CA-NEWS Summary

Iran votes for new president, Khamenei slams U.S. doubts

DUBAI (Reuters) - Millions of Iranians voted to choose a new president on Friday, urged by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to turn out in force to discredit suggestions by arch foe the United States that the election would be unfair. The country's 50 million eligible voters have a choice between six candidates to replace incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but none is seen as challenging the Islamic Republic's 34-year-old system of clerical rule.

U.S. considering no-fly zone after Syria crosses nerve gas "red line"

ANKARA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is considering imposing a no-fly zone in Syria, its first direct military intervention of the two-year-old civil war, Western diplomats said on Friday, after the White House said Syria had crossed a "red line" by using nerve gas. After months of equivocating, President Barack Obama's administration said on Thursday it would now arm rebels, having obtained proof the Syrian government used chemical weapons against fighters trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey protesters say PM vows to respect courts on park plans

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish protesters said on Friday Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had pledged hold off on plans to redevelop an Istanbul park until a court ruled on the project, a move they said was a positive sign after two weeks of protest. Erdogan met a delegation overnight 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.

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.

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.

Wife of ousted Madagascar leader stands by bid for power

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - The wife of deposed Madagascar leader Marc Ravalomanana deflected international demands to pull out of a presidential election in August, telling Reuters she will be her own woman if she wins while her husband will run the family business. Lalao Ravalomanana's decision to run upset a deal under which leading players in a 2009 coup agreed not to contest the vote that aims to restore constitutional order after more than four years of political crisis and economic decline.

Uganda summons EU ambassador over criticism of Museveni

KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda summoned the European Union's envoy on Friday to explain his criticism of President Yoweri Museveni's handling of corruption, underlining growing friction with the West after it cut aid over graft concerns. Western donors withdrew almost all direct budget support to the east African nation after allegations that $13 million had been stolen by officials in the prime minister's office.

No-confidence move over corruption probe threatens Czech PM

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Republic's leading opposition party said on Friday it would call a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Petr Necas unless he quit over a corruption investigation in which some of his closest associates have been charged. Police raids on government offices on Thursday signaled the most significant swoop on corruption in two decades in a country that became a beacon of liberty with its "Velvet Revolution" against Communism in 1989, but has since been mired in sleaze.

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.

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.

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

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