The Lebanese army deployed on Tuesday near the southern town of Sidon, a security source said, after shooting by gunmen loyal to a controversial Salafist sheikh opposed to Hezbollah. The violence comes amid soaring sectarian tensions in Lebanon that have escalated because of the raging war in neighbouring Syria. The army said several people were wounded by the gunfire. "Gunmen loyal to Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir opened fire on Abra," a security source told AFP, referring to an eastern suburb of the coastal town of Sidon.

By Erika Solomon BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces have begun ethnically cleansing Sunni Muslims and deliberately pushing refugees across the border into Lebanon, the Lebanese caretaker minister for social affairs said on Tuesday. Assad is battling a Sunni-led revolt in Syria, which he and his father before him have ruled for four decades. He belongs to the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

AMMAN, Jordan - Canada will give Jordan an additional $98.4 million in aid to help the Arab country cope with the costly fallout from the worsening crisis in neighbouring Syria. A statement from Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird released on Monday, after his visit to Jordan, says that "compassion for Syrians fleeing the death and destruction cannot be Jordan's undoing." Jordan hosts more than half a million Syrian refugees. It has complained that growing numbers of refugees are straining its fragile economy and scarce resources.

OTTAWA - Canada is providing $100 million to help Jordan cope with the fallout from the brutal civil war raging in neighbouring Syria. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird calls the aid "unprecedented" and says it is aimed at helping Jordan take care of the thousands of Syrian refugees streaming across its borders while dealing with its own economic challenges. The support consists of $75 million over three years to help Jordan promote job creation and economic development.