NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 U.S. soldier killed: The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq said Monday that a service member was killed and another was wounded the previous day when an explosion from a booby-trapped device struck their vehicle. So far, seven American servicemen have been killed in Iraq in the fight against the Islamic State group, including two in the battle to retake the northern city of Mosul. The U.S. launched military operations against Islamic State in August 2014, after the militants swept across much of the country’s north, capturing a third of Iraq’s territory.
2 Mexico quake: The permits of an elementary and middle school where a wing of the building collapsed in the recent magnitude 7.1 earthquake, killing 26 people, have been revoked. Education Secretary Aurelio Nuno said Monday that the privately run Enrique Rebsamen school in Mexico City which has been closed since the Sept. 19 quake, will be prohibited from operating. Prosecutors are investigating the school’s owner. Complaints also have been filed against government officials who allegedly ignored warnings about unauthorized construction at the school that may have been responsible for the collapse. At least 362 people were killed by the quake.
3 Child porn: The Vatican’s secretary of state is headlining an international conference on protecting children from online sexual abuse and exploitation, weeks after he recalled one of his diplomats who was caught up in a U.S.-Canadian investigation into child porn. Organizers said the arrest warrant issued for Monsignor Carlo Capella showed the need for the conference, which opens Tuesday and ends Friday when participants bring a set of proposals to Pope Francis. Cardinal Pietro Parolin will deliver the keynote address on “The Holy See and its commitment to combatting sex abuse online.”
4 Kenya election: Police lobbed tear gas and fired shots in the air in Nairobi and Kisumu on Monday to disperse protesters who are demanding a change of leadership at the country’s election commission. The protests were called by the opposition National Super Alliance, whose leader Raila Odinga faces President Uhuru Kenyatta on Oct. 26 in a rerun of the presidential vote. Kenya’s top court ordered a repeat election after nullifying the re-election in August of Kenyatta, citing irregularities in the vote counting. The court said the election commission had failed to verify the results.
5 Syria fighting: Two suicide bombers stormed a police station in the Syrian capital on Monday, killing at least 17 civilians and police, state TV reported, and a drone strike in eastern Syria killed 10 Hezbollah fighters who were helping Syrian troops battle the Islamic State group. No group immediately claimed the Damascus attack. It was also unclear who struck the Hezbollah fighters. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Hezbollah fighters were killed when their position came under attack. The Lebanese militant group is fighting alongside President Bashar Assad’s forces.
6 Russia politics: A Moscow court on Monday sent Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to jail for 20 days for calling for an unsanctioned protest, a punishment that will keep him away from a major rally this weekend. Charges brought against the Kremlin’s top rival relate to the upcoming rally in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city and President Vladimir Putin’s hometown. Navalny announced his presidential bid last year.
Chronicle News Services