Headlines
China
Twin earthquakes and a spate of aftershocks struck southwestern China on Friday, toppling thousands of houses and sending boulders cascading across roads. At least 80 people were killed and hundreds injured in the remote mountainous area, and more than 100,000 residents were evacuated.
Damage was preventing rescuers from reaching outlying towns, and communications were disrupted after the midday quakes hit along the borders of Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, a rural region where some of China's poorest people live.
A 5.6-magnitude quake was followed by an equally strong quake about a half-hour later, joined by dozens of aftershocks. Though of moderate strength, the quakes were shallow, which often causes more damage.
The Red Cross was sending quilts, jackets and tents.
Illinois
Teacher tackles teen who fired gun; no injuries
A high school teacher in Normal, Ill., tackled a 14-year-old student Friday morning who had fired a gun in his classroom.
No one was injured. The student is in custody.
A student said the gunman pulled a handgun and hatchet from a backpack and told the other students that no one wanted to listen to him talk about unspecified problems.
Syria
UN nearly doubles appeal for humanitarian aid
The United Nations nearly doubled its appeal for humanitarian aid for Syria on Friday, seeking $347 million for people in need, including more than half a million children forced to flee their homes.
With the civil war intensifying, the number of people in need of assistance has doubled since July to 2.5 million. Activists say more than 23,000 people have been killed since the uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad began in March 2011. Meanwhile Friday, two vehicle bombs killed at least five police officers.
Quick hits
Leslie: Tropical Storm Leslie weakened in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday -- but it may regain hurricane strength and pass near Bermuda in a day or two, the National Hurricane Center said.
Iraq: Three separate bomb attacks against Shi'ite mosques in Kirkuk, a volatile northern Iraqi city, killed eight civilians Friday and injured 70 others, police said.
Congressman home: U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is his home in Washington after treatment for depression at the Mayo Clinic, his chief of staff said Friday. Jackson went on a secretive medical leave in June.
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