Global News

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine’s presidential election on 25 May is a step “in the right direction”.  It’s not certain if Putin is reversing course from his past, more threatening statements about his southern neighbor – or, if this is some sort of delaying maneuver meant to draw his opponents into an error.

Venezuela charged two National Guard sergeants in the death of a 23-year-old woman who was shot during antigovernment protests.  The charges come as the country’s human rights situation comes under close scrutiny in the wake of several weeks of anti-government protests.

Fast Food workers demand respect around the world – China detains another dissident before the Tiananmen Square anniversary – A Saudi dissident appeals his conviction and gets sentenced to a thousand lashes – Texas police gun down a 93-year old woman – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Thailand’s Red Shirts are mobilizing to go to Bangkok for what could be a massive rally on Saturday.  This comes after the Constitutional Court in Bangkok ordered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign, handing the opposition the victory that they could not achieve through free and fair elections or through months of street protests.

Suspected Boko Haram guerillas attacked a town in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 125 people.  Scores of gunmen came into the town from all directions – they sprayed automatic gunfire, trapped people in buildings they set on fire, and in some cases even slit their victims’ throats.  Officials warn the final death toll will be much higher.

Thousands of Syrian rebels and their families have picked up and left the city of Homs, once called the capital of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.  It hands the reviled dictator a major symbolic victory less than a month before his likely re-election.

The 25^th Anniversary of China’s ruthless crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square is less than a month away.  Authorities have arrested several activists who attended a meeting on calling for an investigation into the painful chapter.

Environmental activists are up in arms after Ecuador’s National Election Council disallowed hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition to oppose opening up Yasuni National Park for further oil exploration – there will be no referendum on the matter.

Someone is trying to undermine the peace talks to end a 50-year civil war – Another slashing attack at a Chinese Train Station – Toronto’s crack-smoking mayor flies to the US but then mysteriously flees – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is to appear before the Constitutional Court today to learn if she will be charged with abuse of power for replacing the head of security three years ago.  The move is seen by many as a “judicial coup” by Thailand’s elites to remove the popularly elected prime minister from office.

Boko Haram guerillas are believed to have kidnapped another eight schoolgirls in northeast Nigeria, following last month’s mass abduction of 230 teenage girls from a school.  Both happened in restive Borno state, where Boko Haram is trying to carve out a country for itself based on Sharia law.

A man who secretly hoarded a collection of the world’s great art treasures has died, months after heart surgery.  81-year old Cornelius Gurlitt’s father was an art dealer in nazi Germany, and the paintings are suspected to have been stolen from Jewish families or bought at fire-sale prices as nazi oppression of Jews closed in.

A disease that medicine had almost defeated makes a troubling comeback – A judge is under fire for blaming the victim and handing an egregiously light sentence to a convicted rapist – Weeks after it sank, the Korean ferry Sewol claims another life – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Eleven crewmembers are missing after a Chinese cargo ship sank in the waters just southeast of Hong Kong.  It was hauling cement when it collided with a much larger container ship registered in the Marshall Islands, and sank on the spot.

The watchdog group Human Rights Watch (HRW) is accusing Venezuela of violating the rights of opposition protesters through beatings, illegal detentions, and failure to follow due process.  But Venezuelan officials vigorously deny accusations of a systematic campaign of human rights violations.

The man widely expected to be Egypt’s next President is promising that the Muslim Brotherhood “will not exist” should he win this month’s election.  Widely popular and without a credible opponent, former military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will likely get the chance to act on that promise.

The Greek Coastguard says two over-packed boats carrying migrants have capsized, killing 22 people while seven are missing.  This happened in the Aegean Sea off of the island of Samos, an area where hundreds have died this year attempting to cross the sea from Africa to asylum in Europe.

The terrorist group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for abducting more than 200 girls from a boarding school in restive northeastern Nigeria.  The leader of Boko Haram released a chilling video in which he declares, “I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah”.

The murder trial of Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is to resume in Pretoria today.  The defense will attempt to build its case with the testimony of a psychologist who will be called to speak about Pistorius' disability and his acute sense of vulnerability.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is promising to secure the release of more than 200 girls who were kidnapped by Islamist separatists in the northeast of the country.  It’s the first time Jonathan has spoken publicly on the matter.