More damaging evidence at the Pistorius trial – Syria is months behind on ditching its chemical weapons – You will be shocked at a new report on sexual violence against European women – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

A second witness at the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius says she heard a fight coming from the Olympic track star’s home.  Pistorius a year ago shot and killed his 29-year-old model and reality TV star girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.  Prosecutors say it was intentional. 

About a third of all women in the EU have experienced either physical or sexual violence since the age of 15 – that’s 62 million women – and one in 20 has been raped.  The new report from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights calls on EU countries to treat domestic violence as a public, not a private issue.

The chief of Egypt’s armed forces Abdul Fattah al-Sisi says he cannot ignore calls by the majority for him to run for president.  That’s pretty much the clearest indication that al-Sisi will stand for President in the election scheduled for mid-April.  He led the overthrow of the immensely unpopular president Mohammed Morsi of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood last July.

Syria now plans to ship out the most dangerous chemical weapons stocks by the end of April – that’s months behind schedule.  The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said that’s still “good progress”.  About a third of them will have been removed by the end of this week.

A US federal judge has ruled that lawyers representing Amazonian villagers used bribes to secure compensation worth billions of dollars from oil company Chevron in Ecuador.  Chevron had been found guilty in Ecuador of causing environmental damage to the Lago Agrio region, and ordered to pay US$18.2 Billion for “extensively polluting” the Lago Agrio region.  This US ruling doesn’t affect the Ecuadorian court at all, but will make it next to impossible for the indigenous villagers to collect.  The US attorney for the villagers says he will appeal.

Wednesday is the anniversary of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s death from cancer, and the country is uneasy.  Massive commemorations of the late Chavez are planned, but will take place against the backdrop of anti-government protests that have caused problems in recent weeks.  At least 18 people have died in violence surrounding the protests.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is one of the regional leaders expected to go to Venezuela for the commemorations.  He resurfaced on Monday after being out of the limelight for ten days – leading to rumors that he was ill or dead.  Not so.  The 68-year old is in his third term.

Baby gorilla has a name!