Global News

Scotland is putting a temporary ban on hydraulic fracking, which is blasting huge volumes of water and chemicals into the ground to release trapped deposits of oil and gas.  Energy Minister Fergus Ewing told Holyrood that the ban would give the government time to conduct a public health assessment on the process.

Good Morning, Australia! – Jordan’s troubling offer to Islamic State – Nigeria is accused of failing to stop a civilian massacre it knew was going to happen – Your elderly family in the UK may face greater trials than you realize – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Mexico’s attorney general says that as far as the government is concerned, the 43 student teachers that disappeared last September in Guerrero state were indeed murdered, even though no bodies have been recovered.  Several police, gang members, and the mayor of the town where they went missing are charged in the killings.

The West African Ebola Epidemic shows that that world is “dangerously unprepared” for any deadly pandemics in the future, and needs to develop an “insurance plan” that would help smaller and poorer countries mitigate these future disasters.

Good Afternoon, Australia! – China plans to send Japan a message, loud and clear – A familiar face from Sydney could play a big role in redefining Greece’s relationship with Europe – Jewish community leaders snub Argentina’s President – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Good Morning, Australia! – Islamic State attacks foreigners far away from its self-declared caliphate – A fresh threat against IS’s Japanese Hostage – Fidel finally weighs in – Benedict Cumberbatch says he’s an idiot – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Aussie golfer Robert Allenby is scheduled to hold a news conference from the next PGA event in Phoenix, Arizona.  He may shed a little light on a report that he had run up a huge tab at a strip club on the night he claimed he was kidnapped, bashed, robbed, and dumped on a dark road in Hawaii.

Oxfam says that it’s not enough just to stop the West African Ebola Epidemic.  The London-based charity says the worst affected region is going to require a multi-million dollar “Marshall Plan” to recover from the human and economic cost.

Good Afternoon, Australia! – Islamic State offers a terrorist trade for hostages – A New South Wales Hospital is tracking down former patients over bad vaccines – Germany warns Greece’s new Left-wing PM – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Argentinian President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) has announced plans to dissolve her country’s intelligence agency, after the death of a prosecutor whose death shook the nation and sparked a flurry of conspiracy theories and mistrust in the government. 

Good Morning, Australia! – Scores are killed in a battle to capture a Philippine terror leader – The Kurds beat Islamic State, for now – Greece’s new leader takes the oath – America prepares for a big, giant snowstorm – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

I trust everyone is having a great Australia Day! – A big change in Greece could threaten Europe’s “austerity” economic policies – A long-delayed investigation into a famous Putin critics’s death already faces a roadblock – Clint the Squint defends his new war film after an outbreak of Islamophobia – Protesters say Japan’s PM poked a hornet’s nest – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Islamic State murders a Japanese hostage – Pro-Moscow rebels kill dozens of civilians in Ukraine with their new Russian weapons – This could be the day Greece begins to fundamentally change its relationship with Europe – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Brazil’s biggest cities face water shortages at the peak of the southern summer – The first Ebola vaccine arrives in Africa – The Philippines, accused of hypocrisy for “cleaning the streets” for the Pope’s visit – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Thailand’s junta-appointed legislature voted to impeach Yingluck Shinawatra, the democratically elected former Prime Minister ousted in last year’s coup d’etat.  The move bans her from politics for five years.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) has reversed herself and now says she is convinced the death of top Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman did not kill himself.  Although prosecutors say the evidence points to suicide, there has been widespread doubt.

Thailand’s junta prepares charges against the country’s last democratically elected leader – Good news in the Ebola fight – One of the world’s richest men blasts inequality – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

The mother of one of the Japanese men being held hostage by the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) in the Mideast appeared before reporters on Friday to plead for his release.  The hostage-takers’ deadline of 72 hours comes up sometime today, and there appears to be no movement towards securing the men’s release.

The head of Greece’s Left-wing political party Syriza says the end of “national humiliation” is near.  New opinion polls put Syriza ahead with three days to go before national elections.  Syriza is promising to oppose austerity foist upon Greece under the terms of the bailout from the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank – AKA “The Troika”.

Before the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia signaled a day of unprecedented change on the Arabian Peninsula, this was the biggest story out of the Mideast:  Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi resigned, days after Shiite rebels captured the presidential palace and surrounded his home.