Global News

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:

Although Russia’s takeover of Crimea has been bloodless, the first shots have been fired.  No, it wasn’t that missile test over which the major media outlets had worked themselves up into an unsightly lather.

US President Barack Obama will not attend the Group of Eight summit scheduled for Sochi, Russia, in June unless Moscow reserves course in the Ukraine Crisis.  Russia countered by yanking the sweet deal on natural gas it gave to Ukraine when Viktor Yanukovich was president.

The United States is appealing to its two closest allies in East Asia to try harder to get along.  South Korea and Japan are increasingly at odds over nationalist rhetoric and actions coming out of Tokyo that one influential American lawmaker is calling “provocative”.

Police in China say they’ve arrested the remaining suspects in the gruesome machete attacks on civilians at the train station in Kunming city.  It comes as a video of one of the attackers has hit the internet via a Chinese video sharing site.

A neighbor says she heard trouble before Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend – Child porn charges rock Number 10 – Time is running out for an endangered species – And much more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging Venezuela to “listen carefully to the aspirations” of protesters and engage in dialogue with the opposition.  This is despite the opposition repeatedly boycotting opportunities to present their grievances to President Nicolas Maduro.

One calls himself “Creeper” and the other is “Wino”, and they’re apparently Los Angeles street gang members who’ve traveled to Syria to fight for Bashar al-Assad’s government.  The two appear in a video released to the Internet by a Mideast monitoring group.

While the United States talks about punitive measures against Russia for its quick takeover of the Crimean Peninsula following the ouster of Ukraine’s pro-Russia regime, Washington’s closest ally appears to be on the verge of ruling out economic sanctions.

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich – who either was ousted, had deserted, or is a fugitive, depending on the point of view – is formally asking Russia to use military force in his country.  Russian officials were more than happy to display that request before the world.

More freaking Ukraine, an elderly Aussie arrested in North Korea, Missing Fishers, and a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs.

Russia’s Ambassador to Australia has finished his meeting with the Foreign Affairs department to explain his country’s actions in Ukraine – A meeting demanded by Canberra after Russian troops successfully occupied Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula on the Black Sea.

China has stepped up security at train stations and airports after a gang of Islamist separatists with swords and knifes stormed a train station and hacked away at passengers, killing at least 29 people and injuring more than 130.

Ukraine’s new government has opened a treason investigation against Rear Admiral Denys Berezovsky, who was named head of Ukraine’s Navy on Saturday, and on Sunday defected to pro-Russian Crimean authorities.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is planning to go to Kiev on Tuesday, and earlier had threatened possibly economic and diplomatic retaliation for Russia’s advances in Ukraine.  It’s not yet clear that the US has support for such measures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had a phone conversation about the situation in Ukraine, where 6,000 Russian troops have now taken complete control of the Crimean peninsula.  Putin accepted Merkel’s idea of a “contact group” to try and prevent the conflict from escalating.

Dozens are hacked to death by assassins in a busy train station – Ukraine attempts to remain calm as Russian forces secure Crimea – Mob violence in Venezuela is attracting the UN’s attention – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

The Russian Parliament has approved President Vladimir Putin’s request to use troops to be used in Ukraine, used “until the normalization of the political situation in the country”.  It comes a day after US president Barack Obama warned Russia of consequences for getting involved in Ukraine.

Obama cautions Russia about messing about in Ukraine – Putin’s highest-profile political adversary finds himself under house arrest – China smashes a baby selling scheme – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs.

A US Federal Court sentenced a man with a history of mental illness to 15 years in prison for a plot to detonate a car bomb outside a California bank – the fake weapon given to him as part of an undercover FBI sting operation.  The case has some wondering how much of the crime is the defendant is actually responsible?