Hello, Australia! – The government bans barrier Reef dumping – Thousands are stopped by airport security cops – Bibi Netanyahu admits he might lose tomorrow – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

The government would ban the dumping of capital dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, under draft laws proposed by Environment Minister Greg Hunt.  Capital dredging is the removal of an undisturbed area of the seabed, usually to enlarge shipping lane and widen existing ports.  Hunt says this would protect the 99% of the park protected by the federal government – Queensland, he says, “will take legal steps to cover the gap.”

Australia’s Border Force Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) have stopped more than 76,000 travelers at eight airports between August and February – more than 400 per day – in the effort to stop would-be militants from leaving the country for the Middle East.  The CTU claims it is only stopping “potentially suspicious” targets.  The tactic has led to accusations of racial profiling from the Islamic community.

Intense fighting near Tikrit has left the empty tomb of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein heavily damaged.  Saddam’s body was moved out of there by local Sunnis some months ago and took it to an undisclosed location.  The damage to the site only became apparent as Iraqi forces and Shiite militias retook it from Islamic State as part of the drive to push black the terrorist group.  The Shiites say Islamic State booby-trapped the site with explosives, which were set off as the government troops approached.

Nearly a million protesters marched in Brazil’s cities, to protest the sluggish economy, inflation, and corruption at the state-owned oil company Petrobras – but especially to call for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.  There’s little chance of that happening.  She was re-elected just five months ago, and most of these protesters come from Brazil’s wealthier classes who already voted against her and lost.  But the Sunday rallies were markedly larger than the pro-Rousseff rallies held earlier, organized by the ruling Workers’ Party, trade unions, and various social movements.

Venezuela’s National Assembly granted President Nicolas Maduro the power to rule by decree to deal with what Caracas calls the threat posed by the United States.  The opposition says this is a terrible idea and claims Maduro will use these powers to clamp down on dissent.  Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez have long accused the US of Meddling in Venezuelan affairs – Washington denies this, even as it levels economic sanctions on Venezuela and calls it a national threat. 

The bell tower of Moscow’s Novodevichy Convent was reportedly only slightly damaged when fire raced through the scaffolding being used in the tower’s restoration project.  The 70-meter tower is one of Moscow’s most popular tourist attractions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning his supporters that he and his Likud party could lose Tuesday’s election.  A loss or an indecisive win leading to a unity government would be a stunning setback to Israeli hawks who’ve set the country on a more aggressive path, especially with regards to Iran and the Palestinians in Gaza.  The final set of pre-election polls shows the Center-Left a few seats ahead of Bibi and Likud.

The Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris has reopened two months after a terrorist killed four people there in January before cops shot him down.  It’s being praised as a sign of the resilience of France’s Jewish community, which has been dealing with rising anti-Semitism in recent years.