Global News

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton says there is “no guarantee” her talks with Iran’s leaders could achieve a comprehensive agreement to limit or end Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, although Iranian officials expressed a little more optimistism.

Vietnamese officials say one of their aircraft spotted what could be part of a door off of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 floating in the Gulf of Thailand.  If so, it’s the only piece of physical evidence that has been seen of the Boeing 777-200 carrying 239 people, including six Australians.

US Vice President Joe Biden is going to Santiago, Chile for the inauguration of President Michelle Bachelet this week.  But before the festivities, he had some choice words for Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro about the weeks of unrest there.

Two passengers were traveling with false passports aboard a crowded passenger that vanished – Libya threatens to bomb an oil tanker – After eight stinky days, Rio decides that trash collectors are worth a pay hike – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

At least six Australians are believed to be among the 239 passengers and crew aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which disappeared somewhere between Kuala Lampur and its destination Beijing.  Travelers from New Zealand, America, and Canada were also on the passenger list.

Russia plays down the start of a new Cold War – Two more witnesses cast doubts on star athlete Oscar Pistorius’ version of his girlfriend’s shooting death – The international community is failing to step up to help Haiti in its hour of need – And more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

A nationalist mob wearing “patriotic” symbols attacked two members of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot, shouting obscenities as they pelted the women with garbage and a bright green liquid.  The two women were left with chemical burns and head wounds.

A soldier and a motorcyclist were killed in the confusion of a melee at an opposition barricade in Caracas, bringing the death toll in anti-government demonstrations in Venezuela to 21 lives lost since the middle of last month.

A third witness says arguing and screams preceded the death of Reeva Steenkamp in Oscar Pistorius’ home – A warmer planet makes new places for tropical diseases to spread – Death is too much reality for a South Korean show – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs!

Ethnic cleansing has forced out all of the Muslims who were living in the western part of the Central African Republic, torn-apart by a year of civil war that began when minority Muslim militias forced out the previous government.

US President Barack Obama says the Crimea parliament’s decision to secede from Ukraine and request to join the Russian federation is a “violation of international law.”  He urged Russia to allow international monitors into the breakaway region of Ukraine and take other to deescalate the situation.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is reserving comment on a US air strike that hit an Afghan army post, killing five Afghan soldiers and injuring seven more.  Officials in eastern Afghanistan say a drone was involved, which the US is not confirming while acknowledging a mistake was made.

US President Barack Obama is ordering visa restrictions on officials for “threatening the sovereignty of Ukraine” and signing an order for further sanctions on Moscow.  He’s stepping up pressure over Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

It’s the resignation seen around the world, thanks to the Internet.  An American reporter based in Washington, DC for the Kremlin-funded RT news network delivered her resignation because of Russia’s occupation of Crimea.  And her ex-bosses back in Moscow are none too pleased.

European Union Leaders will hold an emergency summit today to decide what to do about Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula.  This meeting in Brussels follows a largely unsuccessful day in Paris in which foreign ministers failed to make much of any progress.

Israel says its navy commandos seized a ship carrying advanced weapons to militants in Gaza.  The Israelis claim shipment originated in Syria and was sent to Iran, where it was loaded onto the cargo that was intercepted in International Waters in the Red Sea.

There’s a scandal bubbling up from the world of international currency markets – Murdoch might have blocked Obama’s designs on a key civil rights office – And a 13-year old kid builds a nuclear reactor.  A real nuclear reactor – All that and more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Two new reports are casting doubts on the way that millions of people regularly take their meals.  One says a diet rich in meat, eggs, milk and cheese could be as harmful to health as smoking.  The other drops the recommended maximum daily sugar intake to a level that will represent a drastic cut for many.

Pope Francis says that despite his image as a revolutionary Roman Catholic leader, he is not changing core teachings of the church.  And the Pontiff is trying to refocus attention on goods deeds and off of his newfound international celebrity.

The Javan rhino is probably the world’s most-endangered mammal, found only in one park in Indonesia when it once roamed all over Southeast Asia.  A new headcount by wildlife officials found only 58 of the one-horned animals – which is actually an increase a few years ago.