Hello Australia! - Australia's refugee policies are criticized by a UN rep - Iran plans to sue over the stampede at the Hajj, where the already-awful death toll is rising - Russia's revisionist history really, really irks Warsaw - The West faces a stark reality in Syria - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

A special UN representatives for refugees will not come to Australia today to investigate immigrant detention facilities, because the 2015 Border Force Act is preventing people from talking about what's really happening.  The law imposes two year jail terms on those who disclose so-called "protected information".  UN special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants Francois Crepeau said, "This threat of reprisals with persons who would want to cooperate with me on the occasion of this official visit is unacceptable."  He continued, "The act prevents me from fully and freely carrying out my duties during the visit, as required by the UN guidelines for independent experts carrying out their country visits."

If Australia is any indication, it appears the West is coming to the realization that it is stuck with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, at least in the short term.  As bad as Assad was and is - his forces are believed to be responsible for many civilian deaths - Islamic State is worse, civil war is worse, and the crisis of tens of thousands of refugees flooding north into Europe is worse. "There is an emerging view that the only conceivable option would be a national unity government involving President Assad," said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at a security meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York City.  Former PM Tony Abbott used to insist that Assad "must go", and US Secretary of State John Kerry previously stated that any mention of Assad involved in the post-war would be a "deal breaker".

The father of drowned Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi says the world news media were correct to publish front page photos of boy's body face-down on the beach.  "People must not look away from the terrible things happening on the way to Europe just because we cannot get a visa," Abdullah Kurdi told Germany's Bild newspaper.  The tragedy occurred earlier this month as the Kurdi family's boat sank off Turkey, while they attempted to join the thousands of Middle Eastern refugees seeking safety and asylum in the European Union - away from the bloody Syrian civil war.  Three-year old Aylan, his five-year old, and their mother drowned.

Iranian President Hassan Rohani used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to demand an investigation into the deadly human stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage on the outskirts of Mecca.  Saudi Arabia says several more people died in hospital, raising the death toll to 769 lives lost.  Iran lost more than 130 citizens in the disaster, which Rohani described as "heart-rending", and Tehran is severely criticizing Saudi Arabia's ability to manage millions of people descending on Mecca for the annual event - going as far as to announce that Iranian prosecutors would seek redress through the international courts.

Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin-Abdullah al-Sheikh is absolving the royal family of responsibility for Thursday's disastrous crush.  "You are not responsible for what happened," the grand mufti said to the crown prince in charge of managing pilgrims during the Hajj.  "As for the things that humans cannot control, you are not blamed for them," the mufti continued, "Fate and destiny are inevitable."  The disaster occurred when two huge throngs traveling in opposite directions converged on on very narrow street.  Last last week, Saudi Arabian authorities seemed to blame the pilgrims themselves for failing to heed instructions on which streets to take to the event. 

Poland has summoned the Russian ambassador after he accused Poland of being partially responsible for World War II.  In an interview with a Polish TV station, Ambassador Sergey Andreyev said Poland didn't allow Soviet troops to transit across its territory to fight Germany in 1939; "Therefore Poland partly bears responsibility for the catastrophe that ensued in September 1939," he said, referring to the Nazi invasion of Poland.  Within weeks, Soviet troops rolled across Poland from the other side, which Andreyev claimed was "defensive".  The Polish Foreign Ministry said Andreyev had "undermined historical truth".

Voters in Spain's Catalonia region will vote in local elections.  Separatist parties say the vote will be a de facto referendum on splitting from Spain.  Madrid say, "uhm, no."

Pope Francis arrived in Philadelphia for the last part of his US tour, and enjoyed doing lots of Pope stuff.