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:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is condemning Islamic State for apparently killing one hostage, and demanded the release of a second.  The terrorist group uploaded a video showing a still photo of hostage Kenji Goto holding a photo purportedly showing fellow captive Haruna Yukawa’s severed head placed on his dead body.  This comes after Yukawa’s mother issued a tearful plea for mercy from Tokyo. But Islamic State reportedly changed its demands:  Instead of demanding US$200 Million as it did for the release of both hostages, IS is now proposing swapping Goto for a female convicted terrorist who is jailed in Jordan. 

Spanish authorities arrested four suspected members of a terror cell in the country’s North African exclave of Ceuta.  Spain’s Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said the two pairs of brothers were well-trained and well-prepared to attack.  He claimed the suspects were plotting an attack similar to the 7 January attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, part of a three-day terror spree in which 17 people and three terrorists died.

In Yemen, thousands protested in the streets of Sanaa against the Shiite Houthi rebels who forced the president to quit.  The troubled country is now in a power vacuum.  The chaos is prompting the US to scale-back anti-terror operations (for now).

At least 30 people are dead and 102 are injured after Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine fired missiles on the southeastern port city of Mariupol.  Kiev calls it a “terrorist attack”.  This comes a day after the rebels announced they would not abide by the shaky cease-fire – and a few days after the rebels and Moscow bitterly complained about a Ukrainian shell hit a bus in Donetsk, killing several people.  US and Kiev officials last week complained that the rebels are sporting brand new Russian weaponry.

The Scottish nurse who almost died of Ebola has been released from London’s Royal Free Hospital after being declared free of the virus.  After weeks of deep quarantine, Pauline Cafferkey says she feels weak after the ordeal, but looks forward to returning to “ordinary life”, with no plans to return to Africa.  Pauline had finished her volunteering in Sierra Leone and flown back to Glasgow through Heathrow, but started to feel symptoms within hours of picking up her bags and heading home on 29 December.  Absolutely no one on Cafferkey’s connecting flights have reported Ebola symptoms.

Egyptian authorities are promising an investigation into the death of a Socialist activist on the eve of fourth anniversary of the uprising that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.  34-year old Shaima al-Sabbagh, the mother of a five-year old son, died after a cop blasted her with birdshot.  Officials say the demonstration in Cairo was not big or rowdy enough to warrant such a police response.

The final polls published before Sunday’s national election in Greece shows the Leftist Syriza party now leading by 6.7 percent.  Syriza is frightening international markets international markets by calling for massive debt forgiveness and rewriting the European Union/International Monetary Fund bailout, putting an end to crippling austerity policies that have harmed Greece, and caused widespread unemployment.  Creditors insist Athens must honor its bailout commitments.

Zambia’s ruling party candidate Defense Minister Edgar Lungu is claiming victory in the Presidential election with more than 48 percent of the vote.  Opposition candidate and wealthy businessman Hakainde Hichilema preempted the announcement by accusing the election commission of manipulating the results in favor of Lungu.  Observers disagreed.  Turnout was a paltry 32 percent, partly because of inclement weather.

The World’s busiest airport for 2014: Chicago’s O’Hare International, with 881,933 flight operations for the year.  Sometimes known as “O’Hell”, especially if you’ve ever had to walk the 30 or 40 kilometers from international arrivals flights to immigration and customs.

Hong Kong police are looking for the thief who lifted a A$5.8 Million diamond necklace from a jewelry store – a twelve- to 14 year old girl.  The kid was working with two women and a man, all aged between 30 and 40, who distracted the staff while the kid stole a key and got into the locked drawer.

Meanwhile...

The reporter who broke the story of the death of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman has left the country, he says for fear of his life.  The owners of the English-language Buenos Aires Herald said reporter Damian Pachter felt he was being followed.  His current location is not clear.  Nisman was found dead a week ago, in the bathroom of his 13th storey apartment that was locked from the inside.  A rifle and a spent .22 caliber casing were found next to him, but no powder burns were detected on his hands – although this is common with small caliber ammo.  Cause of death, a bullet fired into the head at point blank range.  Prosecutors say it appears to be a case of suicide. 

But Nisman had just accused President Cristina Fernandez de Kircher of stifling the investigation into a 1994 bombing that had been widely blamed on Iran, allegedly to score some cheap Iranian oil.  And he had been scheduled to detail his evidence.  The president denies it, and suggests Nisman was manipulated by a disgraced ex-spy chief and..

..hey, you know what?  This story has more layers than a freakin’ onion, and Sunday is news brief day.