Thursday, September 02, 2010

DTN News: World Top Stories / Headlines - News Dated September 2, 2010

DTN News: World Top Stories / Headlines - News Dated September 2, 2010 Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 2, 2010: Comprehensive daily news related to World Top Stories for the world of TODAY.*Comprehensive daily news related to World Top Stories for the world of TODAY.

World

Middle East peace talks begin in Washington

The Guardian - ‎56 minutes ago‎
The Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Binyamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas, begin direct talks in Washington today as Hamas pledged to scupper attempts to bring about peace after its second attack on Israelis in two days.

Hurricane Earl approaching North Carolina

CBC.ca - ‎31 minutes ago‎
This image provided by NASA early Thursday shows Hurricane Earl, a Category 4 storm, as it moves toward the US East Coast. (NASA/Associated Press) Hurricane Earl could reach the North Carolina Outer Banks, a chain of islands along the state's coast, ...

Memoirs of a Prime Minister

Vancouver Sun - ‎3 hours ago‎
Tony Blair, who was the Labour prime minister of Britain from 1997 to 2007, gets candid about everything from the Queen to sex and the war in Iraq in his long-awaited memoir.

Pakistan Steps Up Security After Attack

New York Times - K.M. Chaudary - ‎9 minutes ago‎
Bomb attacks on a Shiite procession in Lahore set off clashes between mourners and the police. By WAQAR GILLANI LAHORE, Pakistan - Police intensified their patrols and street markets remained closed on Thursday in a section of the city ...

Cops: No more bombs found at Discovery building

msnbc.com - ‎15 minutes ago‎
BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor: And now to the hostage drama that played out for much of this day just outside the nation's capital. It played out live on nonstop cable television all afternoon.

Key Australian lawmaker backs Labor to govern

CTV.ca - ‎6 minutes ago‎
AP CANBERRA, Australia - Prime Minister Julia Gillard edged closer to retaining power in Australia on Thursday when an independent lawmaker said he would support her center-left Labor Party to form Australia's first minority government in almost seven ...

Gunfire continues in Mozambique; police say 4 dead

The Associated Press - Emanuel Camillo - ‎1 hour ago‎
MAPUTO, Mozambique - Sporadic gunfire could be heard in Mozambique's capital Thursday, the morning after at least four people died in clashes between police and rioters angered by high prices.

In Iraq, clear signs of a new US mission

Washington Post - Greg Jaffe, Leila Fadel - ‎3 hours ago‎
BAGHDAD - The US military's war is officially over in Iraq, even as the future of the country remains undecided. The signs of the end were everywhere Wednesday, despite the presence of about 49000 American troops who ...

Hague 'had enough' of allegations

BBC News - ‎8 minutes ago‎
Foreign Secretary William Hague has told reporters why he issued a statement rejecting rumours of an improper relationship with one of his special advisers, Christopher Myers, who has since resigned from his job.

US forces still in fight at end of combat mission

The Associated Press - Lara Jakes, Maya Alleruzzo - ‎12 hours ago‎
HAWIJA, Iraq - Even as President Barack Obama was announcing the end of combat in Iraq, American soldiers were sealing off a northern village early Wednesday as their Iraqi partners raided houses and arrested dozens of suspected insurgents.

World Bank raises Pakistan funding

Aljazeera.net - ‎3 hours ago‎
Finance for flood-ravaged nation from bank reaches $1bn as aid workers warn of "second wave of death". The World Bank has raised its funding for Pakistan's flood disaster recuperation to $1bn.

China calls for compromise on NKorea talks

The Associated Press - ‎18 minutes ago‎
BEIJING - China called Thursday for a compromise among the parties to talks aimed at disarming North Korea's nuclear program in order to get the negotiations back on track.

Eight killed in NATO air attack, says Afghan official

The Hindu - ‎20 minutes ago‎
Eight campaigners were killed and a candidate for parliamentary elections was injured in a NATO airstrike in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, a provincial official said.

Factbox: Pakistan's Mehsud charged in CIA killings

Reuters - Augustine Anthony, Michael Georgy - ‎2 hours ago‎
(Reuters) - US prosecutors have charged the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, in the plot that killed seven CIA employees at a US base in Afghanistan last December.

Sweden Reopens Rape Investigation of WikiLeaks Founder

New York Times - David Jolly - ‎18 hours ago‎
PARIS - The Swedish authorities announced Wednesday that they were reopening an investigation of rape allegations against Julian Assange, the founder of the WikiLeaks Web site, saying there was “reason to believe that a crime has been ...

CAIR Suggests Tea Party, GOP Are Behind Nationwide Anti-Muslim Campaign

CNSNews - Matt Cover - ‎19 minutes ago‎
Construction cranes tower above One World Trade Center in lower Manhattan on Friday, August 13, 2010. Plans to build a mosque nearby have ignited furious protest in New York City and elsewhere in the nation.

Dodge Charger owner upset car crushed by suicidal fall

New York Post - Sabrina Ford, Reuven Fenton - ‎37 minutes ago‎
A New Jersey woman is devastated that her precious sports car -- just repaired and fully gassed up -- was wrecked by a suicidal man's 40-story attempted death leap on the Upper West Side.

Migrants kidnapped in north Mexico

Aljazeera.net - ‎3 hours ago‎
At least 17 migrants have been kidnapped by suspected human traffickers near the US border in northern Mexico, police said. Two migrants who were later freed reported the abduction to Mexican authorities on Wednesday, saying that "another 17 kidnapped ...

S.Africa state workers march after rejecting offer

Reuters - Jon Herskovitz, Marius Bosch - ‎49 minutes ago‎
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Striking South African state workers plan a protest march on Thursday and their leaders will meet government negotiators a day after rejecting a revised wage offer aimed at ending ...

Ozawa Pledges Forex Intervention

Wall Street Journal - Yuka Hayashi - ‎20 hours ago‎
TOKYO—The two candidates for Japanese prime minister laid out sharply contrasting visions for the country's future, with the challenger vowing to rip up a hard-fought agreement with the US over a military base, taking a more aggressive ...

DTN News: Mexico Drug Kingpin Says He Received Trailers Of US Cash

DTN News: Mexico Drug Kingpin Says He Received Trailers Of US Cash
Source: DTN News / AFP
(NSI News Source Info) MEXICO CITY - September 2, 2010: A captured Mexican drug kingpin admitted to "investments" in Colombia and said he had received trailers full of dollars from the United States, in a first interrogation video released here. US-born Edgar Valdez, alias "the Barbie" for his fair complexion, was captured this week, in a major coup for the Mexican government as it struggles to contain raging drug violence. Valdez, 37, was a key lieutenant of Arturo Beltran-Leyva, who headed the Beltran-Leyva cartel and was Mexico's third most wanted man until his December 2009 death in a military operation. Mexican justice officials on Wednesday interrogated "the Barbie" and were set to decide whether he would be sent to the United States, where he has been indicted in several drug trafficking cases. US and Mexican officials both offered some two million dollars for information leading to his arrest. The broad-faced drug trafficker wiped sweat off his face as he replied to questions from a female voice in images released by the attorney general's office late Tuesday. He said his networks extended to Colombia and he received payments from the United States in dollars hidden in vehicle trailers. "I have investments in Colombia," Valdez said, "in my field of work." "Is it drugs?" his interrogator asked. "Drugs," Valdez replied, adding that they were transported via Panama and Mexico. Colombian authorities on Tuesday announced the arrest of 11 people linked to Valdez's network and said that leftist FARC rebels from Colombia had delivered up to three tonnes of cocaine to him per month. Valdez, who headed a brutal assassination squad, said he had always worked alone. But he said he had met Mexico's top drug kingpins, including Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the country's most wanted man and the head of the powerful Sinaloa cartel. He also admitted hiding a man accused of shooting Paraguayan soccer star Salvador Cabanas in a Mexico City bar last January, saying: "I put him in one of my offices... for around three months." Valdez said the assailant, Jose Jorge Balderas, alias "The JJ," had previously been friends with Cabanas, who survived the attack and still has the bullet in his skull. Mexico has arrested several top drug bosses in recent months, but the military crackdown on organized crime has been accompanied by a spike in violence -- more than 28,000 people have been killed in suspected drug attacks since 2006. A top US drug official lauded the latest capture in Mexico City Wednesday, while underlining the need to stem the violence. "The level of violence here remains quite disturbing so we're focused not just on the capture of individuals but on the work with our Mexican counterparts to remove these organizations and to take them apart," said David Johnson, from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Valdez was thought to have been involved in a power struggle to replace Beltran-Leyva after the gang was dealt a severe blow with their leader's death last December, followed by the arrest of his younger brother, Carlos. Born in the Texan border city of Laredo, Valdez was responsible for dozens of brutal deaths in central Mexico and near the Pacific beach resort of Acapulco in recent months, according to Mexican authorities. In his interrogation, Valdez said he had commissioned a movie relating his life story, for 200,000 dollars, but that he had not seen it finished.
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail
Latin America News

At least 17 migrants kidnapped in northern Mexico

At least 17 migrants kidnapped in northern Mexico
AFP - Thursday, September 2

TIJUANA, Mexico (AFP) - - At least 17 migrants have been kidnapped near the US border in northern Mexico by human traffickers, Tijuana police said. More »

  • Chile miners' morale leaps as rescue inches closer

    Chile miners' morale leaps as rescue inches closer

    AFP - Thursday, September 2

    COPIAPO, Chile (AFP) - - The morale of 33 miners trapped in Chile soared after music and hot meals were supplied, while NASA advisers praised their "courage" and provided advice on daylight deprivation, as a rescue drill inched closer.

  • Mexico drug kingpin says he received trailers of US cash

    Mexico drug kingpin says he received trailers of US cash

    AFP - Thursday, September 2

    MEXICO CITY (AFP) - - A captured Mexican drug kingpin admitted to "investments" in Colombia and said he had received trailers full of dollars from the United States, in a first interrogation video released here.

  • Ecuador announces second survivor of Mexican massacre

    AFP - Thursday, September 2

    QUITO (AFP) - - Ecuador's president and Mexican officials confirmed Wednesday that a second person, a Honduran, had survived the massacre of 72 migrants in Mexico last week.

  • NASA team advises Chile on trapped miners

    AFP - Wednesday, September 1

    COPIAPO, Chile (AFP) - - NASA experts advised Chilean officials to be frank with 33 miners trapped deep underground about how long their rescue will take, as a giant drill slowly burrowed toward the desperate men.

  • Mexico, US open joint office to combat drug gangs

    Mexico, US open joint office to combat drug gangs

    AFP - Wednesday, September 1

    MEXICO CITY (AFP) - - Mexican and US officials opened a first joint office to manage the distribution of more than 1.3 billion dollars in US security aid to help fight brutal drug gangs.

  • Mexico lauds capture of top drug lord as violence rages

    AFP - Wednesday, September 1

    MEXICO CITY (AFP) - - Mexican authorities on Tuesday paraded a top drug lord in public, presenting his capture as a much-needed victory in the escalating battle against the country's vicious traffickers.

  • Eight killed in attack on Cancun bar

    Eight killed in attack on Cancun bar

    AFP - Wednesday, September 1

    CANCUN, Mexico (AFP) - - At least eight people were killed when molotov cocktails were thrown into a bar in the Mexican town of Cancun, a resort area popular with US tourists, officials said Tuesday.

  • Venezuelan hunger striker dies after Chavez protest

    Venezuelan hunger striker dies after Chavez protest

    AFP - Tuesday, August 31

    CARACAS (AFP) - - A Venezuelan farmer who held a months-long hunger strike to protest President Hugo Chavez's policies of land nationalization has died at a military hospital, his relatives said.

  • Rescue shaft drilling begins at collapsed Chile mine

    Rescue shaft drilling begins at collapsed Chile mine

    AFP - Tuesday, August 31

    COPIAPO, Chile (AFP) - - A powerful mechanical digger began digging a rescue shaft on Monday at a collapsed Chile mine where 33 men are trapped some 700 meters (2,300 feet) below ground, a government source said.

  • Army clashes with drug gangs in eastern Mexico: seven dead

    Army clashes with drug gangs in eastern Mexico: seven dead

    AFP - Tuesday, August 31

    VERACRUZ, Mexico (AFP) - - At least seven people have been killed in clashes between Mexican soldiers and likely drug gangs not far from where 72 migrants were massacred last week, the military said Monday.

  • Drug war intensifies in Mexico

    Drug war intensifies in Mexico

    AFP - Monday, August 30

    NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (AFP) - - Mexico's blood-soaked drug war intensified in northeastern Tamaulipas state over the weekend, with fresh violence attributed to the Zetas, the drug cartel blamed for slaughtering 72 illegal migrants.

  • Drilling rescue shaft for trapped miners to start Monday

    Drilling rescue shaft for trapped miners to start Monday

    AFP - Sunday, August 29

    SANTIAGO (AFP) - - Workers will begin drilling a rescue shaft for 33 miners trapped deep underground in northern Chile early Monday, the engineer in charge of the rescue operation said.

  • Investigator disappears during Mexico deaths probe

    Investigator disappears during Mexico deaths probe

    AFP - Saturday, August 28

    CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AFP) - - An official probing the massacre of 72 migrants in northeast Mexico has gone missing along with a police officer as more bodies were identified and two car bombs shook the region.

  • Killer rains leave at least 34 dead in Nicaragua

    Killer rains leave at least 34 dead in Nicaragua

    AFP - Saturday, August 28

    MANAGUA (AFP) - - Floods and landslides have killed at least 34 dead and affected some 84,000 people in Nicaragua this rainy season, which began on May 15, officials said Friday.

  • Car bomb explodes outside Mexican TV station

    Car bomb explodes outside Mexican TV station

    AFP - Saturday, August 28

    CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AFP) - - A car bomb exploded early Friday outside the local affiliate of Televisa TV network in the northeastern city Ciudad Victoria, with no casualties, military officials and the network said.

  • Neighbors help Mexico identify massacre victims

    Neighbors help Mexico identify massacre victims

    AFP - Friday, August 27

    CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AFP) - - Mexico sought help Thursday from Latin American nations to identify 72 presumed migrants murdered near the US border, after officials blamed the brutal Zetas drug gang for the massacre.

  • Mexican officials blame migrant killings on drug gang

    Mexican officials blame migrant killings on drug gang

    AFP - Friday, August 27

    SAN FERNANDO, Mexico (AFP) - - Blame for the killing of 72 presumed migrants at a ranch in Mexico fell on the Zetas drug gang Thursday, as President Felipe Calderon condemned the murders and cartel attacks on migrants.

  • Trapped Chilean miner's family sues

    Trapped Chilean miner's family sues

    AFP - Friday, August 27

    COPIAPO, Chile (AFP) - - The family of one of 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine following a collapse early this month announced Thursday it will sue the owners of the shaft and government inspectors.

  • Mexican president strongly condemns migrant massacre

    Mexican president strongly condemns migrant massacre

    AFP - Friday, August 27

    MEXICO CITY (AFP) - - Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Thursday strongly condemned the massacre of 72 people, believed to be migrants who refused to work as hitmen for drug traffickers.

DTN News: Pakistani Officers Protest Over Treatment At US airport

DTN News: Pakistani Officers Protest Over Treatment At US airport
Source: DTN News / AFP
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - September 2, 2010: A delegation of Pakistani officers refused to attend a defense conference in the United States this week in protest over their treatment at a Washington airport, officials said Wednesday. The nine Pakistanis were about to fly to Tampa, Florida from Dulles International Airport for a three-day conference at US Central Command when they were pulled off the plane and questioned for more than two hours. The crew of the United Airlines flight became concerned over a remark by one of the officers, a Pakistani official said. "One of the crew members or one of the passengers overheard one of the officers saying to another officer...'I hope this is going to be our last flight,'" the official said. The officer was merely complaining about the lengthy journey that had started from Pakistan but the crew viewed it as "something scary or related to terrorism," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP. The Pakistanis showed security authorities their passports, their letters of invitation to the conference at Central Command and details of their escort with the US military, the official said. By the time they were released, they had missed their flight. "As a matter of protest at this incident, they cancelled the meeting and turned back to Pakistan," he said. US officials often speak about the need to overcome a "trust deficit" with Pakistan -- a crucial partner in the fight against Al-Qaeda and its associates -- but Tuesday's incident appeared to complicate that effort. A Pentagon spokesman expressed regret over the episode. "It's certainly an unfortunate incident, any time things of this nature happen," Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters. But he said it was up to the commercial airline how it dealt with security concerns. "It's completely within the purview of airlines to handle security situations as they fit," he said. The delegation had planned to attend an annual US-Pakistan conference at Central Command, officers said. It was not the first time an official Pakistani delegation had objected to how it was treated in a visit to the United States. A parliamentary delegation about a year ago had a similar experience, the Pakistani official said. "Certainly we're concerned about what happened and they should not have been treated like this. But I hope that relations will not be harmed by this," he said. The Pentagon and Central Command had apologized over the incident, he added.
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail
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