Hello, Australia! – The Speaker will reimburse Aussie taxpayers – Japan’s ruling party pushes through controversial militarization bills – Neil Young picks his next battle – And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Bronwyn Bishop has agreed to repay taxpayers more than A$5,200 that she had billed them for taking a chartered helicopter flight from Melbourne to Geelong for a Liberal Party fundraiser – an hour’s ride by car.  Bishop issued a statement insisting that she didn’t break any rules, but would refund the money anyway.  But the travel is part of $400,000 in expenses Bishop spent in the last six months of 2014, including an $80,000 trip to Europe that critics say was nothing more than job-hunting. 

Lawmakers in Japan’s lower house passed a package of bills on national security, expanding the role of the military to include so-called “collective self defense” – which means joining the US and allies in more military adventures, as well as beefing up for a possible challenge from China.  Opposition parties walked out of the vote in protest, accusing the ruling coalition of ramming the legislation through without proper hearings.  The upper house of the Diet is expected to rubber stamp it.  But there are legions of critics and experts outside government who say these bills are unconstitutional.

The solar-powered Solar Impulse 2 aircraft is grounded until next year, after its batteries overheated during the plane’s most recent leg of the round-the-world journey.  The team describes it as a “technical failure” and not a failure of solar technology.  The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft is as big as a passenger jet, but weighs only as much as a car.  That lightweight construction has made it susceptible to damage.

Former US President George H.W. Bush fell and broke a bone in his neck on Wednesday night in the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, in America’s northeast.  The 91-year old was in a stable condition in hospital, and will need to wear a neck brace.  He’s had a series of health setbacks in recent years, including several lung infections and a form of Parkinson's disease that has forced him to use a motorized scooter.

Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe award for courage at the annual ESPY sports awards in Los Angeles.  The former Olympian, until recently known as Bruce Jenner before transitioning, made an emotional plea for “accepting people for who they are”. 

Neil Young will no longer allow his music to be streamed online by services such as Spotify because of issues with sound quality.  The 69-year old Canadian singer-songwriter is famous for being persnickety on this subject – he’s looked down on digital since the introduction of the compact disk (before most of your CareerSpot staff were born).  “I don’t need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution,” young wrote on Facebook.  “I don’t feel right allowing this to be sold to my fans.  It’s bad for my music.”