Washington, D.C.
Obama signs visa law for Iraqi war aides
President Obama has signed into law a measure providing special visas for Iraqis who risked their lives to help the United States. The special visa has allowed more than 12,000 Iraqi contractors, interpreters and others who aided U.S. efforts, and their family members, to move to the United States since 2007. It expired earlier this week, with about 2,000 applications still pending.
New York
Clinton puts off decision on 2016 bid
Hillary Rodham Clinton will begin to seriously consider a run for president "sometime next year," she told a business group in Long Island. In light of the government shutdown, Clinton said the obsession over 2016 is "bad for the country."
Germany
Merkel in early talks to form coalition
Chancellor Angela Merkel and representatives of her conservative bloc began the first in a series of exploratory talks with potential coalition partners, amid a growing sense of urgency from all sides about the danger of leaving Berlin rudderless for too long. The talks are aimed at sounding out each side's willingness to compromise in formal negotiations.
Egypt
Troops and protesters clash in Cairo; six die
At least six people were killed in political violence in Egypt in the buildup to a much-anticipated day of protests on Sunday calling for a rollback of the recent military takeover. The violence flared across the country as the new government installed by Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi struggles to consolidate its control.
Italy
Senate panel votes to strip Berlusconi of seat
A special panel of the Italian Senate voted to strip Silvio Berlusconi of his current seat, a humiliating blow for a man who has dominated Italy for the past two decades but whose political career is now very much in jeopardy. The expulsion vote against Berlusconi, based on his recent tax fraud conviction, represents his second setback of the week, after his failed attempt to bring down the country's fragile coalition government. The full Senate will probably decide by the end of the month whether to expel Berlusconi, though a vote against him is now considered very likely.
Japan
Watchdog scolds nuclear plant operator
Japan's nuclear watchdog agency criticized the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant for making mistakes that allowed radioactive water to leak into the Pacific Ocean, and ordered it to quickly fix the problems.
United arab emirates
Afghans celebrate big victory in cricket
In a victory that brought cheer to a war-torn nation, Afghanistan beat Kenya in a one-day international cricket match to advance to the World Cup for the first time in its troubled history. Unfortunately, most of its fans couldn't enjoy the sweet taste of success in person as their team beat Kenya by an emphatic seven wickets. Afghanistan can't play at home because of the security situation, and its stands at the United Arab Emirates stadium were largely empty. But that didn't deter members of the winning team from running onto the field carrying a giant Afghan flag.
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