MEXICO CITY — A senior Mexico City police commander who oversaw raids in the capital’s gang-filled Tepito neighborhood was slain in a drive-by shooting outside his home, officials said Tuesday.
Victor Hugo Moneda, who led the city’s investigative police, was killed as he was getting out of his car Monday night, the Mexico City prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Prosecutor Miguel Angel Mancera said the killing may have been a reprisal by criminals. No arrests have been made.
Scores of police, soldiers and judicial officials in Mexico have been killed since the government launched a crackdown on organized crime two years ago.
Germany: Cruise ships have anti-pirate plan
A German cruise ship plans to evacuate passengers in Yemen and fly them to the next port of call today to avoid any possible encounters with pirates off the coast of lawless Somalia, the Hapag-Lloyd cruise company said. Several other cruise operators said Tuesday they were also shifting or canceling tours that would have taken clients past Somalia.
Italy: U.S. troops for Afghanistan
The 20,000 additional troops sought by American commanders for the NATO mission in Afghanistan would come from the United States, with any additional increase supplied by allies, Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. general who oversees the Afghan war, said Tuesday. As for any additional contribution from other NATO countries, “if you can ask the question in Brussels, we would be very grateful to you,” the general said during a speech in Rome.
Greece: Fourth night of youth rioting
Masked youths and looters marauded through Greek cities for a fourth night Tuesday in an explosion of rage triggered by the police shooting of a teenager over the weekend. Police fired tear gas at protesters after the funeral of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, who was laid to rest in an Athens burial attended by about 6,000 people. Circumstances surrounding the shooting have not been made public.
D.C.: U.S. students score higher in math
American schoolchildren do better than people think in math and science, but Asian students still dominate in math and have gained ground in science, an international study found. Kids in the U.S. made significant gains in math since 1995 and score above average on international fourth- and eighth-grade tests in the subject, according to a study released Tuesday. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study is conducted every four years.
Alaska: Suspicious powder sent to governor
An eighth letter containing suspicious powder and addressed to a governor’s office was intercepted in Alaska on Tuesday, and it bore a Texas postmark like suspicious mailings to seven other governors this week, officials said. A spokeswoman for Gov. Sarah Palin said the letter was addressed to Palin’s predecessor Gov. Frank Murkowski. The seven other letters were determined to contain harmless powder. The other state governors were those in Alabama, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and Rhode Island.
New York: Actress eyes Clinton seat
The star of “The Nanny” wants to go from playing nasally New Yawkers to succeeding Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate. Fran Drescher, 51, is serious about becoming the next junior senator from New York, publicist Jordan Brown said Tuesday. Brown cited Drescher’s experience as an actress, advocate for women’s health and public diplomacy envoy for the U.S. State Department. Clinton was nominated by President-elect Barack Obama as secretary of state.
Nevada: Probation for Simpson pals
Four former O.J. Simpson co-defendants — Michael McClinton, Walter Alexander, Charles Ehrlich and Charles Cashmore — who took plea deals and testified against the former football star were sentenced to probation in Las Vegas on Tuesday for their roles in the gunpoint robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers. Simpson, convicted in October, was sentenced Friday to nine to 33 years in prison on 10 counts.
Massachusetts: Cat’s sliced face reattached
Veterinarians in Boston on Tuesday performed an unusual surgery to reattach the face of a cat they believe was injured by a car’s fan belt, probably because she tried to stay warm under the hood. Edgar, a 4-year-old long-haired cat, went missing from her home in Winthrop for three days last week. When she finally came home, part of her face was dangling from her head. The cat required 35 stitches in an hourlong surgery.
From Herald news services
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