1. N Korea’s Largest Nuclear Test Draws Condemnation, Threat of More Sanctions
North Korea conducts its fifth and biggest nuclear test and says it has mastered the mounting of a warhead on a ballistic missile, ratcheting up a threat that its rivals and the United Nations have been powerless to contain.
2. Trump Calls Clinton ‘Trigger-Happy’ in Attack on Her Record
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump blasted rival Hillary Clinton’s record as secretary of state by claiming she brought “only war, destruction and death”, the latest salvo in their running battle over who would make the best commander in chief.
3. Russia’s Lavrov Blames US for Holding Up Syria Agreement
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States of holding up a Syrian ceasefire at talks in Geneva with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
4. US House Votes to Allow Sept 11 Families to Sue Saudi Arabia
The US House of Representatives passed legislation by voice vote that would allow the families of victims of the 11 Sept 2001 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia’s government for damages, leading the White House to reiterate that President Obama will veto the measure.
5. Arrested French Women Directed by Islamic State Planned Paris Attack
Three French women arrested after a car loaded with gas cylinders was found near Notre Dame cathedral were planning to attack a Paris railway station under the direction of Islamic State, French officials said.
6. Britain’s May Tackles Education, Appeals to Brexit Voters
Setting her sights on making Britain “the world’s great meritocracy”, Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled reforms to widen opportunity in schools in an appeal to “frustrated” Britons who voted to leave the EU.
7. Venezuelans Revel in Pots-and-Pans Protest After Maduro Humiliation
Pots-and-pans protests, used for decades to heckle governments around South America, are back with a bang in volatile Venezuela after unpopular socialist President Nicolas Maduro was chased down a street by angry neighbours clanging their kitchenware, sparking copy-cat demonstrations nationwide.
8. Blatter and Two Others Facing FIFA Investigation Over Salaries
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-secretary general Jerome Valcke, already banned from football for ethics violations, are facing a fresh investigation, this time over the salaries and bonuses they received in office.
9. Texas Mattress Store Slammed for ‘Disgusting’ 9/11 Sale Video
A Texas mattress store that used bedding to stage a mock collapse of New York City’s Twin Towers in an ad for a September 11 sale has come under a barrage of protests that described it as a tasteless pitch, and called for the business to go bankrupt.