CA-NEWS Summary

U.S. spy agency paper says fewer than 300 phone numbers closely scrutinized

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government only searched for detailed information on calls involving fewer than 300 specific phone numbers among the millions of raw phone records collected by the National Security Agency in 2012, according to a government paper obtained by Reuters on Saturday. The unclassified paper was circulated Saturday within the government by U.S. intelligence agencies and apparently is an attempt by spy agencies and the Obama administration to rebut accusations that it overreached in investigating potential militant plots.

Police raid on Istanbul park triggers night of rioting

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul overnight on Sunday, erecting barricades and starting bonfires, after riot police firing teargas and water cannon stormed a park at the center of two weeks of anti-government unrest. Lines of police backed by armored vehicles sealed off Taksim Square in the center of the city as officers raided the adjoining Gezi Park late on Saturday, where protesters had been camped in a ramshackle settlement of tents.

Iran's new president hails 'victory of moderation'

DUBAI (Reuters) - Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani won Iran's presidential election on Saturday with a resounding defeat of conservative hardliners, calling it a victory of moderation over extremism and pledging a new tone of respect in international affairs. Though thousands of jubilant Iranians poured onto the streets in celebration of the victory, the outcome will not soon transform Iran's tense relations with the West, resolve the row over its nuclear program or lessen its support of Syria's president in the civil war there - matters of national security that remain the domain of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

U.S. puts jets in Jordan, fuels Russian fear of Syria no-fly zone

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States said on Saturday it would keep F-16 fighters and Patriot missiles in Jordan at Amman's request, and Russia bristled at the possibility they could be used to enforce a no-fly zone inside Syria. Washington, which has long called for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, pledged military support to Syrian rebels this week, citing what it said was the Syrian military's use of chemical weapons - an allegation Damascus has denied.

North Korea wants to hold high-level talks with U.S.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Sunday offered high-level talks with the United States to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula, only days after it canceled planned official talks with South Korea for the first time in over two years. Planned high-level talks between North and South Korea were scrapped last week after the North abruptly called off the talks. The North blamed the South for scuttling discussions that sought to mend estranged ties between the rival Koreas.

Hong Kong rally backs Snowden, denounces allegations of U.S. spying

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A few hundred rights advocates and political activists marched through Hong Kong on Saturday to demand protection for Edward Snowden, who leaked revelations of U.S. electronic surveillance and is now believed to be holed up in the former British colony. Marchers gathered outside the U.S. consulate shouting slogans denouncing alleged spying operations aimed at China and Hong Kong, but the numbers were modest compared to rallies over other rights and political issues.

Magnitude 6.0 quake hits Mexico, tremors felt in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit Mexico on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, and tremors were felt in Mexico City. There were no immediate reports of damage in the city, Mexico City mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said on Twitter, although there were some disruptions to the electricity supply. A Reuters witness said buildings shuddered in the city.

Relationship between Czech PM and aide at heart of graft scandal

PRAGUE (Reuters) - A corruption scandal rocking the Czech government involves power and money but also, at its heart, questions about the nature of the relationship between the prime minister and a trusted female aide. Jana Nagyova, who runs Prime Minister Petr Necas's office, is in custody, accused, among other things, of illegally ordering military intelligence agents to conduct surveillance on three unnamed individuals.

Mortar attack on Iranian dissident camp in Iraq kills three

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A mortar attack on an Iranian dissident camp killed three people in Baghdad on Saturday, police sources said, and the Mujahidin-e-Khalq (MEK) group said Iran was probably to blame, with Iraqi complicity. MEK said two of the camp's residents were killed and 40 wounded in the attack. An Iraqi died when a stray mortar round hit a residential complex for Baghdad airport employees nearby.

Bulgaria to replace new security chief after public backlash

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's Socialist-led government said on Saturday it would reverse its appointment of a powerful media figure as head of state security just a day after rushing it through parliament, bowing to public outrage two weeks after taking power. About 8,000 people rallied in downtown Sofia for a second day, chanting "Mafia!" and "Resignation!".

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-005203222.html

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