At least 45 people (including 41 children) are killed and 56 injured following a suicide bomber attack on the Akrameh al-Makhzumi school in Homs. (RTE)(Al Jazeera)
Greenland's government calls for an early election on November 28 after an expenses scandal prompts Prime Minister Aleqa Hammond to step down as leader of the governing Siumut party. (AFP)[permanent dead link]
The Egyptian government confiscates all copies of a daily print of Al-Masry Al-Youm, one of the country’s largest private newspapers, in order to censor an article, days after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi vowed in a U.S. television interview that there was "no limitation on freedom of expression in Egypt." (New York Times)
A series of explosions at a gunpowder plant in the village of Gorni Lom in Northwestern Bulgaria completely destroys the factory, killing 15 people who were working inside it at the time. (Focus News)
The United States partially lifts a long-time ban on lethal weapon sales to Vietnam to help it improve maritime security, a historic move that comes nearly 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War. (Voice of America)
A cyber-attack against JPMorgan Chase and 9 other financial institutions that compromised over 83 million accounts is disclosed. The attack is considered one of the largest data breaches in history.(Reuters)Archived 2014-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
Jean-Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc), leader of Haiti from his father's death in 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986, dies of a heart attack. (CNN)
Bulgarians vote in a snap election, following the resignation of a Socialist-led government in July; the number of parties in the National Assembly grows from four to eight, and the centre-right GERB becomes the biggest party but falls short of an overall majority. Voter turnout is just about 50%, lower than at any time since the establishment of democratic rule in 1989. (The Economist)
The election race ends with its final counting indicating a second-round between candidates Dilma Rousseff and Aécio Neves to be decided in poll by voters at the end of the month. (The Washington post)
A hospital in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar says that 29 suspected ISIL fighters were killed in airstrikes last night. (CNN)
Kurds clash violently with Turkish police over failure to help Kurds under siege in the Syrian border city of Kobani under siege by ISIL forces. At least fourteen people have died in the clashes. (AP)
Supertyphoon Vongfong becomes the most intense storm of the year as it heads for Japan. (Live Science)
A major search operation is underway for the Sunrise-689, a Vietnamese vessel carrying 18 crew members and 5,226 tonnes of oil which lost both radio and radar contact on October 3 40 minutes after its departure from Singapore. (International Business Times)
International relations
Burma pledges to release 3000 prisoners a month before it hosts a Southeast Asian summit. (Reuters)
Protesters who filled Hong Kong's streets for more democracy lessened Tuesday after the government finally agreed to negotiate with the student leaders. (CBC)
Three people in Mali, which has had no cases, are injected with an experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus, the first such trial in Africa. (Haaretz)
The local KGB in Minsk arrests about 100 Ukrainian and 30 Belarusian soccer fans at a qualifying match between Ukraine and Belarus for the 2016 European Championship after they a sang the song, Putin-Huilo! (which roughly translates as "Putin is a dickhead!"). (FP)
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, fails to show at an event marking the 69th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea, increasing speculation about his prolonged absence from public view. (BBC)
Turkey agrees to allow the training of 2,000 Syrian opposition forces on its soil as Islamic State militants approach to within 1 mile of the centre of the border city of Kobani. (Wall Street Journal)
At least seven people die and approximately 40 are injured at a stampede at a political rally by Pakistan opposition leader Imran Khan in the city of Multan. (BBC)
The American city of St. Louis prepares for a weekend of protests after eight people were arrested protesting another death in the suburb of Ferguson, Missouri this week. (Reuters)
A Texas nurse tests positive for Ebola. The health care worker is the first person to contract the disease in the United States of America, the first infection in the US to occur by secondary contact, and the second in the world sickened from exposure outside of the African continent. (AP)
Typhoon Vongfong makes landfall in the Japanese island of Kyushu causing the evacuation of 150,000 people and disruption to plane and train services. (AP)
Protesters in the Mexican state of Guerrero attack the state government headquarters in the state capital Chilpancingo over the disappearance of 43 students. (BBC)
Environmentalist Marina Silva, who came third in the first round of the presidential elections, decides to back centre-right candidate Aécio Neves following an open letter from Neves to the nation where he promises to include in his manifesto issues such as land reform, the demarcation of indigenous lands, the rights of rural communities and environmental concerns. (BBC)
The game between Albania and Serbia is abandoned after a drone carrying a flag promoting the concept of Greater Albania descends onto the pitch in Belgrade, sparking riots, mass brawling and an explosion. Albania players are attacked on the pitch by Serbia fans, who in turn clash with riot police. (BBC)(The Sydney Morning Herald)
Albania's prime minister is embroiled in scandal after his brother is linked to the stunt. (Independent)
Armed conflicts and attacks
At least eight people are killed as villagers clash with construction workers and riot police over land disputes in Yunnan province, China. (AFP via AsiaOne)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops more than 450 points, erasing gains for the year only to rebound late in the day for a close down 173 points. (CNBC)
The Chief Executive Officer of Total S.A., Christophe de Margerie, dies in a plane crash in Moscow together with three members of the flight crew. (BBC)
Rear Admiral Anders Grenstad, while pointing out that Sweden's military operation is focused on gathering intelligence on a suspected foreign submarine in its waters, stated that military force could be used to make it surface. (BBC)
A Hamas member carries out a terrorist attack in Jerusalem by intentionally striking a group of pedestrians in a train station with his car killing a 3-month-old baby. (Times of Israel)
Mali confirms that a 2-year-old girl has tested positive for Ebola, marking the country's first documented case. (BBC)
Law and crime
A man attacks a group of police officers in New York City with a hatchet, injuring 2 before being shot dead. Police suspect the attacker was motivated by radical Islamic ideals. (CNN)
Politics and elections
Protesters in Iran call for increased security after four women are injured in acid attacks in Isfahan for allegedly not wearing veils. (AFP via ABC Online)
Science
Partial solar eclipse visible over much of North America today. (timeanddate.com)
Luis Enrique Monroy Bracamonte, the prime suspect in the shooting deaths of two Northern California sheriff's deputies, is reported to be an illegal immigrant from Mexico. (Los Angeles Times)
Sixteen workers are killed after a coal mine collapses in far western Xinjiang region. (Reuters)
Law and crime
Despite an international campaign, Iran hangs Reyhaneh Jabbari, sentenced for the murder of a man she claims was in self-defence. (BBC)
Protestors demanding the resignation of President Blaise Compaoré set fire to parliament and other official buildings. The Chief of the Army dismisses the government and national assembly and announces a curfew and a transition time of one year. Compaoré fled to Dakar, Senegal. (Euro News)
The Bank of Japan announces a decision to buy more assets, continuing an aggressive expansion of the money supply, by roughly US$60 billion per month, admitting that it hasn't yet reached its goals on growth. (Reuters)