Hello, Australia! – A successful raid puts US “boots on the ground” and a terrorist in a grave in Syria – Egypt’s first democratically-elected leader is sentenced to death – A Roman Catholic official conjects on the sexuality of the apostles, and everyone gets angry – Zombie stuff? – And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

US commandos raided an Islamic State compound in northern Syria, killing a militant leader, capturing his wife, and freeing a Yazidi woman they held as a slave.  The Americans did not provide the full name of the militant called “Abu Sayyaf”.  But they said he was a Tunisian national who had a senior role in selling oil and gas from captured well on the black market, a major source of income for the terrorist group.  Several militants were reportedly killed in the raid, but no civilians or Americans were hurt.

Islamic State is advancing on Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra, one of the Middle East’s most famous UNESCO sites, home of significant archeological treasures.  The terrorists have looted the ancient sites under their control “on an industrial scale”.  And that’s not only caused outrage over the wholesale destruction of artifacts; but it’s also brought the terrorists a ton of cash off of what is sold on the black market.

Hours after a Cairo court sentenced former president Muhammad Morsi to death for a mass prison break in 2011, gunman killed three judges in a northern Sinai city.  A fourth judge riding in the microbus in the city of Arish was severely wounded, and their driver also was killed.  The attack happened on the morning after a Cairo court issued a preliminary death sentence against Morsi for the mass prison break during the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak and later brought Morsi's Islamist movement to power.

Myanmar is denying responsibility for the thousands of Rohingya migrants in a crisis situation in boats off Southeast Asia.  Officials say they won’t even attend a regional emergency meeting in Thailand if the word “Rohingya” is on the invitation.  Even the word is taboo in Myanmar, which claims the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh even though most of have lived in Myanmar for several generations.  Survivors have described desperate conditions on the boats, with people in need of food, water, and medical attention.

A Russian Proton-M rocket malfunctioned soon after launch on Saturday, burning up over Siberia and destroying its cargo – a Mexican satellite.  The launch had been broadcast by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and ended with the terse state, “This broadcast is now over”, once things started circling the drain.  The failure is under investigation. 

Burundi hauled 18 suspects in last week’s failed coup before a court, with family members claiming they were abused in police custody.  Their leader, former intelligence chief Major General Godefroid Niyombare, is still at large.  President Pierre Nkurunziza is back in control, but still faces widespread opposition to his plan to run for a third term – something opponents say breaks the peace deal that ended the civil war in 2005.  And rights activists are accusing the government of cracking down on the independent media with threats of arrest or even death in the wake of the coup.

Pope Francis called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas an “Angel of Peace” in a meeting at the Vatican.  It comes days after the Pope concluded a treaty that explicitly recognizes the “State of Palestine”.  Mr. Abbas is in Rome for the Canonization of two 19th century nuns from what was then Ottoman-ruled Palestine.

A Roman Catholic bishop in Colombia managed to offend both sides at a conference on gay marriage and adoption.  Bishop Juan Vicente Cordoba said homosexuality was not a sin; LGBT people are welcomed in the church; and noted that the bible really doesn’t specify if any of the twelve apostles or Mary Magdalene were gay or lesbian.  That set the conservatives off.  Somewhere in the discussion, he used a Spanish pejorative for gay male to make his point, so some folks on that side were offended.  The bishop’s comments come as Colombia’s Interior Minister confirmed the government intends to legalize same-sex marriage.

Two people are killed and several are injured after a German train hit a farm tanker carrying manure at a level crossing.

Really?  Are we still doing the zombie thing?  ‘Thought that was kind of passe’, but..

This will probably be debunked:  Authorities reportedly shut down a restaurant in Nigeria for serving human flesh, arresting ten people.  When police raided the place they purportedly found human heads, as well as a number of grenades and automatic weapons.  This is one of those stories that makes a big splash on blogs and Murdoch outlets, so take it with a grain of salt.  Often, they get debunked a few days after the headlines go away.  So, you read it here first, and hopefully didn’t believe it.