News summary for Friday, October 20, 2017

A quick look at the most important news of the last 24 hours:

A man opened fire inside a Shia mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul before blowing himself up, killing at least 39 people during Friday prayers. It is believed that the attack was carried out by ISIS. And in Ghor province, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Sunni mosque, killing 33 people. The attack in Ghor appeared to target a local politician.
The U.S. company Ocean Infinity will resume the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared in 2014 with 239 people on board. The official search in the Indian Ocean ended in January. Under an agreement with the Malaysian government, Ocean Infinity has agreed to pay for the search if it can’t find the plane.
The death toll from last week’s truck bombing in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu has risen to at least 358, making it one of the deadliest terror attacks in modern history. Officials say 56 people remain missing, which means the death toll could rise. 228 people were injured in the attack.
35 police officers and soldiers have been killed in a shootout during a raid against Islamist militants in Egypt’s Western Desert. A small extremist group known as Hasm claimed responsibility.

IN BRIEF

108 people have been arrested in Brazil in a major operation against child pornography; investigators found more than 150,000 images.
Lynch mobs in Malawi attacked people they accused of being vampires, killing 8 of them. 140 suspects have been arrested, according to the BBC.
The Iraqi government claims it has taken full control of Kirkuk province after several days of fierce fighting with Kurdish forces.
The number of structures destroyed in the California wildfires has risen to at least 8,400. The death toll remains at 42. 9 fires are still burning.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday: Spanish cabinet meeting to determine which steps to take under Article 155 to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy.
This weekend: Peak of the Orionid meteor shower, which is visible from anywhere on Earth. The best time to watch is around 2 a.m.
Saturday: Final day of the legislative election in the Czech Republic. The centrist ANO party is widely expected to win, which would make populist billionaire Andrej Babis the country’s next prime minister.