World briefs

China-North Korea Top military leaders from North Korea and China have recommitted themselves to strengthened exchanges between their armed forces during a meeting in Beijing.

China Teams have begun recovering bodies at a railway repair site in southwestern China where 17 workers were buried by rocks.

Singapore The economy would suffer if relations worsen between the U.S. and China, but the city-state must stay independent in the conflict between its two biggest trading partners, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.

North Korea Leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test-firing of an unspecified new weapon, seen as an attempt to pressure Washington and Seoul over slow nuclear negotiations and their joint military exercises. 

Afghanistan Official says at least 63 people have died when suicide bomber detonated explosives in packed wedding hall.

Iran Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif  says he’s praying for the “speedy recovery” of Kuwait’s ruling emir (pictured), though there has been no public word on the 90-year-old ruler being ill or injured.

Russia Prominent Russian opposition figure Ilya Yashin has been detained by police immediately after leaving a jail where he had served two sentences connected to protests in Moscow.

France Deaths by suicide for French police now outnumber deaths in the line of duty. The protectors need protecting, say police unions, which are demanding more help to stop the problem.

Spain Seeking to end a humanitarian crisis, Spain says a Spanish rescue boat with 107 migrants in the southern Mediterranean can sail to Spain and disembark its passengers in Algeciras.

UK Secret British government documents have warned of serious disruptions across the country in the event that the U.K. leaves the European Union without a trade deal on Oct. 31, according to The Sunday Times. 

UK A well-known left-wing British journalist says he was pushed to the ground and kicked in the head in what he described as a “blatant premeditated assault.”

USA The Trump administration is aggressively pursuing economic sanctions as a primary foreign policy tool to an extent unseen in decades, or perhaps ever. Many are questioning the results even as officials insist the penalties are achieving their aims.