Putin is selling gas in China – Venezuela peace talks hit a snag – Authorities say a trusted dog walker is responsible for the deaths of six pets – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in China to show the west that he has a partner in the East.  He’s trying to sell Russian natural gas to China, although the price remains an issue.  And the two countries’ naval forces are conducting a drill in the East China Sea. 

The US imposed economic sanctions on twelve Russians tied to the death of Sergei Magnitsky, the Russian lawyer who died in jail in 2009 after he uncovered tax fraud committed by officials in Moscow.  Some of the twelve denied medical care to Magnitsky, who suffered medical problems and may have been beaten in jail – others took part in Magnitsky’s posthumous corruption trial.

Talks to end the political standoff in Venezuela have themselves hit a dead end.  The foreign ministers of Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador left Caracas after a two-day visit, unable to persuade the conservative opposition to return to talks.  President Nicolas Maduro accused the opposition of being obstructionist, and reminded them that millions of Venezuelans want the protests against the democratically elected government to come to an end.

French police swept up four neo-nazis behind an Internet posting that threatened violence.  It came after authorities tracked down a social media posting linked to a self-described “terrorist group” claiming ties to the wider neo-nazi movement.  The posting showed photos of eight people with automatic weapons.  Authorities say there could be more arrests.

Authorities in the western Canadian province of British Columbia are weighing possible Animal Cruelty charges against a dog walker after she allegedly dumped the bodies of six dogs in a ditch, but telling police they were stolen from the back of her pickup truck.  In truth, they were locked in the back while the temperature outside rose to at least 25 degrees C.  Authorities say that Emma Paulsen’s story didn’t add up, and she eventually confessed.

A brand-new, multimillion-dollar yacht capsized and sank in the first moments of what was supposed to be its maiden voyage to its owner.  This happened near Seattle in America’s Pacific Northwest.  Six crewmembers were dumped in the water but got out okay.  The boat’s still dead in the water, as are the multi-millionaire’s summer plans.

Sir Paul McCartney has cancelled the rest of his tour of Japan due to an illness.  The details were not released, but the 71-year-old former Beatle is believed to have contracted a virus and his doctors ordered him to have a “complete rest”.  Macca had just played in Japan a few months ago, but this swing was supposed to have included a date at the famed Budokan Hall, where the Beatles played in 1966 and which he hasn’t returned to for a performance since.