NewsWatch: Global Economy -- World's Longest Tunnel Breakthrough

Cities, Counties Can't Stop Federal Immigration Checks
Cities and counties can't stop U.S. immigration officials from sifting through local police records to root out illegal immigrants, even though Immigration and Customs Enforcement has characterized the program as voluntary since it started up two years ago, federal documents show.  MSNBC

Swiss Complete World's Longest Tunnel (Video)
Tunnel builders cheered and raised their glasses as a huge 10m tunnel-boring machine crashed through the last few metres of rock. At the start of the 35-mile $10 billion Gotthard rail tunnel project 14 years ago, many geologists told them it was impossible, saying the rock was too unpredictable and warning of dangers to anyone working underground. BBC

Poll: Americans Think Broadband Not a Priority for Government
A majority of Americans do not believe that increasing the availability of affordable high-speed Internet connections should be a federal government priority. Pew Research

EPA Appoints Mayors, Local Leaders to Federal Advisory Group
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has appointed 30 new local, state, and tribal elected and appointed officials from across the country to serve on the agency’s Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC). The committee advises EPA on a broad range of environmental issues affecting communities. EPA

Interpol, Mastercard Partner Against Internet Drug Sales 
MasterCard Worldwide recently partnered with Interpol to support the global police organization’s efforts to prevent websites from supplying illegal and counterfeit prescription drugs and medicines to consumers. The week-long effort covered 45 participating countries and resulted in 76 arrests to date. Additionally, 290 websites have been shut down and nearly 11,000 packages of contraband have been seized or detained. MasterCard Worldwide

Chinese Elders Call for Free Press
Twenty-three senior members of the Chinese Communist Party have called on the government to lift the restrictions on freedom of speech in China. In an open letter dated October 1, the members who earlier held senior positions either in the party or in government apparatus, pointed out that though the country's constitution guarantees freedom of speech, it is not allowed to be exercised. The letter circulated online on October 11 comes days after Liu Xiaobo, an imprisoned Chinese dissident, was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Al Jazeera