1. Italy Quake Toll Hits 250 as Rescuers Search Flattened Towns
The death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit in central Italy on Wednesday climbed to 250 as rescue teams scoured mounds of rubble for the second day in towns and villages flattened by the natural disaster.
2. Russia Backs 48-Hour Aleppo Truce
Russia has agreed to 48-hour humanitarian cease-fire in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo to allow aid deliveries, but security guarantees are awaited from other parties on the ground, UN officials say.
3. Clinton, Trump Compete for Minority Votes
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton accuses Donald Trump of fuelling America’s “radical fringe” with racist rhetoric, even as her Republican rival seeks to soften his image to appeal to minorities.
4. Brazil’s Senate Begins Rousseff’s Impeachment Trial
Brazil’s Senate begins the trial of suspended President Dilma Rousseff after a lengthy impeachment process that has paralysed the politics of Latin America’s largest nation and is expected to culminate in her removal from office next week.
5. American University Attack Hits Heart of Afghan Liberal Learning
With its spacious, leafy campus, foreign professors and English-language MBAs, the American University in Kabul offered young Afghan students the kind of Western-style education unimaginable for most of their peers. The image of an island of liberalism and learning, in a country plagued by militant violence, has been shattered.
6. US Shrinks Pakistan Aid in Frustration Over Militants
Pakistan’s continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming US military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabad’s strategic importance as an ally of Washington, US military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts say.
7. Sarkozy Tells Comeback Rally He Would Ban Burkini in France
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he would impose a nationwide ban on burkinis if elected back to the presidency in 2017, positioning himself as a strong defender of French values and as a candidate who is tough on immigration
8. Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister Killed by Miners
Bolivian deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes was been beaten to death by striking mine-workers after being kidnapped, according to local media reports.
9. Volkswagen to Spend $1.2 Billion to Compensate US Dealers
Volkswagen has agreed to spend more than $1.2 billion to compensate its 650 US dealers for their losses from the German automaker’s diesel emissions scandal, two sources briefed on matter said.
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