Chatter: UN inspectors visit Syria attack site

           

                      

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NEED TO KNOW

Syrian chemical attack under scrutiny. A team of UN inspectors is in Syria to visit the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack near Damascus. The visit is taking place after the Syrian government and rebels agreed to a ceasefire. But as the United States considers military action, is it too little too late?

William Hague, the British foreign secretary, has warned that evidence could have been tampered with, degraded or destroyed in the five days since the attack, which reportedly killed 300 people.

Meanwhile a senior White House official has dismissed the visit as "too late to be credible," saying Washington had "very little doubt" that President Bashar al-Assad's forces used such weapons.

Assad, for his part, said that claims his regime used chemical weapons were an "insult to common sense," and warned that any military intervention by the US would end in "failure."

WANT TO KNOW

Bo Xilai's trial draws to a close. As China's show trial of the century wrapped up, prosecutors said there should be no leniency for Bo Xilai, a once-powerful Chinese official fallen from grace, because his crimes were serious and he had not shown remorse.

Bo has continued to deny charges of bribery, corruption and abuse of power. He argued his police chief, from the megacity of Chongqing, had tried to defect because he was in love with his wife, Gu Kailai.

Tragedy in Tabasco. A cargo train carrying 300 Mexican migrants to the United States derailed Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens.

The freight car, which is known for carrying migrants on its roof, slid off the track in the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco.

The accident happened far from roads or towns, making rescue efforts particularly difficult. The derailed train was only accessible by air or boat.

STRANGE BUT TRUE

Got a degree from Trump University? Yeah, maybe don't put that on your CV. 

The New York attorney generals' office is suing Donald Trump over claims that his for-profit "Trump University" is engaging in illegal business practices.

It may be chump change to Trump, a real estate mogul turned reality TV star, but he is accused of charging students up to $35,000 and promising to help them get rich.

The lawsuit claims that those who forked over the cash got only expensive seminars and their pictures taken in front of a life-size picture of "The Apprentice" TV star. Better than the real thing? 

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