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Mexico nabs drug boss tied to murder of poet's son (Reuters)

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ? Mexican police have captured a suspected drug enforcer blamed for ordering the murder of the son of a prominent poet, which helped prompt national protests against the government's drug war strategy, authorities said on Wednesday.

Federal police caught Julio de Jesus Radilla, 34, known as "El Negro" (The Black One), in the oil port of Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico where he was hiding out, regional police chief Luis Cardenas told reporters.

Police said Radilla sent hitmen to kill the son of poet Javier Sicilia and six other young men in March in the tourist town of Cuernavaca near Mexico City.

After the murder, Sicilia slammed the government's campaign to break the drug cartels and launched a campaign to end the relentless violence, which has claimed nearly 40,000 lives since President Felipe Calderon sent in the army in late 2006.

Sicilia has become the face of civilian opposition to the drug war. He led thousands of people earlier this month in a march on Mexico City against the relentless killing, one of the biggest demonstrations of its kind in years.

Radilla is believed to be a leader of the South Pacific cartel run by kingpin Hector Beltran Leyva, which is fighting rivals for control of Cuernavaca and the strategic Pacific resort city of Acapulco.

Radilla's arrest follows last week's arrest of Victor Valdez, known as "El Gordo Varilla" (The Big Stick), in Cuernavaca. He is accused of being the second-in-command in the cartel.

(Reporting by Anahi Rama; Editing by Will Dunham)

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US author subpoenaed in CIA-Iran leak case (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) ? The author of a book about the CIA has been subpoenaed to testify at the trial of a former agent accused of leaking information about US efforts to sabotage the Iranian nuclear program.

James Risen, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter with The New York Times, was served with a subpoena on Monday ordering him to testify at the trial of former Central Intelligence Agency operations officer Jeffrey Sterling.

Sterling is suspected of providing classified information to Risen about an attempt by the CIA in 2000 to disrupt Iran's nuclear program.

Risen's 2006 book, "State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration," details the failed effort.

The subpoena orders Risen to appear in court in Virginia on September 12 to testify in the case against Sperling, who was indicted in December 2010 for unauthorized disclosure of national defense information and other charges.

Risen told The New York Times he would ask a judge to quash the subpoena.

"I am going to fight this subpoena," he said. "I will always protect my sources, and I think this is a fight about the First Amendment and the freedom of the press."

In its motion seeking Risen's appearance in court, the Justice Department said the First Amendment should not shield him from testifying.

"There exists neither a First Amendment nor a common law reporter's privilege that shields a reporter from this obligation to testify, even if the reporter's testimony reveals confidential sources and information," it said.

"Moreover, the government is unaware of any case in which a court has excluded from a jury's consideration the testimony of a reporter who personally witnessed a crime, let alone crimes like the ones charged here that are alleged to have endangered the nation's security," it added.

If the judge does not quash the subpoena, Risen could potentially be held in contempt of court. A New York Times reporter was jailed for nearly three months in 2005 for refusing to testify in another leak case.

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Karzai meets Petraeus after bloody Afghan demos (AFP)

KABUL (AFP) ? President Hamid Karzai met the US commander of foreign troops in Afghanistan General David Petraeus Wednesday over a NATO-led operation which triggered violent protests in which 17 people died.

The protests happened earlier this month in Taloqan, capital of the usually peaceful northern province of Takhar, after an international operation targeting insurgents left four people dead, including two women.

Local people took to the streets to insist they were civilians in violent demonstrations in which 17 people were killed and 79 others injured amid clashes with security forces.

Karzai's office said in a statement before the meeting with Petraeus that he wanted to discuss "unilateral operations that have tired the people of Afghanistan."

The president has consistently demanded an end to anti-insurgent operations conducted solely by foreign forces, saying they should always work with their Afghan counterparts.

Petraeus's spokesman later confirmed that the meeting had taken place but could not disclose details of what they discussed.

The meeting came after a delegation which Karzai had charged to probe what had happened reported back, the statement said.

"The delegation concluded that the unilateral operation by the coalition forces, the deaths of a woman and a young girl and the existence of armed individuals amongst the demonstrators were the main causes of the violence in the demonstrations," it added.

Civilian casualties in military operations are a highly sensitive issue in Afghanistan and Karzai has repeatedly called on foreign forces to do more to prevent them.

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Iraqi forces eye readiness ahead of U.S. pullout (Reuters)

By Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Iraq's military is preparing an assessment that may acknowledge gaps in the country's security forces, according to two sources familiar with the matter, a move that could bolster arguments to extend the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

The review of Iraqi military capabilities, which comes ahead of a planned U.S. withdrawal by the end of 2011, is expected to be presented to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other top political leaders, a U.S. congressional aide told Reuters.

"The purpose of this was to sort of bleed some of the political venom out of the debate (over a continued U.S. troop presence) and make it about what it is: which is what are Iraq's military capabilities," the aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The source said the analysis was "basically in its final form."

A second person familiar with the matter, who spoke from Baghdad on condition of anonymity, described it as a "readiness assessment."

It was not clear whether the results of the assessment would ever be made public or be publicly acknowledged by Iraqi officials.

The United States must withdraw its forces, currently numbering about 48,000, from Iraq by December 31 under a bilateral pact, unless that pact is altered.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday he hoped that Iraqis could find a way to ask the U.S. military to remain in the country in some fashion, but acknowledged "whether we like it or not, we're not very popular there."

"From the standpoint of Iraq's future but also our role in the region, I hope they figure out a way to ask," Gates said, citing the positive message a continued U.S. role in Iraq would send to the region.

"And I think that the United States will be willing to say 'yes' when that time comes," added Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration who plans to step down at the end of June.

Gates has previously warned that Iraq will face problems in everything from protecting its airspace to using intelligence if the United States withdraws at the end of 2011.

CONCERN OVER ABILITY TO FIGHT INSURGENCY

Some Iraqi officials have also expressed concern over the readiness of Iraqi troops to fend off a stubborn insurgency still capable of carrying out lethal attacks.

President Barack Obama opposed the Iraq war and many of his supporters may balk at a longer presence there. U.S. troops in Iraq have been in an advisory and assistance role to Iraq's police and army since they ended combat operations last August.

Maliki has repeatedly said in the past foreign troops are no longer needed, but appeared to open the door to a continued U.S. presence earlier this month, saying Iraq's main political blocs will be asked to discuss whether to keep U.S. forces past the agreed upon withdrawal date.

"The idea is they would have all the Iraqi service chiefs together in kind of rendering this judgment," the congressional aide said. "I think it's an attempt to try to focus on what the core of the question is, which is for Iraq: What are the capabilities of our security forces?"

The decision is politically risky for Maliki. Anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose Sadrist bloc is part of Maliki's government, could unleash his Mehdi Army militia if U.S. forces fail to leave by the year-end, his aides said last month.

"The Sadrists clearly want us out, and how much of that is the Sadrists and how much of that is the Iranians behind the Sadrists you can argue about," Gates said.

He said a continued U.S. military presence would be "reassuring" to Gulf states.

"I think it would not be reassuring to Iran, and that's a good thing," Gates added.

(Additional reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Warren Strobel and Cynthia Osterman)

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Obama vows to stand up to Hezbollah over 'assassination' (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) ? US President Barack Obama pledged Sunday that the United States will stand up to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group which he accused of carrying out political assassination.

"Iran continues to support terrorism across the region, including providing weapons and funds to terrorist organizations," Obama said in a speech to the pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

"So we will continue to work to prevent these actions, and will stand up to groups like Hezbollah who exercise political assassination, and seek to impose their will through rockets and car bombs," Obama said.

In February, Obama marked the sixth anniversary assassination of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri by reaffirming his support for a UN-backed probe into the slaying.

For the past two years, a bitter political battle has revolved around the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), a controversial UN-backed court expected to implicate members of Hezbollah in the Hariri murder.

Hariri and 22 other victims were killed in a car bombing February 14, 2005.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton months ago called on the next Lebanese government to honor its obligations to the tribunal.

Hezbollah and its allies on January 12 withdrew their ministers from the unity government led by Rafiq Hariri's son Saad, forcing its collapse, and tapped Sunni billionaire Najib Mikati to head the next government.

Four months later, arduous negotiations on forming a new cabinet that will exclude the pro-Western camp are ongoing, with no clear end to the talks in sight.

The militant party had been pressing Saad Hariri to disavow the tribunal, which it worries will implicate Hezbollah members.

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China plans financial overhaul at Three Gorges Dam (AP)

BEIJING ? The operator of China's giant Three Gorges Dam plans to overhaul its finances after the government made a suprising admission last week that the world's largest hydroelectric project has urgent environmental, geologic and economic problems.

The China Three Gorges Corp. said a government audit found 31 problems related to financial management, investment, bidding and other issues, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.

"Ten of the problems mentioned in the audit findings have already been rectified, and we are still working on the other problems," said a vice manager of the company, Sha Xianhua, according to Xinhua.

Xinhua said the company was one of several major state-owned enterprises found by auditors to have financial problems, but it gave no details.

The Cabinet on Wednesday acknowledged the $23 billion dam required action to curb pollution, counter risks of possible natural disasters and improve life for the 1.4 million people who were forced to relocate.

The statement promised a cleaner, more sustainable future for the scenic section of the Yangtze River that was dammed to create a 410-mile-long (660-kilometer-long) reservoir.

Further details have not been disclosed on addressing the social and environmental issues.

The Three Gorges Dam has been controversial since it was conceived decades ago as a way to control flooding and provide power for China's industrial boom.

Pressure on the Yangtze as a source of water for industry, homes and farming has mounted amid one of the region's worst droughts in decades.

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Top UK comic Russell Brand 'deported from Japan' (AFP)

TOKYO (AFP) ? Comic actor Russell Brand was expelled from Japan on Sunday, his US pop star wife Katy Perry wrote on microblogging site Twitter as she arrived for a series of concerts.

"So... my husband just got deported from Japan," Perry tweeted, saying that the reason for the action "was for priors from over 10 years ago!"

"I brought him all this way to show him my favorite place," she added, without giving further details.

An immigration official in Tokyo declined to confirm her comments.

"We don't make comments on such a matter because of privacy concerns," the official told AFP.

The 35-year-old star of the remake of 1981 comedy "Arthur", who married Perry in October last year, has spoken openly in interviews and stand-up comedy shows about his prior drug use and promiscuity, and has had various run-ins with the law.

He was arrested in September last year after he allegedly attacked a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport.

The actor, who found fame in Britain fronting a reality TV show, got his big break in Hollywood in the film "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" which led to a starring role in 2010's "Get Him to the Greek".

A controversial career spanning presenting, journalism, acting and comedy saw him resign from BBC radio after being suspended for prank telephone calls he made to the actor Andrew Sachs.

Perry is in Japan to play a series of concert dates in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

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Obama renews call for 1967 borders as basis for peace (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) ? President Barack Obama on Sunday reiterated his call for the 1967 borders to form the basis for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, saying Israeli opposition "misrepresented" his policy.

"The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states," said Obama, speaking to the main pro-Israel lobby in Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vehemently rejected the position, saying the 1967 borders were "indefensible."

However, Obama said his position had been "misrepresented" and ignored his call for land swaps.

"It means that the parties themselves -- Israelis and Palestinians -- will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967," he said.

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Iceland hit by volcano, Europe routes so far open (Reuters)

By Omar Valdimarsson

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) ? The eruption of Iceland's most active volcano is unlikely to cause a repeat of last year's major disruption to air traffic, an expert said, despite the island having to shut its main airport and maybe closing its airspace.

The Grimsvotn volcano burst into life on Saturday in what experts said was a stronger eruption than its last outbreak in 2004. The plume from the volcano shot 20 km (12 miles) into the sky, forming a huge, bubbling mass which seeped above the clouds high over the North Atlantic island.

Experts have said it will probably not cause the same kind of disruption as when Eyjafjallajokull erupted last April, grounding European airlines for days, as its eruptions tend to be smaller and the particles from it less likely to disperse so far into the atmosphere.

Authorities halted flights then due to fears that dust and ash would get into aircraft engines and cause accidents after the cloud was blown into European air traffic lanes.

"There is no reason to expect Grimsvotn's current eruption to produce the volume of finely fragmented ash that caused such disruption during last year's Eyjafjallajokull eruption," said Open University Volcano Dynamics Group expert David Rothery.

"There will be re-routing of some transatlantic flights, but I doubt that it will become necessary to close European airspace. The eruption is also expected to cause local flooding because of escape of meltwater," he said.

Europe's air traffic control organization said on Sunday: "There is currently no impact on European or transatlantic flights and the situation is expected to remain so for the next 24 hours.

"Aircraft operators are constantly being kept informed of the evolving situation," the Brussels-based organization said.

The Isavia civil aviation authority said it had decided to shut the island's main airport, which is about 30 miles from capital city Reykjavik.

"The ash distribution forecast over the next six hours shows that the ash from the volcano will spread over Iceland today, leading to the closure of most Icelandic airports as the day goes on," it added in a statement.

Isavia on Saturday imposed a flight ban of 120 nautical miles around the area.

Grimsvotn lies under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland, the largest glacier in Europe.

When it last erupted in 2004 transatlantic flights had to be re-routed south of Iceland, but no airports were closed.

(Reporting by Omar Valdimarsson in Reykjavik, Patrick Lannin in Stockholm, Kate Kelland in London and Christopher Le Coq in Brussels; Editing by Alison Williams)

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NATO strikes near Gaddafi's Tripoli compound (Reuters)

By Joseph Logan

TRIPOLI, May 22 (Reuters) ? NATO staged an airstrike near Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli late on Saturday, and an opposition website said Libyan government forces shelled residential areas outside the rebel-held city of Misrata.

Libyan officials said the alliance had attacked close to Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziyah complex, and Reuters Television pictures showed a column of smoke rising over the capital.

However, there was no immediate word on what the target of the attack was, and reporters escorted by Libyan officials were unable to get close to the site.

NATO says its campaign has crippled Tripoli's ability to attack rebels trying to overthrow Gaddafi and effectively forced the Libyan leader into hiding. Overall the conflict is deadlocked as rebel attempts to advance on Tripoli have stalled.

Earlier on Saturday, the Brnieq opposition newspaper reported on its website that shelling of Misrata's eastern and western outskirts damaged houses but no one was hurt. There was no independent confirmation of the attack.

Three months into the uprising against Gaddafi's four-decade rule, rebels control the oil-producing east of the country and pockets in the west including the port city of Misrata, where hundreds have died in a siege and weeks of fierce fighting.

NATO says its bombing campaign against Libyan government forces has helped rebels to consolidate their positions in Misrata, the only western city in rebel hands.

The alliance took command of a U.N.-authorized mission nearly two months ago to stop Gaddafi's forces attacking civilians, and Western governments including the United States, Britain and France are under pressure to show results.

NATO said it conducted 157 air sorties on Friday. Its targets included a command-and-control node and an armored vehicle storage depot near Tripoli, and three surface-to-air missile launchers around Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown.

Tripoli calls the rebels criminals and al Qaeda militants and says NATO's bombing is armed aggression by Western nations bent on grabbing Libya's oil.

SNIPERS, MERCENARIES

Libyans armed with guns and a knife stormed a bus carrying foreign journalists in Tripoli on Saturday and a soldier fired volleys of gunfire into the air to disperse the crowd, said a Reuters journalist on the bus.

No one was hurt in the attack but it reflected anger in government-controlled territory over severe petrol shortages, NATO air strikes and government and state media reports that foreign journalists misrepresent the news.

In the contested Western Mountains region, Gaddafi forces surrounded the eastern section of Ryna, positioned snipers on roofs, kidnapped young men and looted stores, Jemaa Ibrahim, a rebel in nearby Zintan, told Reuters by telephone on Saturday.

The soldiers, who included African mercenaries, asked residents to leave their homes and many fled under duress, some coming to Zintan, he said. There was no independent confirmation of his report.

(Additional reporting by Guy Desmond in Zawiyah, Matt Robinson in Zintan, Alissa de Carbonnel and Steve Gutterman in Moscow, Joseph Nasr in Berlin; Writing by Matthew Bigg and David Stamp; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

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