CA-NEWS Summary

Boston Marathon bombs believed carried in dark, heavy bags

BOSTON (Reuters) - Authorities suspect whoever perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings carried heavy devices made out of pressure cookers in dark-colored nylon bags or backpacks before dropping them near the finish line, causing the worst attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001. The twin blasts on Monday killed three people including an 8-year-old boy and injured 176 others, some of whom were maimed by bombs packed with ball bearings and nails.

Pakistan bears brunt of Iranian earthquake, 35 killed

QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake struck a border area of southeast Iran on Tuesday killing at least 35 people in neighboring Pakistan, destroying hundreds of houses and shaking buildings as far away as India and Gulf Arab states. Communications with the sparsely-populated desert and mountain region were largely cut off, making it difficult to assess Iranian casualties. But an Iranian provincial governor later said there were no reports of deaths there so far.

Venezuela accuses opposition of plotting coup, seven dead

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President-elect Nicolas Maduro accused the opposition on Tuesday of planning a coup against him after seven government supporters were killed in clashes over his disputed election victory. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles wants a full recount of votes from Sunday's election after official results showed a narrow victory for Maduro, who is late socialist leader Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor.

At least nine killed in blast at Pakistan election rally

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - At least nine people were killed and more than 50 wounded on Tuesday when a suicide bomber attacked an election rally for a party opposed to Pakistan's Taliban movement, police said. The blast struck a gathering called by senior politicians of the Awami National Party (ANP) in the northwestern city of Peshawar ahead of the May 11 general elections.

Ivory Coast wants surveillance drones to replace U.N. troops

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council should consider deploying surveillance drones in Ivory Coast to aid the world body's peacekeeping mission in the west African country, Ivory Coast's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday, echoing a recommendation by the U.N. chief. Ivory Coast U.N. Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba told the 15-member council that surveillance drones should be deployed to offset any planned cuts to the peacekeeping force in the world's biggest cocoa producer.

Quake of 6.8 magnitude recorded off Papua New Guinea: USGS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 was recorded off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles) on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. (Reporting by Paul Tait; Editing by John Mair)

Serbian U.N. official blasts "intimidation" over justice meeting

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Serbian president of the U.N. General Assembly accused his critics on Tuesday of trying to intimidate and pressure him into canceling a special meeting on international criminal justice that the United States and other nations boycotted. The meeting last week was set up by former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who is serving as president of the 193-nation assembly, a largely ceremonial but high-profile post. Critics of the event said Jeremic organized it as an excuse to attack the war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia - an allegation Jeremic rejected.

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. The North also rejected what it called "cunning" U.S. overtures for talks, saying it will not be humiliated into being dragged to sit at the negotiating table by Washington.

Plea deal sought by U.S. soldier accused in Iraq killings: lawyer

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier charged with killing five fellow servicemen in 2009 at a military counseling center in Iraq is seeking a plea deal with Army prosecutors that would spare him from facing the death penalty, his lawyer told Reuters on Tuesday. Army Sergeant John Russell faces five charges of premeditated murder, one charge of aggravated assault and one charge of attempted murder in the shootings that killed two medical staff officers and three soldiers at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad airport.

Congo army battalion accused of mass rape U.S. trained: U.N. envoy

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - An army battalion in the Democratic Republic of Congo, some of whose members have been accused of mass rape, was trained by the United States, a senior U.N. envoy said on Tuesday. The United Nations said 126 women were raped in Minova in Congo's volatile east in November after Congolese army troops fled to the town when M23 rebels briefly captured the nearby provincial capital, Goma.

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

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