CA-NEWS Summary

Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's government and rebels accused each other of launching a deadly chemical attack near the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday in what would, if confirmed, be the first use of such weapons in the two-year-old conflict. U.S. President Barack Obama, who has resisted overt military intervention in Syria, has warned Assad in the past that any use of chemical weapons would be a "red line". There has however been no suggestion of rebels possessing such arms.

Blast at Nevada military site kills seven Marines, hurts seven

(Reuters) - Seven U.S. Marines were killed and seven others injured during a training exercise at a military ammunition storage facility in western Nevada, U.S. military officials said Tuesday. The explosion occurred Monday at 10 p.m. PDT (1 a.m. EDT Tuesday) during a Marine training exercise at the Hawthorne Army Depot in western Nevada, said facility manager Russ Collier.

Bombs kill 50 on Iraq invasion anniversary

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A dozen car bombs and suicide blasts tore into Shi'ite Muslim districts across Baghdad and south of the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, killing more than 50 people on the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. Sunni Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda are regaining ground in Iraq, invigorated by the war next door in Syria and have stepped up attacks on Shi'ite targets in an attempt to provoke a wider sectarian confrontation.

Cyprus aims to let small savers out of deposit tax; veto still likely

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus's government proposed on Tuesday to spare small savers from a divisive levy on bank deposits but said it expects parliament to reject the measure, needed to secure an international bailout and avoid default and a banking collapse. Unless parliament accepts the levy on deposits, EU countries say they will withhold a bailout, plunging one of the smallest European states closer to financial oblivion with potentially severe consequences for the rest of the troubled euro zone.

Pope sets tone for humbler papacy, calls for defense of the weak

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis set the tone for a new, humbler papacy on Tuesday with a call for the defense of the weak and the environment, saying this was the way to prevent the triumph of death and destruction. Addressing up to 200,000 people and many foreign leaders gathered under bright sunshine in St. Peter's Square, the Argentine pope underlined his constant message since he was elected by a secret conclave of cardinals last Wednesday - that the Church's mission was to defend the poor and disadvantaged.

Afghan government hits back at NATO chief, says war aimless

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan government has hit back at remarks by the head of NATO who said Kabul must recognize the sacrifices made by other states, calling the alliance's war on terrorism in Afghanistan "aimless and unwise". In the latest outburst of vitriol from the Afghan leadership deriding its Western allies, the spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the people of Afghanistan "ask NATO to define the purpose and aim of the so-called war on terror".

Blast in northeast Nigeria kills three security agents

MAIDUGURI (Reuters) - An explosion outside a bank killed two soldiers and a policeman on Tuesday in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the center of an Islamist insurgency, witnesses and a mortuary attendant said. The blast followed a coordinated strike on a bus park in the northern city of Kano on Monday involving several bombs, including one suicide bomber. Police said that attack killed at least 25 people.

Czech PM's party support drops to record low in poll

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Voter support for the man Czech ruling party hit a new low this month, showing public dissatisfaction with a lengthy recession and austerity measures adopted by the center-right coalition. The poll, by the private STEM agency, showed the Civic Democrats (ODS) led by Prime Minister Petr Necas had the support of just 8.6 percent of all voters, its lowest rating on record.

Guatemalan trial of ex-dictator Rios Montt begins

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - The trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity opened on Tuesday, the first time a country has prosecuted an ex-head of state in a national court on such charges. For decades, Rios Montt avoided prosecution for atrocities committed during his 1982-1983 rule in a particularly bloody phase of the country's long civil war, protected as a congressman by a law that grants immunity to public officials.

Russia drops investigation into whistleblower's death

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian investigators have dropped an investigation into the death in custody of a whistleblowing anti-corruption lawyer, prompting his allies and human rights campaigners to accuse the Kremlin of a cover-up. The Investigative Committee, a government agency, said on Tuesday it had found no evidence that a crime was committed when Sergei Magnitsky died at the age of 37 while awaiting trial in 2009 on charges of tax evasion and fraud.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-145409456.html

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