Nigerian troops ran away from a Boko Haram attack – Tony Abbott goes to Iraq to talk about Islamic State – Pope Francis’ latest move gives a more powerful voice to the South and the Developing World – And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Boko Haram militants overran a military base and town in far northeast Nigeria.  The facility was supposed to host a multinational force from Nigerian, Niger, and Chad that would take on the terrorists.  Townspeople in nearby Baga fled across the border to Chad after they watched the Nigerians – the only troops stationed at the base – flee at the sight of the advancing Boko Haram terrorists. 

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says America's two-year deadline for pulling out the last of its troops needs to be “re-examined” because of increasing attacks by the Taliban.  US President Barack Obama wants to withdraw all American troops by the end of 2016, as Afghanistan looks after its own security.  Around 13,000 US troops remain in Afghanistan for the training and support of locals.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott made a surprise trip to Baghdad to visit ADF troops, and discuss the rise of Islamic State with Iraqi officials.  Australia is already part of the US-led coalition running bombing missions against IS.  Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asked Abbott for more help in training Iraqi troops and provide more weapons.

As thousands of police lined up in respect outside the funeral of the second of two New York City police officers shot dead last month, scores behaved disgracefully by against turning their backs as Mayor Bill DiBlasio spoke.  This happened even though NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton issued a memo urging officers to act decently at the funeral of a fallen comrade.  Wenjian Liu and his partner Rafael Ramos were gunned down as they sat in a police vehicle by a man angered over a series of killings of black men by white cops across America.

Pope Francis named 20 new Cardinals, with an emphasis on new blood from the developing world and places that have never had their own Cardinal in the past.  From Australia’s neighborhood, Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga and Archbishop John Atcherley Dew of New Zealand are getting a promotion.  No Americans or Canadians were on the list.  Fifteen of the 20 are younger than age 80, meaning that they would be eligible to vote in a conclave to elect the Pope’s successor. 

Divers returned to the Java Sea where AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crashed more than a week ago with 162 passengers and crew on board.  So far, 34 bodies have been recovered.  Indonesia’s search and rescue agency hopes that the black box flight data and cockpit voice recorders are near several large objects already found by recovery teams, about 90 nautical miles off the coast of Borneo island.

The mayor of a town south of Paris is denying that he refused a gravesite to Roma infant who died on Christmas Day.  Christian Leclerc, the conservative mayor of Champlan, says his comments about taxpayers getting priority for available graves were “taken out of context”.  LeClerc was roundly condemned, and the baby was buried in the neighboring town of Wissous.

Brazil’s new planning minister had an awful first day on the job.  Nelson Barbosa announced he’d cut government spending by sending a bill to congress that would change the way the minimum wage is calculated (pensions and some public salaries are based on the minimum wage).  Meaning, of course, that minimum wage hikes would be lesser and fewer.  Unions immediately objected and complained to President Dilma Rousseff.  Within a couple of hours, Barbosa backtracked and the reporters couldn’t get any further comment out of the planning ministry. 

Archeologists have discovered the tomb of a previously unknown Egyptian Queen.  The tomb at Abu-Sit is believed to belong to the wife or mother of Pharaoh Neferefre and dated back 4,500 years.  Egypt antiquities minister Mamdouh el-Damaty hopes the discovery will fill in some historical holes regarding ancient Egypt’s Fourth and Fifth Dynasties.