Hello Australia!! - Doubts over a Burkini ban on French beaches - The snub seen around the world - Is Putin rearranging personnel and defense assets for a reason? - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

Russia has sent a bunch of new missiles to the occupied Crimean Peninsula, but the Kremlin says the arrival of S-400 Triumph missiles was scheduled before this week's increase in tensions with Ukraine.  In Moscow, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with Kiev over a series of alleged "incursions" in Crimea by Ukrainian saboteurs - something that Kiev said never happened, and there appears to be no evidence backing up the Russians' accusations.  Ukraine and the West have never accepted Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Meanwhile, Medvedev's boss Vladimir Putin has sacked long-time ally 63-year old Sergei Ivanov, who like Putin is an ex-KGB agent from Saint Petersburg who helped swing the country from the post-Cold War mess into the nationalistic, neo-conservative, and belligerent power it is today.  Putin is replacing Mr. Ivanov as Chief of Staff, "promoting" him out of the way to Putin's "envoy for transportation and environmental affairs", whatever the hell that is.  Ivanov has worn many hats in the Kremlin - as defense secretary, he toughened up Russia's military before the 2008 war with Georgia that showed that Moscow would not hesitate to take up arms against its former Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

"If humanity is to be saved from self destruction, we need to better distribute the wealth," said Fidel Castro back in 1992.  The retired Cuban revolutionary leader turns 90 years old today, outliving so many of those capitalists he vexed. 

The mayor of Cannes in southern France has banned the full-body, head-covering swimsuit known as the "burkini" from public beach, claiming that "ostentatious" displays of religious affiliation could disrupt the "public order".  Right-wing Republican party politician David Lisnard has said the burkini is a "symbol of Islamic extremism" and might spark scuffles following several deadly attacks by Islamist terrorists.  No one has been issued a ticket since the ban came into force last month.  There are wide-spread doubts over the burkini ban's legality:  The newspaper Le Monde notes that a burkini doesn't cover the face, and therefore isn't part of France's ban on hijabs;  Liberation accuses Lisnard of pandering to intolerant conservatives.

Bad sportmanship in Rio:  The crowd booed Egyptian Judoka Islam El Shehaby for refusing to shake hands with his Israeli opponent Os Sasson after losing their match.  The judge refused to let this slide and called on El Shehaby to return to the mat, where the sore loser bowed his head just enough to satisfy the sport's tradition of respecting one's opponent.  What's worse, is that El Shehaby might have been influenced by social media malcontents back home who urged him to snub his Jewish opponent, or even refuse to take part in the match.  Hey, guess what:  The Olympics were designed as the event at which people transcend geo-politics, nationalism, and bigotry.  so.. FAIL.  To his credit, Mr. Sasson shrugged it off and moved on.

Islamic State is insisting its leader in Pakistan and Afghanistan Hafiz Saeed survived a drone strike, but the US military says its automated war machine did its job.  An American defense official says the drone strike happened on 26 July in in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, and that Saeed died in the province's Kot district.  This would be three days after IS carried out its deadliest attack in the region, which was last month's suicide bombing at a rally of Shiite Muslims in the capital Kabul that killed more than 80 people.

Two new cases of Polio have prompted Nigeria to commence a mass, emergency vaccination campaign in Borno state in the northeast.  This is where the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram has severely disrupted public health efforts, not to mention the thousands of killings and kidnappings.  It's a big setback for Nigeria, which was on track to become Polio-free by 2017.

Bill Gates is investing in Australia.  The "Global Health Investment Fund" backed by the Microsoft billionaire is sinking AU$3.3 Million into a 8.4 percent stake in Atomo Diagnostics.  The company invented quick, cheap and accurate tests for HIV, malaria, and Ebola, which fits with Mr. Gates' international health philanthropy.

Police arrested two people in the resort town of Hua Hin, Thailand, after bombs there, in Phuket, and in other towns killed four people and injured several more people including ten foreign tourists.  Authorities won't say it was terrorism and refer to the bombings as "local sabotage".  But suspicion fell on Islamist separatist groups who've staged similar attacks in the country's south.

The presidents of Venezuela and Colombia say their border will reopen later today.  Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro shut it down nearly a year ago after Colombian paramilitaries attacked and wounded some troops; Caracas had long complained about smuggling at the border and Colombian retailers taking unfair advantage of Venezuelan price controls.  Trade between the two countries suffered during the shutdown.