World
Assad blasts Turkish offensive into Syria
Beirut, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — Syrian President Bashar Assad has blasted Turkey's "criminal aggression" in Syria, vowing that Damascus will respond to the offensive.
Pakistan silences army's critics with raids, terror charges
Islamabad, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — A dozen plainclothes Pakistani security forces attempted Thursday to raid the former home of a human rights activist who recently fled to the United States seeking asylum.
Iraqi blogger outspoken about country's corruption detained
Baghdad, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — A family member of a popular Iraqi blogger says authorities have detained him, apparently over his coverage of anti-government protests.
Pence meets with Erdogan, seeking Syria border cease-fire
Ankara, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — A senior U.S. delegation led by Vice President Mike Pence pursued an uphill mission Thursday to persuade Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call for a cease-fire in his fight with Kurdish forces in northern Syria.
Chicago teachers strike, say issue simple: 'It's the kids'
Chicago, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — Chicago teachers went on strike Thursday, marching on picket lines after failing to reach a contract deal with the nation's third-largest school district in a dispute that canceled classes for more than 300,000 students.
Mozambique's Frelimo appears headed for big election win
Bilene, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — Unofficial results in Mozambique's elections point to sweeping victories for the ruling Frelimo party and President Filipe Nyusi, prompting some analysts to question the credibility of the polls and warn that the lopsided result may prolong the country's instability.
UN: Afghan insurgents responsible for most 2019 casualties
Kabul, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — Afghan civilians are dying in record numbers in the country's increasingly brutal war, noting that more civilians died in July than in any previous one-month period since the U.N. began keeping statistics, according to a U.N. report released Thursday.
Protesters bar Haiti's president from visiting historic site
Port-Au-Prince, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — Haiti's embattled president has been forced to hold a private ceremony amid heavy security for what is usually a public celebration of one of the country's founding fathers.
Powerful Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings has died
Baltimore, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — Maryland Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a sharecropper's son who rose to become a civil rights champion and the chairman of one of the U.S. House committees leading an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, died Thursday of complications from longstanding health problems. He was 68.
Japan PM visits storm-hit areas; royal parade may be delayed
Tokyo, Oct 17 (AP/UNB) — Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday visited northern towns devasted by the deadly typhoon and promised residents his government's support for their speedy recovery.