Global News

Dozens of Japanese lawmakers prayed at a controversial shrine that venerates Japan’s war dead, including several Class-A war criminals.  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, despite the trouble it always kicks up with Japan’s neighbors.

Hong Kong police dismatle more protest sites – A Liberal government curriculum advisor is revealed as a nasty old racist – Human Rights activists give up on Egypt – And much more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

European leaders on Friday plan to confront (not shirt-front) Russian president Vladimir Putin about his threats to pull the plug on crucial Russian gas deliveries.  Putin said that Russian gas could face “major transit difficulties” during the cold winter months after some of the Europeans stated that economic sanctions against Moscow weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

When it comes to Ebola, much of the media’s attention has suddenly shifted from West Africa – where the death toll from the killer virus is expected to surpass 4,500 this week – to the United States and Europe – where fewer than 0.10 percent of the fatalities have occurred.

After an outcry from conservative, English-speaking bishops, the Vatican has changed the translation of a document that recommended more humane, inclusive treatment for gays and lesbians.  But so far, only the English version of the document has been altered.

The United Nations General Assembly resoundingly turned down Turkey’s drive to join the Security Council, after Ankara’s weak and feckless response to Islamic State and the fighting going on just over its border undercut its own drive to try and project itself as a regional power bordering Europe and the Middle East.

At least 26 climbers, mostly foreigners, and three local farmers are dead in Nepal.  They got stuck on the high slopes when a blizzard swept through, causing a huge snowfall and avalanches.  The tail end of Cyclone Hudhud turned out to be one of deadlier spells of bad weather to hit the region.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said a Colombian paramilitary group was guilty of the murder of a promising young lawmaker and his partner in the apartment they shared near Caracas earlier this month.  And while the Venezuelan government has frequently accused his right-wing neighbors of complicity in crimes, this time Maduro has names and confessions.

Islamic State is pushed back, but not out, of Kobani – An open microphone catches a Tory’s real opinions – Bono apologizes for hijacking your iThing – And much more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Hong Kong police officials are investigating the beating of a pro-democracy protester, apparently by police officers.  The widely circulated video is adding new volatility to the tensions between the government and demonstrators in the former British territory.

Big, giant defense contractor Lockheed Martin claims that it has made a technological breakthrough that could bring about the elusive goal of operational nuclear fusion reactors in the next ten years – perhaps even functional units that can fit on the back of a truck.

Is America botching its response to Ebola?  The third person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States had flown on a commercial airline flight prior to her diagnosis.  And even though federal health officials earlier said she shouldn’t have done it, it turns out that the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) gave her permission to fly.

Tony’s macho mouth versus Pravda’s pugilism – Mexico confronts unrest over the disappearances of several university students – Japanese nationalists kick up some unnecessary dust – And much more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

US Airstrikes appear to have helped Kurdish defenders retake some territory in Kobani, the Kurdish city in northern Syria that’s under siege from Islamic State (IS) radicals.  But Turkey’s actions – or lack thereof – just over the border is causing concern.

Catalan leader Artur Mas is pressing ahead with a referendum on independence from Spain, after all.  Yesterday, he announced the planned referendum on 9 November was cancelled.  But now, Mas says the will be a non-binding vote on that date for secession-minded Catalans.

A 56-year old Sudanese man who was working as a United Nations lab technician in Liberia in the fight against Ebola has died of the disease.  Abdel Fadeel Mohammed Basheer was in charge of medical waste disposal, and had fallen ill on 6 October.

Ebola’s death toll has risen by 400 in just a couple of days.  The UN World Health Organization (WHO) says it is now 4,447 dead, the vast majority of whom were in West Africa in the countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia – the latter nation having about half of all deaths in this epidemic.  And that’s not even the worst news.

A Plane Crash in Victoria kills one – North Korea’s missing leader shows up on TV – You won’t believe what a British backpacker had living inside her nose – And much more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Conservative Roman Catholics say a new report from a panel assisting Pope Francis is a “betrayal”.  The report recommends that Catholic clergy show more compassion and respect for same-sex couples, and acknowledges that they have “gifts and talents to offer the Christian community”.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is rethinking its Ebola protocols after the country’s first person-to-person Ebola infection, a young nurse who treated a man who died of Ebola in a Dallas hospital.  And the head of the nation’s largest nurses union is lashing out at the nation’s healthcare establishment, calling for increased training for health-care workers.