A gunman shoots dead two people and injures a third at the Work and Income office in Ashburton, New Zealand, before fleeing on a bicycle. The town is locked down for seven hours while police search for and apprehend the suspected gunman. (NZ Herald)
At least six people are reported killed after a U.S. drone strikes a convoy of vehicles believed to be carrying senior members of the militant group Al-Shabaab. (Al-Jazeera)
Saudi Arabian authorities announce they have arrested 88 people on suspicions of being part of an al-Qaeda cell and plotting attacks inside and outside the kingdom. (Al-Jazeera)
A spokesman for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that Sotloff was a dual citizen of Israel and the U.S., a fact that had been concealed during his captivity, including by Sotloff himself. (USA Today)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks of an offer suggested by an Egyptian official whom he didn't name, that implies Egypt donating 600 square miles of land in Sinai to be used as a solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees. Mahmoud Abbas said that he rejected that offer. (Times of Israel)
Science and technology
Two species of dendrogramma, found off the coast of Australia in 1986, are discovered to be unclassifiable in any existing phylum. (Guardian)
The two-day NATO summit in Newport, Wales, begins. Leaders agree to apply further sanctions on Russia. NATO sources claim that there are "several thousand" Russian troops inside Ukraine. (RTE)
Israeli President Shimon Peres meets with Pope Francis at a time of mounting tension in the Middle East. The last meeting between the Pontiff and the Israeli leader came in June, when the Pope invited Peres, along with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to join in a prayer service for peace. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
A privately owned Socata TBM-900 (flight number N900KN) from the US flies without a conscious pilot for a thousand miles after a suspected cabin depressurization (see also) and crashes 14 miles off the coast of northeastern Jamaica. (Reuters)
Marin Čilić of Croatia defeats Kei Nishikori of Japan in straight sets to win the Men's Singles. It is Čilić's first grand slam victory and the first time since 1998 that there have been eight different winners of the grand slam singles finals. (BBC)
The Dutch Safety Board issues a preliminary report on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 which crashed on 17 July. It finds that the aircraft was probably hit by multiple "high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside” indicating a missile. (BBC), (The Australian)
At least nine people are killed as a roof collapses in a mosque in the low income neighbourhood of Daroghawala in the Pakistani city of Lahore. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
Products from at least 900 food makers are being recalled after authorities say a factory illegally used 243 tonnes of recycled waste oil disguised as lard, some of which may have been exported overseas. (Taipei Times)(Bloomberg)
In American football, a law enforcement official tells the Associated Press that in April 2014, he sent a video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City casino to the NFL office. This contradicts statements made by several league officials, including commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming they had not received or seen the video before it became public on September 8. (ESPN)
The Government of Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists exchange dozens of prisoners agreed to as part of a ceasefire a week ago. Both sides still hold thousands of prisoners. (Washington Post)
Indonesian police chief General Sutarman says he knows what happened to the MH370 and an aviation expert claims MH370’s pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, caused the plane to crash by locking his copilot out of the cockpit, depressurised the cabin and shut down all communications before turning the plane around. (News.com.au)
A rocket attack by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine kills 10 civilians and injures 12 others in the village of Nyzhnya Krynka near Donetsk. (CNN)
Al-Qaeda announced that it had temporarily captured the Pakistani Navy frigate PNS Zulfiquar, in an attempt to attack the U.S fleet with onboard missiles, before it was recaptured by Pakistani Forces. (Reuters)
Fierce battles between army and Houthi rebels continue for third day in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, killing 123 people and forcing hundreds to flee their homes. (AJE)
An Indian TV news anchor at public service broadcaster Doordarshan is fired after she referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as 'Eleven' Jinping, apparently confusing Xi's name with the Roman numerals XI. (The Hindu)
The Yemeni government and Shia Houthi rebels sign an agreement aimed at ending the political crisis as the rebels advance towards the capital Sana'a; prime minister Mohammed Basindwa resigns, and under the deal, rebels will nominate a new prime minister within three days. (BBC)
Rallies in support of Ukraine and against the War in Donbass take place in Boston, New York, Sydney, Dublin, Madrid, London, Paris, Oslo, Tallinn, Limassol, Istanbul, Antalya, Cologne, Milan, Rome, Vienna, Munich, Prague, Berlin, Moscow, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Berlaul and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. (LiveUAMap)
In tennis, two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is to miss the remainder of the season because of the foot injury that has blighted her year. (BBC)
Students from more than 20 universities and colleges in Hong Kong are boycotting class in protest against Beijing’s decision to rule out fully democratic elections. (The Guardian)
Georgia denies media reports alleging that the country has offered hosting of a training center for anti-Islamic State Syrian rebel fighters and states that its involvement in the crisis will be limited to "humanitarian missions". (Civil Georgia)
The al-Nusra Front claims that its leader Abu Yousef al-Turki was killed in the air strikes. (CNN)
While trying to arrest two Hamas militants suspected of the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June, a shootout resulted in the deaths of the two suspects. (AP via Fox News)
Venezuela's opposition parties named Jesus Torrealba, a 56-year-old journalist and teacher, to head their coalition ahead of 2015 parliamentary elections where they hope to weaken President Maduro's socialist government. (Voice of America)
After 32 years of service, the last operational HU-25 Falcon, the only jet to ever be a part of the US Coast Guard's air fleet, was retired in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Falcon played a significant role in search and rescue as well as counter drug missions and was a critical asset during the Gulf War. (KPTV.com)
Sports
In motorsport, the district attorney for Ontario County, New York announces that a grand jury decided not to bring criminal charges against NASCAR driver Tony Stewart in the death of Kevin Ward, Jr. during an August sprint car race. The prosecutor also reveals that Ward was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident. (ESPN)
BlackBerry Limited, the Canadian corporation formerly known as Research in Motion, although continues to operate at a loss overall, posted unexpectedly good second quarter results, including the first adjusted profit for its hardware unit in five quarters. (Reuters)
Japan's Mount Ontake volcano erupts causing 250 people to be stranded, injuring at least eight people and forcing aircraft to divert their routes. (Reuters)
Business and economy
After 139 years of ferry crossings between the Danish town of Esbjerg and Harwich in England, MS Sirena Seaways carries passengers on the route for the last time as DFDS closes the route due to "dwindling demand and high costs"; a freight service will still be available on the route from Esbjerg to Immingham. (BBC)(DFDS Connects)
Dozens of people are rescued from Japan's Mount Ontake following a volcanic eruption, with at least 30 feared dead. This is the first deadly eruption in Japan since 1991. (BBC)
Renewed clashes around the Donetsk International Airport between the pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government troops kill at least 12 people in the worst flareup of violence since the ceasefire accord earlier in September. (CBC)
International Relations
Argentina's central bank announces that it will pay the holders of its restructured debt Tuesday. Implicitly this indicates that it is ready to defy a U.S. federal court which has blocked such payments until the holders of hold-out bonds are included. (Reuters)
