CA-NEWS Summary

Syria fighting rages, more chemical attacks reported

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Heavy fighting raged around the strategic Syrian border town of Qusair and the capital Damascus on Monday and further reports surfaced of chemical weapons attacks by President Bashar al-Assad's forces on rebel areas. The Syrian military pounded eastern suburbs of Damascus with air strikes and artillery and loud explosions echoed around al-Nabak, 80 km (50 miles) north of the capital, where fighting has cut the highway running north to the central city of Homs, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said.

More than 70 killed in wave of Baghdad bombings

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 70 people were killed in a wave of bombings in markets in Shi'ite neighborhoods across Baghdad on Monday in worsening sectarian violence in Iraq. No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. But Sunni Muslim Islamist insurgents and al-Qaeda' s Iraqi wing have increased attacks since the beginning of the year and often target Shi'ite districts.

On Memorial Day, Obama pays tribute to fallen

ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama paid tribute on Monday to fallen men and women of the U.S. armed services during a Memorial Day ceremony in which he reminded Americans that the country was still at war. During a solemn visit to Arlington National Ceremony, the resting ground for many military casualties, Obama noted in remarks to visitors that next year would mark the last Memorial Day of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Riots put Sweden's open-door immigration policy in spotlight

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's worst riots in years might benefit a far-right party in elections next year if scenes of immigrants burning cars and smashing up buildings cause voters to rethink their traditional welcome to foreigners. Even before the week of riots in the poorer neighborhoods of Stockholm, immigration had become a hot political issue, as the number of asylum seekers reached record levels.

Historic mafia case to put Italian state on trial

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - Sicilian mob bosses and high-ranking Italian officials, both former and current, went on trial on Monday over allegations they held secret negotiations to stop a wave of deadly mafia bombings in the early 1990s. The trial stems from a murky and tumultuous period in Italian history when the "Bribesville" corruption investigations t brought down the political establishment around the same time as a string of mafia bombs killed 21 people.

Egyptian presidency tries to ease concerns over NGO law

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's presidency will soon unveil a new draft law on civil society and NGOs that should ease Western and opposition concerns over proposals seen as a threat to the new democracy, a presidential adviser said. The opposition condemned an earlier draft law by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party to regulate human rights groups and other private organizations, saying it was more restrictive than laws under deposed leader Hosni Mubarak.

Congo warlord says will not back down from U.N. brigade

MUTAHO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Eastern Congo's most powerful warlord stands on a hillside, surrounded by heavily armed fighters, and gazes down on the sprawling lakeside city of Goma spread invitingly below him in the distance. Exactly what General Sultani Makenga is contemplating for his M23 rebels is a matter of some urgency, both for a government that has struggled to contain the revolt and for a new U.N. force tasked with disarming Congo's insurgent groups.

Protests over murdered British soldier, pressure on Cameron

LONDON (Reuters) - Around a thousand far-right protesters shouting "Muslim killers, off our streets" marched through central London on Monday against a backdrop of swelling anti-Muslim feeling following the killing of a British soldier last week. Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old soldier, was hacked to death in broad daylight in a south London street by two men who said they killed him in the name of Islam. The attack has shocked Britain and stirred an anti-Muslim backlash, including attacks on mosques.

Chilean authorities order 25 km evacuation around southern volcano

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean authorities ordered on Monday a mandatory evacuation encompassing 25 kilometers around the active Copahue volcano, which straddles the border with neighboring Argentina. The volcano, in south-central Chile, has seen increasing seismic activity in recent weeks, but still hasn't erupted, authorities said.

Ireland readies diplomatic corps to rebuff tax haven claims

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland is preparing to officially reject accusations by U.S. Senators this week that it acts as a tax haven for large multinationals and launch a diplomatic offensive to repair the damage done to its reputation abroad. Ireland has been forced to defend its low corporate tax rate after the Senate said last week that iPhone and iPad maker Apple paid little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits channeled through Irish subsidiaries and that it had effectively negotiated a special corporate tax rate of less than 2 percent.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-003316173.html

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