KEY STORYLINES
- AFRICA: DR Congo government troops and unidentified rebel forces clashed in the east of the country.
- AMERICAS: The Panamanian Congress struck down a controversial law, which had resulted in violent protests, allowing the government to sell state-owned land in the Colon Free Zone.
- ASIA: The Taiwanese government said three retired military officers have been arrested on suspicion of leaking military secrets to China.
- EUROPE: In Ukraine, early official election results place the ruling party in the lead in legislative polls.
- MIDDLE EAST: An Iranian lawmaker said the country holds pictures of Israeli bases and other restricted areas obtained from a drone launched into Israeli airspace.
- TECHNOLOGY: Google set up a crisis map covering the East Coast to aid those preparing for Hurricane Sandy.
TOP STORY
- Syria: Regional tensions escalate in wake of failed ceasefire.
- Turkish artillery responded to a stray shell fired from Syria that landed 300 meters away from the border village of Besaslan.
- Government warplanes bombed areas around Damascus on the fourth day of the failed ceasefire.
- UNSG Ban Ki moon expressed deep disappointment at the collapse of a ceasefire in Syria and urged more unity from the international community.
- Chinese state media said Chinese Muslim separatists from Xinjiang are fighting alongside al Qaeda and other extremist groups in Syria.
- Syria’s state-TV denied as “totally untrue” reports that rebels in Aleppo have taken control over a headquarters of Syrian Air Force Intelligence.
- UN-AL Peace Envoy Brahimi is to visit China this week.
- Coverage: AFP, AP, AP-2, AP-3, Reuters, Xinhua
AFRICA
- Algeria: France and the US increased diplomatic pressure on Algeria in an effort to gather support for a military intervention in Mali. (AFP)
- DR Congo: Government troops and unidentified rebel forces clashed in the east of the country. (AFP)
- Sudan: Rebels in Darfur said they had shelled the capital of North Darfur state. (Reuters)
AMERICAS
- Cuba: The military postponed a nationwide military drill due to the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. (Xinhua)
- Haiti: 167 Indonesian peacekeeping troops serving in the UN Mission of Stabilization in Haiti arrived in the country. (Xinhua)
- Panama: The Congress struck down a controversial law, which resulted in violent protests, allowing the government to sell state-owned land in the Colon Free Zone. (AFP)
- United States: Several states along the East Coast have declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy. (BBC)
ASIA
- Afghanistan: Coalition and Afghan troops detained 15 insurgents in the east of the country. (Xinhua)
- Burma: The death toll from sectarian violence between Buddhist and Rohingya Muslim communities in the west of the country reached 84 with 129 injured. (DPA)
- Japan: PM Noda warned the day-to-day functions of Japan’s government will seize up unless deadlocked politicians pass a new debt financing bill. (AFP)
- Taiwan: The government said three retired military officers have been arrested on suspicion of leaking military secrets to China. (AFP)
EUROPE
- Cyprus: Police have derailed an attempt on the life of Attorney-General Clerides. (AP)
- France: The interior ministry said the country will continue to hunt down ETA members as long as the Basque separatist group refuses to disarm. (AFP)
- Lithuania: The Social Democrats party said they would form a coalition government with two other opposition parties after winning the second round of a parliamentary election. (DPA)
- The Netherlands: The political parties which won September’s election have reached a draft agreement on forming a new government. (Xinhua)
- Turkey: Eight members of the PKK were killed in operations in the southeast of the country. (Xinhua)
- Ukraine: President Yanukovych’s ruling party declared victory in legislative elections over former President Tymoshenko’s opposition party in legislative elections. (BBC)
MIDDLE EAST
- Bahrain: The interior ministry said it would take legal action against opposition groups which organized a rally in Eker without permission from the authorities. (Xinhua)
- Iran: A lawmaker said the country holds pictures of Israeli bases and other restricted areas obtained from a drone launched into Israeli airspace. (Reuters)
- Israel: The military said its aircraft struck a Palestinian rocket launching pad and an unidentified militant activity site in the Gaza Strip. (AP)
- Jordan: Five police officers were injured in a riot in the country’s main Syrian refugee camp. (DPA)
TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Social media: Google set up a crisis map covering the East Coast to aid those preparing for Hurricane Sandy. (TechCrunch)
WORLD
- Cyclones: Tropical Storm 24W (Son-tinh)
- Location: 60 NM ENE of Hanoi, Vietnam
- Movement: NNE at 6 mph
- Winds: 70 mph
- Map
- Hurricanes (Atlantic): Hurricane Sandy
- Location: 425 miles SSE of New York City
- Movement: N at 15 mph
- Winds: 85 mph
- Map
- Hurricanes (Pacific): 50% chance of tropical cyclone formation
- Location: 650 miles SW of Manzanillo, Mexico
- Movement: WNW at 15 mph
- Map
- Earthquakes: Queen Charlotte Islands Region, Canada
- Magnitude: 6.3
- Depth: 8.2 km
- Map
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report
TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (30OCT)
- Global: Third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit held in New Delhi, India.
- Asia: Shanghai Cooperation Organization holds international youth forum in Belokurikha, Russia.
- Middle East: Anniversary of Arab-Israeli peace talks held in Madrid, Spain – 1991.
- Algeria: US Secretary Clinton meets with President Bouteflika for talks on Mali.
- Belarus: Russian FM Lavrov meets with the Belarusian foreign ministry.
- Bosnia-Herzegovina: US Secretary Clinton and EU Foreign Policy Chief Ashton meet in Sarajevo for talks on Kosovo and Serbia.
- Egypt: Administrative Court reviews constitutionality of the second Constituent Assembly.
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