CA-NEWS Summary

Iran votes for president, Khamenei slams U.S.

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 a sham. The 50 million eligible voters had 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. considers no-fly zone after Syria crosses nerve gas 'red line'

ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States is considering a no-fly zone in Syria, potentially its first direct intervention into 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 deliberation, 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.

Erdogan makes conciliatory move to end Turkish protests

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told protesters on Friday he would put redevelopment plans for an Istanbul park on hold until a court rules, striking a markedly more conciliatory tone after two weeks of fierce anti-government demonstrations. Financial markets rose on hopes that environmentalists who oppose the construction on Gezi Park would be satisfied, but it remained unclear whether other protesters with a wide variety of grievances against Erdogan would go home.

Obama to defend U.S. surveillance programs in G8 talks, White House says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will defend U.S. phone and internet surveillance efforts during G8 talks next week, explaining to other leaders the importance of the tools in fighting terrorism, and safeguards in place to prevent abuse of the data, said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security advisor, on Friday. Rhodes acknowledged that European countries have privacy and civil liberties concerns, but told reporters that the United States and the members of the G8 share security interests and work together to prevent attacks.

Anti-G8 activists rally in London banking district

LONDON (Reuters) - About 100 activists rallied in the shadow of London's Canary Wharf financial district on Friday, encircled by police, in a protest against capitalism before next week's G8 summit in the United Kingdom. Environmentalists, anti-poverty campaigners and women's rights groups waved banners reading "Capitalism = Crisis" and "Power to the People" in the Wharf, home to major banks such as Barclays and JP Morgan.

Analysis: Transforming Syria's war could take more than arming rebels

WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - - If the United States and allies genuinely want to change the course of the war in Syria, it may take considerably more than simply supplying the faltering opposition with weaponry. Western officials say they still believe the ultimate endgame - and possibly the exit of Bashar al-Assad - will be through a negotiated settlement.

Far from Iran election, former guerrillas lobby Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For decades, an Iranian dissident group has seemed to be on the wrong side of history. Suppressed by both the Shah of Iran and then the ayatollahs who deposed him in 1979, its supporters have faced prison, death and exile, and were shunned in the United States as members of a cult-like terrorist organization. The Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MEK) former guerrilla movement began to shake off its painful past last year when the State Department took it off the official U.S. list of terrorist organizations. The European Union made a similar decision in 2009 after a prolonged court battle.

Norway becomes first NATO country to draft women into military

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's parliament voted overwhelmingly on Friday to conscript women into its armed forces, becoming the first European and first NATO country to make military service compulsory for both genders. "Rights and duties should be the same for all," said Labor lawmaker Laila Gustavsen, a supporter of the bill. "The armed forces need access to the best resources, regardless of gender, and right now mostly men are recruited."

Czech leader clings on after close aide charged with graft

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas was clinging to office on Friday after prosecutors accused his personal assistant of being at the centre of a corrupt web of political favors and secret surveillance. Police raids on government offices on Thursday signaled the most significant action against corruption in two decades in a country that has been mired in sleaze since its "Velvet Revolution" overthrew Communism in 1989.

Bulgaria names media magnate as security chief, raising furor

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's parliament on Friday appointed a media magnate to oversee its state security service, a move that could rekindle popular discontent, threaten fragile stability after an early election and alienate European partners. Political analysts said the move was another example of Bulgaria subjecting state institutions to private interests and could worsen the international reputation of the European Union's poorest country for poor governance.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-140803415.html

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