CA-NEWS Summary

Investigators hunt for clues in marathon bombing

BOSTON (Reuters) - Two bombs packed with ball bearings tore through crowds near the finish of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and triggering a massive hunt for those behind an attack the White House said would be treated as "an act of terror". Officials said more than 100 people were wounded by the devices, which were packed with gunpowder and shrapnel to maximize injuries, according a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation who declined to be named.

Major earthquake rocks Iran, Gulf and India

DUBAI (Reuters) - A major 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Iran near the border with Pakistan on Tuesday and tremors were felt in India and Gulf states. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 5.44 a.m. ET at a depth of 15.2 km (9.4 miles). The epicenter was in southeast Iran in an area of mountains and desert.

China points finger at U.S. over Asia-Pacific tensions

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's defense ministry made a thinly veiled attack on the United States on Tuesday for increasing tensions in the Asia-Pacific by ramping up its military presence and alliances in the region, days after the top U.S. diplomat visited Beijing. China is uneasy with what the United States has called the "rebalancing" of forces as Washington winds down the war in Afghanistan and renews its attention further east.

Syria's Assad cuts jail terms, activists not satisfied

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cut prisoners' sentences on Tuesday to mark a national holiday but activists said it was a meaningless gesture without the release of thousands of political detainees believed to be held in his jails. The move reduced prison terms of inmates held for both crimes and misdemeanors and also cut by a quarter the jail terms of "Syrians who had joined the terrorists" - the term used by the government to describe the rebels trying to topple Assad.

North Korea issues new threats over protests in South

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea issued new threats against South Korea on Tuesday, vowing "sledge-hammer blows" of retaliation if South Korea did not apologize for anti-North Korean protests the previous day when the North was celebrating the birth of its founding leader. But despite the new ultimatum, the North Korean leadership was looking for a way to cool down its rhetoric after weeks of warnings of war, a senior U.S. military official in South Korea said.

Iran says it test-fires new land-to-sea missile in Gulf

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran test-fired a new land-to-sea ballistic missile in the Gulf, a senior official said on Tuesday, days before an annual ceremony meant to showcase its military muscle at a time of rising tension with the West over its nuclear activity. Israel has publicly warned of possible air strikes on Iran's nuclear sites if Tehran does not resolve Western suspicions it is developing nuclear weapons know-how under cover of a declared civilian atomic energy programme, something Tehran denies.

World experts to help China with bird flu investigation

GENEVA (Reuters) - An international team of flu experts will go to China within a week to help with investigations into the deadly H7N9 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. The new strain of avian flu has killed 14 among 63 people known to have been infected, but no human-to-human spread of the virus has been confirmed.

Venezuelan rivals rally supporters after clashes over election results

CARACAS (Reuters) - Both sides in Venezuela's political stand-off will hold rival demonstrations on Tuesday after authorities rejected opposition demands for a presidential election recount and protesters clashed with police in Caracas. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles says his team's figures show he won the election on Sunday and he wants a full audit of official results that narrowly gave victory to ruling party candidate Nicolas Maduro, the country's acting president.

Japan court rejects request to shut down Ohi nuclear reactors

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese court rejected a petition to close down the country's only two operating nuclear reactors, in the country's first legal ruling on atomic power since the Fukushima disaster a little over two years ago. Anti-nuclear advocates had sought to have the reactors at Kansai Electric Power's Ohi plant in western Japan shut down because seismologists suspect parts of the station sit above an active faultline, which would be against Japanese law on nuclear siting.

Italy objects to Indian anti-terrorism agency probing marines' case

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Italy opposed on Tuesday India's decision to appoint its anti-terrorism agency to investigate the high-profile case of Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen, over fresh fears the men could face the death penalty. The accused, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, are charged with murder for shooting the fishermen off the coast of the southern state of Kerala last year while serving as security guards on a cargo ship.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-103756524.html

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