Violence at anti-government marches in Caracas – Italy gets a new government – The Sound of Music falls silent – And Ukraine-a-palooza in your CareerSpot World News Briefs.

Overview:

President Viktor Yanukovich has fled Kiev;  his arch-nemesis Yulia Tymoshenko has been has been freed from prison, and gave a speech to the opposition which appears to be in control of Ukraine.  After months of street protests and exploded into bursts of bloody violence, power slipped away from Yanukovich silently.  A feared crackdown simply didn’t happen because his cops and guards abandoned him.  His allies in parliament switched sides and the lawmakers stripped him of power. 

President Attempts To Flee:

At last word, Yanukovich was in the eastern Ukraine, denouncing the events so far as a coup.  He apparently tried to leave the country:  Sergei Astakov, the head of Ukraine's Border Guard Service, claims Yanukovich and his entourage attempted to board a charter flight without proper documentation in the city of Donetsk, in Ukraine’s pro-Russian eastern region.  When security forces confronted them over not having the correct paperwork, Yanukovich and his posse drove off.  Later, he released a video claiming he wasn’t going to leave the country.  Yeah, I guess not!

Estate Is Not-So-Private Anymore:

Yanukovich didn’t just abandon the capital; he left behind a secret estate outside Kiev.  Armed opposition members took control of the grounds, and opened it to the people as a “museum of corruption”.  Hundreds filed through gawking at the opulent marble-floored home, the private zoo with ostriches and deer, replica ancient Greek ruins, and lavish waterways and landscaping.  Why not?  They paid for it.

World Reaction:

The White House urged Ukraine to move swiftly to form a unity government and help restore order.  German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday urged all parties in Ukraine to act in the interests of the country's territorial integrity and national unity.  France welcomed the release of Yulia Tymoshenko.

Moscow Is Not Happy:
Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin condemned what he called Western attempts to influence the outcome of the tumult in Ukraine.  “Either they don't understand the consequences of what they're doing, or they're engaged in a very provocative game of destabilizing Ukraine and therefore Eastern Europe,” Churkin said on social media.

Is That Enough Of Ukraine?  Yeah.

Police and opposition protesters clashed in the ritzy Altamira district of Caracas, Venezuela, after thousands of people took part in pro- and anti-government rallies in the capital.  The death toll is now ten lives lost since the current trouble started more than a week ago.  Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who was defeated not only in last year's presidential election but also in the presidential election before that – urged supporters to keep demonstrating but to avoid violence.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s supporters marched in the capital and several other cities.  He says the violence is part of a strategy devised by right-wing groups, with the support of the US through groups like USAID, to destabilize his government – but he’s seeking talks with US President Barack Obama to come to some accord.

BTW, have you seen a lot of photos on social media that purport to depict brutal repression going on in Caracas?  Yeah, a lot of them are fake (warning, some gruesome images) and were actually older photos of completely unrelated events.

Mexican police arrested one of the world’s most-wanted drug barons.  Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera is the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel which has smuggled tons of drugs into the US.  Guzman was captured in a hotel in the northwestern resort of Mazatlan, and taken to Mexico City to be paraded in front of the media.

Italy has sworn in a new government headed by 39-year old Matteo Renzi, the country’s youngest Prime Minister.  About half of his cabinet members are women.  The task at hand is daunting – Unemployment in Italy currently stands at a nearly 13 percent and above 40 percent among the young.

The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution saying both Syrian government and opposition forces must allow aid convoys to reach civilians across the country.  It does not threaten sanctions, but speaks of “further steps” if the sides do not comply.  Russia and China vetoed similar resolutions in the past, but approved this one.

Good on ya, Steven Dean!

The last surviving member of the Von Trapp Family Singers is dead.  Their escape from nazi Germany in 1938 inspired the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and subsequent 1965 film “The Sound Of Music”.  Maria von Trapp was 99 years old and passed away in her home in the northeastern American state of Vermont.  Maria was portrayed as Louisa in the musical.