Global News

Closing arguments in the Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial are to begin on Thursday.  The prosecutor will go first, and then on Friday the defense will present its version of the events that led to the death of Pistorius’ girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day of 2013.

A UN-backed tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia has convicted two elderly former Khmer Rouge leaders of crimes against humanity and sentenced them to life in prison for their disastrous and brutal rule in the southeast Asian nation from 1975-1979.

Judges interfere with a plan to end a five decade civil war  – America’s gun violence problem gets absurd – International workers flee war-torn Libya – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

France has passed a sweeping gender equality law that eases current restrictions on abortion, allowing women to get the procedure during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy without any need to cite a reason.  Prior to this, women could only get an abortion only if they could prove they’re in “emotional distress.”

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has pulled the plug on the international mission to recover remains and debris from the crash site of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 because of fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.  But Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston says Australia will resume the search after security conditions improve.

The death toll in the West African Ebola Outbreak is at least 932 according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).  The accelerating death toll has the WHO considering the declaration of an international public health emergency.  The fourth nation to report Ebola deaths already has.

The search for MH370 is back on – A decade of relentless pressure wilts a terrorist group – 36 years later, a woman finally finds her stolen grandson – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Invasive species are nothing new to Australia.  From the cane toad to the artichoke thistle, Oz is paying the price for guests brought along with European colonization of the Great Southern Land.  In Japan, an invasive species isn’t just changing the landscape – it’s threatening to takes some fingers and toes along with it.

A US cyber-security firm says Russian hackers have obtained usernames and passwords belonging to more than 500 million email addresses from more than 420,000 websites – calling it the “largest data breach known to date”.

An Afghan soldier opened fire on a training session at the British-run training academy near Kabul, killing a United States Army General and wounding a general from the German military.  It raises questions about the readiness of the Afghan Military as NATO troops are about to pull out.

A temporary truce between Lebanon and the Islamic State guerillas fell apart less than three hours after it was established.  The Sunni militants who’ve taken over a huge swath of Syria and Iraq have turned their attention to Lebanon and have taken over a border town.

Former US President Jimmy Carter is calling for the West to recognize Hamas as a legitimate “political actor” that was elected by the bulk of the Palestinian population – instead of as a terrorist organization, as it is considered by the US and Israel – if there is to be an end to the cycle of violence in the Middle East.

Japan has approved additional economic sanctions against Russia for its role in the unrest in Ukraine.  Tokyo had originally been moderate on sanctions, but the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday bring Japan in line with measures taken by European Union and Group of Seven (G7) nations.

An experimental drug appears to have saved two Ebola patients – China’s earthquake death toll goes up – A major scientific scandal results in suicide – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

The World Bank is kicking in $200 million to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to help contain a deadly Ebola outbreak.  It will help pay for medical supplies, medical staff salaries, and other priorities to contain the West African epidemic and try to prevent future outbreaks.

Sunni militants who merged their wars in Syria and Iraq into one massive campaign to create a new Islamic Caliphate have expanded into a third country.  Lebanon mobilized its armed forces to a border town that was targeted by the Islamists over the weekend.

A US used a development agency’s supposed anti-HIV program to surreptitiously send young Latin Americans to Cuba to foment discontent in the Communist nation and provoke political change.  And Uncle Sam didn’t pay these people too well, either.

Another attempt at a ceasefire in Gaza is to begin at 8:00 AM in the morning, local time, and hopefully will last longer than the full 72 hours proposed.  Israel, Hamas, and other Palestinian factions agreed to the proposal made by Egypt, which will host face-to-face negotiations in Cairo once the truce takes hold.

Talk about setting a low bar for a ceasefire – Israel spies on its best friend – Obama disses Russia – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Health workers dispatched to a neighborhood in Liberia’s capital Monrovia removed the bodies of two Ebola victims who could go no further and dropped dead on the street four days ago in the Clara Town neighborhood.  No one would take them to hospital.  No one wanted to pick them up for proper disposal.