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Duffy expense controversy sent back to closed-door Senate committee

The Canadian PressMay 21, 2013 16:49
OTTAWA - Conservative senators have sent Mike Duffy's controversial improper expenses back to the same closed-door committee that initially reviewed them, rejecting a Liberal bid to have the matter referred directly to the police. Liberal Senate Leader James Cowan argued late Tuesday night that the committee on internal economy had lost credibility with Canadians and the police should take over.

Appeals court strikes down Arizona ban on abortions at 20 weeks

May 21, 2013 16:47
By Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) - A federal appeals court struck down an Arizona law on Tuesday that bans abortions from 20 weeks gestation, saying it violated "unalterably clear" U.S. Supreme Court rulings that women have a right to terminate pregnancies until a fetus is viable.

Hezbollah sends new fighters to bloody Syria battle

Agence France-PresseMay 21, 2013 16:30
Elite Hezbollah fighters poured across the border from Lebanon into Syria on Tuesday, a watchdog and others said, bolstering Syrian regime forces battling to retake the key rebel stronghold of Qusayr. Washington condemned Hezbollah's direct intervention on the side of President Bashar al-Assad's regime and diplomats said the European Union was poised to place the Shiite militant group's military wing on its terror blacklist.

Far-right writer kills himself inside Notre Dame de Paris

Agence France-PresseMay 21, 2013 16:30
A far-right writer and activist shot himself dead in front of the altar of Paris's famed Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, after calling for "spectacular" action to protect France's identity. Police confirmed the man's identity as Dominique Venner, 78, an essayist and activist linked with France's far-right and nationalist groups. His suicide was hailed by Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National (FN), as a political gesture.

Manchester City and Yankees launch new MLS team

May 21, 2013 16:15
By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - The New York Yankees and Premier League club Manchester City have formed a Major League Soccer (MLS) team to play in New York City from 2015, aiming to win over America's largest sports market to the global game. City, owned by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, will be the majority partner in New York City Football Club with the biggest name in baseball, the Yankees, as a minority partner active in running the team. The ownership group will pay a $100 million franchise fee.

Gay marriage opponent kills himself in Paris' Notre Dame

May 21, 2013 16:15
By Lucien Libert PARIS (Reuters) - An 78-year-old French far-right activist committed suicide at the altar of the Notre Dame cathedral on Tuesday by shooting himself in the mouth, three days after a law legalizing same-sex marriage came into effect. Police evacuated the cathedral, one of Paris' biggest tourist draws, after Dominique Venner - a historian known for his hard-right political essays and a fierce opponent of gay marriage - shot himself, sending tourists fleeing in panic.

Israeli army denies vehicle destroyed by Syrian fire

Agence France-PresseMay 21, 2013 16:00
Israel's army and Syrian forces exchanged fire across the sensitive ceasefire line on the Golan Heights on Tuesday, but the Jewish state denied one of its vehicles had been destroyed. The Syrian army "fired on an Israeli patrol, which we confirmed six hours ago, but did not destroy a vehicle or kill anyone," Israeli military spokesman Avichai Adraee wrote on Twitter. Syria claimed to have destroyed an Israeli military vehicle it said had crossed the ceasefire line in the Golan Heights during the incident.

Los Angeles city councilman opens lead in race for mayor

May 21, 2013 15:33
By Steve Gorman and Sharon Bernstein LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti opened a convincing election-night lead in his bid to become mayor of America's second-largest city as it faces an increasingly gloomy financial outlook, returns showed late on Tuesday. Garcetti drew 53 percent of the vote, compared with 47 percent for his opponent, city Controller Wendy Greuel, after tabulation of more than a third of ballots cast at polling stations on Tuesday and all mail-in ballots received as of last Friday.

Attacks in Iraq kill over 40, sectarian tensions high

May 21, 2013 15:32
By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - A series of bomb and gun attacks across Iraq killed more than 40 people on Tuesday, a day after over 70 died in violence targeting majority Shi'ites that has stoked fears of all-out sectarian war with minority Sunnis. Nearly 300 people have been killed in the past week as sectarian tensions, fuelled by the civil war in neighboring Syria, threaten to plunge Iraq back into communal bloodletting.

Syrian foes move towards talks but fighting rages

May 21, 2013 15:32
By Dominic Evans BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's opposition and the government of President Bashar al-Assad seem to be preparing to take part in an international peace conference against a background of some of the worst fighting this year. On Tuesday, Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and Syrian soldiers, backed by air strikes and artillery, renewed an offensive aimed at driving Syrian rebels from the town of Qusair near the Lebanese border, opposition activists said.
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