ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

October 10, 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:

U.S.

• Congress to probe veterans’ overdoses (CBS News)
• Debt ceiling deadline is biggest threat to U.S. economy (CBS News)
• 30 mind-blowing statistics about Americans today under the age of 30 (Zero Hedge)
• Fed websites shut even if it cost more (U-T San Diego)
• McDonald’s worker arrested after telling company president she can’t afford shoes (RawStory)
• U.S. forces strike in Libya, Somalia; capture Al Qaeda operative (CNN)
• NSA Head Admits Testing U.S. Cellphone Tracking (NPR)

WORLD

• Elite U.S. team questions seized al Qaeda leader on Navy ship (Reuters)
• Here's Why The Navy Is Holding A Terror Suspect At Sea
• Mexicans seek asylum as drug violence persists (U-T San Diego)
• North Korea puts army on alert, warns U.S. of 'horrible disaster' (Reuters)
•  Four dead, thousands evacuated after Typhoon Fitow hits eastern China (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

Congress to probe veterans’ overdoses (CBS News)

There has been a tremendous response to the CBS News report that showed many returning war veterans are receiving lethal amounts of pain medication from VA hospitals. Congress will hold a hearing on this Thursday. Since the story aired, CBS News has learned of case after case of veterans who've died after following doctors' orders.

Debt ceiling deadline is biggest threat to U.S. economy (CBS News)

Next week's deadline on paying America's debts is the biggest threat to the economy and has turned Wall Street increasingly sour. The Dow hit a high in mid-September, but since then, it has fallen 900 points.

30 mind-blowing statistics about Americans today under the age of 30 (Zero Hedge)

Why are young people in America so frustrated these days?  You are about to find out. 

Fed websites shut even if it cost more (U-T San Diego)

Many federal agencies walled off content that had been posted on their websites.

McDonald’s worker arrested after telling company president she can’t afford shoes (RawStory)

A woman who has been employed by the McDonald’s Corporation for over 10 years says she was arrested last week after she confronted the company president at a meeting and told him she couldn’t afford to buy shoes or food for her children.

U.S. forces strike in Libya, Somalia; capture Al Qaeda operative (CNN)

In two operations in Africa nearly 3,000 miles apart, U.S. military forces went after two high-value targets over the weekend. One operation took place early Saturday in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, when members of the elite U.S. Army Delta Force captured Abu Anas al Libi, an al Qaeda operative wanted for his alleged role in the deadly 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.In the second raid, a team of U.S. Navy SEALs in southern Somalia targeted a foreign fighter commander for Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group linked with al Qaeda, according to a senior Obama administration official.

NSA Head Admits Testing U.S. Cellphone Tracking (NPR)

Intelligence chiefs said recent media reports are wrong about their efforts to gather information about the social networks of Americans. They told a Senate panel such efforts are focused on foreigners. But NSA chief Keith Alexander admitted the agency has collected cellphone location information, as part of a short-lived test program years ago.

Women seek access to traditionally male-only Mormon gathering (Reuters)

 Women seeking priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints said they will attempt to attend a traditionally men-only leadership session of the church in Salt Lake City on Saturday, despite having been denied tickets.

WORLD

Elite U.S. team questions seized al Qaeda leader on Navy ship (Reuters)

An elite American interrogation team is questioning the senior al Qaeda figure who was seized by special operations forces in Libya and then whisked onto a Navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea, U.S. officials said on Monday.

Here's Why The Navy Is Holding A Terror Suspect At Sea

(NPR) -- President Obama doesn't want to send suspects to Guatanamo Bay for military trials. But U.S. intelligence agencies do want to interrogate Abu Anas al-Libi before he's handed over to a civilian court in the U.S.  Why a ship?  In short, this allows the U.S. to hold and question al-Libi about his alleged role in a pair of 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa without putting him in the U.S. civilian court system, which could limit or halt efforts to interrogate him.

Mexicans seek asylum as drug violence persists (U-T San Diego)

Asylum requests from Mexico more than quadrupled to 9,206 in 2012 from six years earlier, when the Mexican government launched an offensive against drug cartels. The Department of Homeland Security says an average of 11 Mexicans sought asylum daily at San Diego border crossings from Aug. 9 to late September.

North Korea puts army on alert, warns U.S. of 'horrible disaster' (Reuters)

 North Korea said on Tuesday its military would be put on high alert and be ready to launch operations, stepping up tension after weeks of rhetoric directed against the United States and South Korea, who it accuses of instigating hostility.

Four dead, thousands evacuated after Typhoon Fitow hits eastern China (Reuters)

 Four people were killed and hundreds of thousands evacuated after Typhoon Fitow hit eastern China, destroying houses and farmlands and closing ports and airports.