China offers intriguing photos in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 – A blast in New York City leaves several people missing – North Korea denies involvement with a tanker that loaded up on stolen oil in Libya – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

China’s government has released images of three large items floating in the South China Sea, possible debris from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.  The photographs of the three objects, the largest of which measures around 24 by 22 meters, were taken on Sunday – the day after the plane vanished – much further east than where Malaysian officials appear to have been concentrating.  Vietnam says its planes and boats have already scanned the area within the past five days and found nothing. 

Three people died, nine are still missing, and 74 are hurt after a natural gas explosion in New York City.  The explosion in Spanish Harlem leveled two pre-World War II buildings and disrupted train service to Grand Central Station.  Searchers are using sniffer dogs and thermal imaging to scan through the huge pile of debris.

El Salvador’s military says it is staying out of the country’s election dispute.  A right wing candidate is refusing to accept he lost the presidency by less than a quarter of one percent. Conservative ARENA party candidate Norman Quijano had called on the military to defend against alleged fraud, but military chiefs say this is a civilian matter – an huge milestone for a country still getting over a bitter and bloody 13-year civil war.  Earlier, election authorities said that leftist candidate and former Marxist rebel Salvador Sanchez Ceren’s victory appeared “irreversible”.

North Korea has built up a network of front companies to run around international economic sanctions.  The new United Nations report says Pyongyang using methods and techniques “pioneered by drug- trafficking organizations” to facilitate an illegal trade in weapons.  Significantly, China – North Korea’s only trading partner and ally – appears to have thoroughly cooperated with the investigation and wants the UN sanctions enforced.

A US federal judge dropped charges against an Indian diplomat whose arrest and strip-search spurred an international brouhaha.  But prosecutors say they might seek a new indictment against Devyani Khobragade for allegedly fraudulently obtaining a work visa for her Indian housekeeper and lying to the government about the maid's pay.  The woman says she was promised a decent salary of US$4,500 a month but was paid less than $3 per hour before she escaped.

Ousted Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan fled the country and sought shelter in Europe.  Parliament sacked him after a North Korean-flagged tanker loaded up on millions of dollars worth of what is essentially stolen crude oil from an eastern port controlled by separatist rebels, and banned him from traveling.  Zeidan, who survived tribulations such as abduction by rebels and constant attempts to topple him, said “nuts to this” and defied the travel ban.  It’s believed he’s heading to Germany where he spent years in exile during the Gaddafi years.  BTW, North Korea says it has nothing to do with the rogue tanker.

Panasonic is offering employees at its Chinese facilities a special pay premium because of the horrible pollution.  Japanese employees sent overseas typically receive hardship premiums, but Osaka-based Panasonic is the first firm to explicitly pay more due to China's lousy air quality.  Recent pollution readings in Beijing are 15 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization.