• Floods in Ethiopia Displace Hundreds of Thousands as More Rains Forecast: U.N.

  More than 600,000 Ethiopians have fled their homes since March, largely due to flooding, the United Nations said on Wednesday, with more rain predicted up to December.

  

• At Least 38 Dead After Quake Hits Italy, Pope Francis Prays for Victims and Survivors

  A powerful earthquake devastated a string of mountainous towns in central Italy on Wednesday, trapping residents under piles of rubble, killing at least 38 people and leaving thousands homeless.

  

• Iraq Hangs 36 People Sentenced to Death for Killing of Troops in 2014

  Iraq said on Sunday it had hanged 36 militants sentenced to death over the mass killing of hundreds of mainly Shi'ite soldiers at a camp north of Baghdad two years ago.

  

• U.S. Judge Blocks Obama Transgender School Bathroom Policy

  A U.S. judge blocked an Obama administration policy that public schools should allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice, granting a nationwide injunction sought by 13 dissenting states just in time for the new school year.

  

• Top Boko Haram Fighters Killed, Claims Nigerian Military

  Nigeria's air force said it had killed a number of senior Boko Haram fighters and possibly their overall leader, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived for talks on tackling the militants.