Hello, Australia! – Two Aussies are among the dead of the Germanwings plane crash – An American teen is sentenced for killing an Australian athlete – The UN stops Russia’s anti-gay maneuvering in its tracks – I want to believe that the truth is out there, again! – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Two Australians killed in the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps have been identified as Carol and Greg Friday, a mother and son from Melbourne.  They were among 150 passengers and crew on the Airbus A320-211, which appears to have disintegrated as it hit a rocky mountainside 40 minutes after take off from Barcelona.  There, in Melbourne, and in the unrealized destination of Dusseldorf there is sorrow and memorials for the victims.

The process of bringing human remains and debris from the Alps northeast of Marseilles will recommence when daylight returns to the crash scene.  Searchers already recovered one of the “black boxes”, and it turns out it’s the Cockpit Voice Recorder, which records up to two hours of audio that includes the flight crew’s voices and any alarms that might have went off in the cabin.  It’s hoped the box will reveal answers as to why the pilot and co-pilot didn’t respond to air traffic controllers or make an emergency call during the unexplained eight-minute descent from 38,000 feet/ 11,580 meters to the side of a mountain.

An Oklahoma teen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting of 22-year old Aussie Christopher Lane, who went to America’s heartland to play baseball.  Under the plea deal, 19-year old Michael DeWayne Jones was sentenced to life in prison but will be eligible for parole in 36 years.  A first-degree murder rap would put him in for life, period.  Jones was driving when two friends allegedly fired at Lane, who was out jogging on 16 August 2013.

China executed three men convicted in last year’s knife attack on the Kunming train station.  A group of ethnic Uighur Muslim separatists from far northwestern Xinjiang went to the train station in southern China on 1 March 2014, and hacked and slashed at random travelers.  Some 30 people were killed, and police shot and killed four of the attackers.

The United Nations overcame a Russian attempt to stop the world body from extending staff benefits to same-sex partners of UN employees, regardless of the rules back in their home countries.  Russia – backed by China, India, and Muslim countries – tried to block the plan, citing “cultural differences”.  Hate isn’t a cultural difference; it’s the refuge of the weak and stupid.  The vote went 80 to 43 against Russia.  Russia earned international criticism in 2013 when it banned the spreading of gay “propaganda” among teenagers.

The European Union is advising Italy to step up efforts to contain a disease that’s blighting Olive Trees in the south.  Xylella fastidiosa bacteria is also a threat to citrus fruit and vineyards.  There are some 11 million Olive Trees in Lecce province, and 10 percent of them are infected with the blight.  The EU wants Italy to destroy those trees to prevent it from spreading further.

It’s a terrible bushfire season in Chile, and the country put out a national alert over the conditions in three national parks and reserves.  Fires are burning in three protected areas – China Muerta National Reserve, Nalca Lolco National Reserve, and Conguillio National Park – and threatening centuries-old pines known as Monkey Puzzle trees.

Mulder and Scully are coming back to investigate more “X Files”.  Fox is resurrecting the 1990s paranormal-themed show for a six-episode run.  David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are reprising their roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.  Creator Chris Carter says he views the time between episodes as a “13 year commercial break”.