News summary for Wednesday, October 18, 2017

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By BNO NEWS

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

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a speech lasting 3 hours and 22 minutes, said China has entered a “new era” in which it should move closer to the world’s center stage. But he said more work remains to be done and his party has developed a plan to develop China into a “great modern socialist country” by 2050.

  • A man opened fire at his place of work in Edgewood, Maryland, killing 3 co-workers and critically injuring 2 others before fleeing the scene. Less than 2 hours later, the man shot and injured another person at a business in Delaware. The suspect was arrested later in the day. Investigators believe both shootings were targeted, but the motive is still unknown.

  • Russian socialite Ksenia Sobchak, who is sometimes called “Russia’s Paris Hilton”, has announced her candidacy for the country’s presidential election in March. Sobchak’s father is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and some members of the opposition have accused her of being a ‘Kremlin stooge.’

  • A congressional committee has declined to bring corruption charges against Brazilian President Michel Temer, who is accused of taking bribes in return for political favors. The full lower house is expected to do the same in a vote next week.

  • A car has plowed into a crowd of pedestrians in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing 6 people and injuring 5 others. The driver, a 20-year-old woman, is believed to have jumped a red light at a high rate of speed, causing her SUV to strike a car before running into a group of people who were waiting to cross the street. The woman has been arrested.

IN BRIEF

  • 4 British missionaries who were providing humanitarian services in southern Nigeria have been kidnapped by unidentified men.

  • China’s economy grew 6.8% in the 3rd quarter, down slightly when compared to the previous quarter but in line with expectations.

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Thursday: Deadline for Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to drop his bid for independence. The Spanish government has warned that it will move to suspend the region’s autonomy.

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