MEXICO
Gunmen kill 17 in bar
At least 17 people were killed in a bar massacre on Friday night in Monterrey when riflemen opened fire on the clientele and employees, a state forensic investigator said. Monterrey, a major industrial hub, has seen a spike of violence since the Gulf and Zeta cartels began fighting for control of drug traffic there two years ago. The medical examiner’s official said his office has recovered 17 bodies, including those of women, from the crime scene. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. Police sources would not confirm the number of dead and referred reporters to local prosecutors, who are not giving an official account.
UNITED STATES
Couple sue over hoax
A Pakistani couple is suing American Airlines after they were escorted off a plane in handcuffs based on a telephone hijacking threat that turned out to be a hoax. The lawsuit, transferred to federal court on Tuesday, also names the San Francisco Police department. Maheen and Shahbaz Taseer say they were held for several hours after being pulled from the flight on Aug. 19 last year. Authorities had been notified of a threat that the plane would be hijacked, which was later determined to be a hoax.
UNITED STATES
Syria spying on protesters
President Barack Obama’s administration says it summoned Syria’s ambassador this week after receiving alarming reports of Syrian diplomats conducting video and photographic surveillance of people participating in protests. Authorities may have retaliated against some demonstrators’ relatives in Syria. The State Department said Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell called Syrian Ambassador Imad Mustapha in for discussions on Wednesday. Boswell expressed a number of concerns about alleged actions of Syrian Embassy staff.
UNITED STATES
Hospital sued for sex abuse
A jury has found a Connecticut hospital at fault in a sex abuse scandal involving a doctor who worked there for decades and awarded a victim US$2,750,000. The Hartford Courant reports that the six-person jury on Friday found St Francis Hospital and Medical Center failed in its duty to protect its patients from George Reardon. Authorities believe Reardon molested hundreds of children under the guise of a bogus growth study. He resigned in 1993 amid molestation accusations and he died in 1998 without ever being charged. The plaintiff, known as Tim Doe 1, had asked the Hartford hospital to pay him US$5 million for the emotional trauma he said Reardon inflicted on him. The hospital already settled lawsuits with 32 other alleged victims. About 60 other cases are pending.
UNITED STATES
Robbers lock three in vault
Three employees were bound, blindfolded and locked in a vault during a million-dollar heist at a security transport company in South El Monte, California, authorities said. A ladder and other evidence was found after the thieves entered the building through the roof, sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said on Friday. The robbery was reported late on Thursday at an office belonging to Commonwealth International, a security service that transports money from automated teller machines. Authorities said late on Thursday more than US$1 million was taken, but Whitmore said he could only confirm that a significant amount of money was stolen and the company would have to conduct an audit to determine exactly how much.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was