ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

May 8, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

NATIONAL

• Navy Launches Its First Drone Squadron (NPR)
• GM recalls more than 38,000 sedans over circuit board glitch (Reuters)
• Guantanamo hunger strike lays bare detainees growing desperation (Huffington Post)
• Survey: US home prices up 10.5 pct. in past year (KPBS)
• New arrests hint at unseen side of Boston bombing suspect (+video) (Christian Science Monitor)
• Will Bureaucracy Keep The U.S. Drone Industry Grounded? (NPR)
• Recent U.S. college graduates disillusioned, underemployed: poll (Reuters)
• Official: We knew Benghazi was a terrorist attack "from the get-go" (CBS News)
• Immigration reform: When is family reunification also 'chain migration'? (Christian Science Monitor)
• FBI: Minnesota raid disrupts planned terror attack (U-T San Diego)
• Exclusive: At Texas fertilizer plant, a history of theft, tampering  (Reuters)

WORLD

• Ethical fashion: Is the tragedy in Bangladesh the final straw? (NPR)
• In Japan: Running Out Of Places To Put Radioactive Water (NPR)
• Israel launches airstrike in Syrian capital (U-T San Diego)
• Israel's Netanyahu says would put peace deal to referendum  (Reuters)
• Jordan opposes 'confederation' with Palestinians (Jerusalem Post)
• Amazon Indians occupy controversial dam to demand a say (Reuters)
• To Silence Discontent, Chinese Officials Alter Workweek (NPR)
• Thousands of Sunnis flee Syrian coast after mass killings (Christian Science Monitor)
• Human Rights in Russia at Dangerous Low (Huffington Post)
• North Korea Reportedly Moves Missiles Off Launch Status (NPR)
• Back-to-back blasts in Pakistan highlight election risks (Christian Science  Monitor)
• Bishops Remain Missing After Capture In Syria (NPR)
• Attack on train in Mexico injures 10 migrants (U-T San Diego)
• Eurozone Unemployment Reaches Record High (Reason)
• North Korea sentences American to 15 years hard labor (Reuters)

Scroll down for excerpts and links to full stories.

NATIONAL

Navy Launches Its First Drone Squadron (NPR)

The squadron of both manned and unmanned d helicopters will include Northrop Grumman's "Fire Scout" drone.

GM recalls more than 38,000 sedans over circuit board glitch

(Reuters) - General Motors Co will recall more than 38,000 sedans equipped with its "eAssist" mild hybrid system to repair circuit boards that may overheat leading to a loss of battery charge or in extreme cases, a fire in the trunk.

Guantanamo hunger strike lays bare detainees growing desperation (Huffington Post)

…More than 100 detainees were participating in a hunger strike, the detainees' lawyers had been telling the press and military officials. The military, however, downplayed the severity of the protest, placing the number of hunger strikers, initially, at just a half-dozen.

Survey: US home prices up 10.5 pct. in past year (KPBS)

(AP) -- A survey shows U.S. home prices rose 10.5 percent in March compared with a year ago, the biggest gain since March 2006.

New arrests hint at unseen side of Boston bombing suspect (+video) (Christian Science Monitor)

Three of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's friends were arrested Wednesday and charged with covering up for him. Two told authorities they heard Tsarnaev brag about his bombmaking ability.

Will Bureaucracy Keep The U.S. Drone Industry Grounded? (NPR)

Tough federal aviation rules and a public backlash against drones have raised worries that the U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle industry will be left behind foreign competitors. Developers say the U.S. light drone industry is being overtaken by manufacturers in Israel and Australia. 

Recent U.S. college graduates disillusioned, underemployed: poll

(Reuters) - More than 40 percent of recent U.S. college graduates are underemployed or need more training to get on a career track, a poll released on Tuesday showed.

Official: We knew Benghazi was a terrorist attack "from the get-go" (CBS News)

 "Everybody in the mission" in Benghazi, Libya, thought the attack on a U.S. consulate there last Sept. 11 was an act of terror "from the get-go," according to excerpts of an interview investigators conducted with the No. 2 official in Libya at the time, obtained by CBS News' "Face the Nation."

Immigration reform: When is family reunification also 'chain migration'? (Christian Science Monitor)

Immigration reform legislation promises expedited reunification for millions of families awaiting visas, but critics caution that the overhaul could also produce uncontrolled 'chain migration.'

FBI: Minnesota raid disrupts planned terror attack (U-T San Diego)

The FBI believes authorities disrupted a terrorism attack that was being planned in a small western Minnesota city after converging on a mobile home that contained Molotov cocktails, suspected pipe bombs and firearms, the agency said Monday

Exclusive: At Texas fertilizer plant, a history of theft, tampering  (Reuters)

 The Texas fertilizer plant that exploded two weeks ago, killing 14 people and injuring about 200, was a repeat target of theft by intruders who tampered with tanks and caused the release of toxic chemicals, police records reviewed by Reuters show.

WORLD

Ethical fashion: Is the tragedy in Bangladesh the final straw? (NPR)

A garment factory that manufactures products for international clothing companies collapsed outside of Dhaka, Bangladesh, last month, killing more than 400 workers and injuring scores of others. It came on the heels of a fire at another factory in November 2012; that incident killed 112 workers.

In Japan: Running Out Of Places To Put Radioactive Water (NPR)

According to the Times, at the power plant crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 "groundwater is pouring into the plant's ravaged reactor buildings at a rate of almost 75 gallons a minute."  In response, "a small army of workers has struggled to contain the continuous flow of radioactive wastewater, relying on hulking gray and silver storage tanks sprawling over 42 acres …the equivalent of 112 Olympic-size pools."  But more storage space is needed. So, the Times adds,  Toykyo Electric Power Co. "plans to chop down a small forest on its southern edge to make room for hundreds more tanks, a task that became more urgent when underground pits built to handle the overflow sprang leaks in recent weeks."  On Morning Edition earlier this month, NPR's Geoff Brumfiel said some of the contaminated water is leaking from storage pits…

Israel launches airstrike in Syrian capital (U-T San Diego)

Israel launched an airstrike in the Syrian capital Sunday targeting a shipment of extremely accurate guided Iranian-made missiles believed to be on their way to Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, an intelligence official in the Middle East said.

Israel's Netanyahu says would put peace deal to referendum  (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would put any peace deal with the Palestinians to a referendum, raising expectations that direct negotiations might soon resume following a two-year stalemate.

Jordan opposes 'confederation' with Palestinians (Jerusalem Post)

More than 1,000 Jordanians sign petition, also opposes using Jordan for Western military intervention in Syria.  The petition also opposes using Jordan as a launching pad for Western military intervention in Syria....

Amazon Indians occupy controversial dam to demand a say

(Reuters) - Amazon Indians on Friday refused to end their occupation of a building site that has partially paralyzed work on the world's third largest hydroelectric dam for two days.

To Silence Discontent, Chinese Officials Alter Workweek

After local authorities got word of a planned environmental protest in the southwestern city of Chengdu, they decided to make Saturday a workday. Security personnel, meanwhile, converged on the city center in a display of force.

Thousands of Sunnis flee Syrian coastal region after mass killings

British human rights activists say about 4,000 people have fled the predominantly Sunni Mediterranean city of Banias. At least 62 people, including children were killed Friday by pro-government gunmen and troops.

Human Rights in Russia at Dangerous Low

(Huff Post) -- Since his return to the presidency one year ago today, Vladimir Putin has stepped up fiercely against those who opposed his return to Russia's highest seats.

North Korea Reportedly Moves Missiles Off Launch Status

The medium-range ballistic missiles were reportedly taken off launch-ready status for the first time in weeks.

Back-to-back blasts in Pakistan highlight election risks

More than two dozen people were killed and 70 injured today in two bombings that targeted politicians campaigning in northwest Pakistan for the May 11 general election.

Bishops Remain Missing After Capture In Syria

As orthodox Christians across the world celebrated a late Easter this year, Christian communities in Syria and neighboring Lebanon postponed all celebrations. Instead they gathered in churches only to pray for the safe return of two bishops kidnapped outside of Aleppo last month.

Attack on train in Mexico injures 10 migrants

An assault on mainly Honduran migrants traveling on a freight train through Mexico left at least 10 of them injured, authorities said Thursday. Activists and paramedics said dozens of the U.S.-bound migrants were hurt, many badly.

Eurozone Unemployment Reaches Record High (Reason) -- Unemployment in the eurozone reached a record 12.1 percent in March. Of the 17 countries in the single currency bloc Greece recorded an unemployment rate of 27.2 percent, the highest in the single currency bloc.

North Korea sentences American to 15 years hard labor (Reuters) - North Korea sentenced U.S. citizen Kenneth Bae to 15 years hard labor on Thursday for committing crimes against the state, a move that will likely see him used as a bargaining chip in talks with Washington

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