A nation with potential

January 05, 2015 - Daily News Briefing

Mexico faces economic, political, and security challenges. But it is a big country with big advantages.

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Pakistani airstrikes killed 31 militants and a suspected US drone strike killed another seven, officials said Sunday, as local troops pressed an ongoing offensive in the country's tribal regions along the Afghan border that have been longtime insurgent havens. The airstrikes late Saturday in the Tirrah valley of the Khyber region destroyed four militant hideouts and a suicide bomber training center, said an army statement. The military said several would-be suicide bombers were among the dead, without providing further details.

Thousands of New York City police officers turned their backs Sunday as they watched Mayor Bill de Blasio eulogize an officer shot dead with his partner, repeating a stinging display of scorn for the mayor despite entreaties from the police commissioner not to do so. The show of disrespect came outside the funeral home where Officer Wenjian Liu was remembered as an incarnation of the American dream: a man who had emigrated from China at age 12 and devoted himself to helping others in his adopted country. The gesture among officers watching the mayor's speech on a screen added to tensions between the mayor and rank-and-file police even as he sought to quiet them.

Relatives of Air Asia Flight 8501 crash victims sought strength in prayer Sunday, one week after the disaster killed all 162 people on board, as rough weather again prevented searchers from reaching a large object on the ocean floor believed to be the plane's fuselage. Emotionally exhausted family members sang and cried at a tiny chapel in Surabaya, the city where Flight 8501 departed from Dec. 28. The Rev. Philip Mantofa, who heads the congregation at Mawar Sharon Church – where more than a quarter of the victims were members – urged those gathered to find comfort in their faith.

North Korea on Sunday criticized the United States for slapping sanctions on Pyongyang officials and organizations for a cyber attack on Sony Pictures – the latest fallout from a Hollywood movie depicting the fictional assassination of North Korea's leader. An unnamed spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry, in rhetoric that closely mirrors past statements, denied any role in the breach of tens of thousands of confidential Sony emails and business files and accused the US of "groundlessly" stirring up hostility toward Pyongyang. The spokesman said the new sanctions would not weaken the country's 1.2-million-strong military.

Israeli leaders on Sunday threatened to take tougher action against the Palestinians over their decision to join the International Criminal Court, a day after freezing the transfer of more than $100 million in tax funds. Last week's Palestinian decision to seek membership in the international court has infuriated Israel. The Palestinians have said they intend on using their new membership in the Hague-based tribunal to press war crimes cases against Israel.

His 6-year-old face became a symbol of parents' darkest fear, animating a national push to find lost children and a cultural shift toward hyper vigilant child rearing. As a suspect in Etan Patz's disappearance heads to trial 35 years later, missing-children's advocates see it as proof that such cases still can be pursued after decades, if also a reminder that many have gone unsolved and garnered less attention. Parenting experts wonder whether retelling Etan's haunting story will kindle new anxiety for present-day moms and dads who grew up in the protective shadow of his disappearance.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

To send a comment to the Editor, email editor@csmonitor.com.

Subscribe Now to read this post!

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