CA-NEWS Summary

U.S. says Assad forces used chemical weapons against Syria rebels

WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States has concluded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces used chemical weapons against rebel fighters and Washington will supply direct military assistance to the opposition, the White House said on Thursday. The new assessment and decision came as Assad's surging forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies turned their guns on the north, fighting near the northern city of Aleppo and bombarding the central city of Homs after having seized the initiative by winning the open backing of Hezbollah last month and capturing the strategic town of Qusair last week.

Explosion at Louisiana chemical plant kills 1, injures 73

GEISMAR, Louisiana (Reuters) - An explosion and fire killed one person and injured 73 at the Williams Olefins chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, on Thursday, unsettling an industrial town where authorities ordered people to remain indoors for hours to avoid the billowing smoke. The blast at 8:37 a.m. (0937 ET) sent a huge fireball and column of smoke into the air. The plant along the Mississippi River, about 60 miles from New Orleans, is one of 12 chemical plants along a 10-mile (16-km) stretch of the river.

Putin says Russia seeking IMF reform, battling offshores

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund needs "thorough reform" and Russia will push for deals giving developing countries more clout in time for a G20 summit it is hosting in September, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Friday. In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA before next week's G8 summit in Northern Ireland, Putin emphasized Russia's role as current G20 president and next year's leader of the Group of Eight industrialized nations.

Anti-G8 protests aim for London's Canary Wharf banking district

LONDON (Reuters) - Activists plan a show of "civil disobedience" in the heart of London's Canary Wharf financial district on Friday to protest against capitalism ahead of next week's G8 summit which Britain is hosting. Environmentalists, poverty campaigners and opponents of the British government's austerity measures will join under the banner "They Owe Us" in a demonstration at Canary Wharf, home to major banks such as Barclays and JP Morgan, as well as other financial powerhouses.

Senate rejects Republican effort to gut immigration bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A landmark immigration bill survived a major challenge in the Senate on Thursday when its bipartisan "Gang of Eight" sponsors beat back an amendment that would have delayed a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal residents. The proposal by Iowa Republican Charles Grassley would have prohibited a first step toward granting them legal status until the U.S. Department of Homeland Security "has maintained effective control" of the entire U.S.-Mexico border - 1,969 miles - for a period of six months.

Greeks strike over state TV closure, PM offers talks

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras moved to defuse a political crisis over the government's abrupt closure of state broadcaster ERT that prompted a nationwide strike on Thursday and brought thousands into the streets in protest. Samaras, who has branded defenders of ERT hypocrites, invited two left-wing junior coalition parties opposed to the shutdown to talks next Monday, his office said, seeking to avert political instability in the bailed-out euro zone country.

Turkey seeks negotiated end to anti-government protests

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the governor of Istanbul made what appeared to be final efforts to end two weeks of anti-government unrest by negotiation on Friday, meeting opponents of controversial plans to redevelop a city park. Erdogan met a delegation mostly made up of actors and artists but also including two members of the umbrella protest group Taksim Solidarity, hours after saying his patience had run out and warning protesters occupying Gezi Park to leave.

News Corp's Rupert Murdoch files for divorce from wife Wendi

NEW YORK (Reuters) - News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch on Thursday filed for divorce from his wife of 14 years, Wendi, seeking to end a marriage that had been irretrievably broken for more than six months, according to his spokesman. Murdoch, 82, married the former Wendi Deng, 44, in 1999 in his third and her second marriage. They have two young daughters.

Zimbabwean PM Tsvangirai rejects July 31 election date

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai rejected President Robert Mugabe's declaration of a July 31 election on Thursday, accusing his rival of breaching the constitution and creating a political crisis. The Constitutional Court ordered Mugabe two weeks ago to hold the poll by the end of July, following an application to the court by a Zimbabwean citizen demanding the president set a date before the current parliament expired.

FBI director says U.S. will hold Snowden responsible on NSA leak

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - FBI Director Robert Mueller said on Thursday that the U.S. government is doing everything it can to hold confessed leaker Edward Snowden accountable for splashing surveillance secrets across the pages of newspapers worldwide. Mueller said at a U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing that Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, harmed national security when he divulged the secrets.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-001000189.html

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