Hello Australia!! - Police say an Aussie teen terrorism suspect had a gun - North Korea's Kim hints at a more troubling nuclear capability - Argentina's outgoing president zings her replacement - And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:
Police arrested a 20-year old Raby man and a 15-year-old from Georges Hall in an anti-terrorism sweep through Sydney's southwest. The older suspect is identified as Ibrahim Ghazzawy - the teen cannot be named, though police describe him as "radicalized" and in possession of a gun. Both are allegedly associates of the people responsible for the murder of NSW Police employee Curtis Cheng. These two, plus three more men already in Goulburn's Supermax Prison faces charges of conspiring to prepare a terrorist act - likely an attack on a police building in Sydney.
The man accused of murdering three people at a Women's health clinic in Colorado Springs last month had his first court hearing, and he left no doubt about his right-wing motivations: 57-year old Robert Lewis Dear repeatedly interrupted the hearing with his declarations that he is "guilty", and claimed to be a "warrior for the babies". When he was arrested, Dear said said the phrase "no more baby parts", which mirrored recent false claims from US republican presidential candidates and anti-abortion rights zealots who put out a thoroughly debunked video claiming that the Planned Parenthood organization which runs the clinic profits from selling "baby parts" from aborted fetuses.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is hinting that his country has a hydrogen bomb, or he at least wants the West to believe so. Pyongyang already tested three atomic bombs, but a hydrogen bomb is a more advanced technology that creates a much larger explosion. North Korean state-run media reported that Kim recently inspected a a military site, where he said that North Korea was already a "powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty".
China is issuing tips for "surviving" the smog red alert in Beijing, and they're pretty useless. Among them: "Smile and try to be positive (hopefully there will be less smog tomorrow)," suggested state-run CCTV. Other tips include not going outside unless absolutely necessary, blowing your nose, drinking more tea, smoking less and even wiping down your skin after spending time outdoors.
Israeli authorities have reportedly stopped the entry of cement into the Gaza Strip, which is putting a halt to new construction in an embattled enclave that already had a housing shortage before sustaining profound damage in the 2014 Gaza war. 30,000 Gazans had applied for cement to build, rebuild or renovate their homes. Palestinian officials say Israel did not give advance warning of the cut-off. In the past, Israel has halted cement deliveries to Gaza to stop Hamas from constructing tunnels used for smuggling and attacks on Israel.
Outgoing Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner gave her last address in office before tens of thousands of supporters in the Plaza de Mayo. Among the signs of well-wishes was one placard reading, "Thank you for 12 years of equality, egalitarianism, inclusion and sovereignty." CFK's speech soundly criticized her conservative successor Mauricio Macri, who bickered over where his swearing-in ceremony should take place - so much so, that CFK eventually threw up her hands and decided not to attend. She defended her record of increased spending on education and healthcare for the people: "We believe in what we have achieved so we need to have a positive attitude to ensure that these things will not be destroyed."