opinions.  There is room for everyone in the IDF.”