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‘Sin Nombre’ unmasks Mexican gang culture

If riding on top of a Mexican freight train while bandits lie in wait, or inviting real-life gang members to improvise street battles doesn’t sound like the wisest approach to making your first feature film, try telling Cary Fukunaga. Because those are exactly the scrapes the 32-year-old writer-director got into during production of his highly-acclaimed debut “Sin Nombre.” Set in Mexico against the backdrop of the country’s ballooning people trafficking problem, Fukunaga’s social-political thriller shows one boy’s struggle to escape Mexican gang culture after meeting a Honduran immigrant girl.

Afghan media blackout call as violence threatens vote

Afghanistan’s government on Wednesday called for a media blackout on reporting violence as fresh attacks threatened disruptions a day ahead of pivotal presidential elections. The media was asked to refrain from covering any attacks on election day in an effort to “ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people.” This week, the Taliban said it plans to disrupt the elections with continued attacks and threatened to kill Afghans who vote.

South Korea delays first rocket launch

South Korea’s first rocket launch has been delayed because of a technical glitch, the country’s official news agency reported. “There was a problem in the automatic launch sequence that caused the launch to be called off,” Lee Joo-jin, the head of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

Honduras suspends relations with Argentina

Honduras suspended diplomatic relations with Argentina on Tuesday in retaliation for having its ambassador expelled from Argentina last week. The move stems from tensions between the two countries over a June 28 military-led coup in which Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya was replaced by congressional leader Roberto Micheletti. When Honduran Ambassador Carmen Eleonora Ortez Williams, who had been appointed by Zelaya, did not protest the coup, Argentina took exception.

Pre-election violence kills 7 in Afghan capital

The Afghan capital, Kabul, came under attack Tuesday, two days before national elections. The violence included a rocket attack that damaged the presidential palace and a deadly suicide strike. The suicide bombing targeted a coalition military convoy on Jalalabad Road, a major thoroughfare in Kabul.

President Ma says sorry again for typhoon response

Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou apologized again today for the slow response to Typhoon Morakot and said he plans sweeping changes to the country’s rescue agencies and may punish some government officials. “We will try our best to do a better job in the rescue work that has been criticized for being too slow,” said Ma. “There are things that we have to correct and we also will be responsible for whatever mistakes or neglect that government officials have made.” Morakot hit the island August 8, dropping 102 inches of rain.

Air China raises Cathay stake

Air China, the country’s flag carrier, has agreed to pay HK$6.3bn (US$813m) to increase its stake in Cathay Pacific, only three years after first securing a holding in the Hong Kong airline. Chavez’s government is “moving forcefully to silence critics,” said the unclassified U.S. analysis prepared by the Open Source Center, a government intelligence center

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