Pope visits Italy quake-hit areas
Reuters, Rome
Pope Francis on Tuesday made a surprise visit to Amatrice, one of the towns hardest hit by an earthquake that struck central Italy in August, killing nearly 300 people. The Vatican kept the trip secret until he arrived. The pope first visited a makeshift school and was then due to see people who have been forced to live in tents, with most of the buildings in Amatrice either leveled or considered too badly damaged to live in.
Haitians flee homes as Hurricane Matthew hits
Reuters, Haiti
Haitians living in vulnerable coastal shacks frantically sought shelter as the strongest Caribbean storm in nine years, Hurricane Matthew, closed in on the southwestern peninsula, sending storm surges, wind and rain into seaside towns.
Matthew, a violent Category 4 storm packing 145 mile-per-hour (230 kph) winds, was due to pound the western tip of Haiti early on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
12 Afghan cops killed by Taliban
AP, Kandahar
An Afghan policeman says 12 of his men were killed by Taliban fighters who attacked checkpoints around Lashkar Gah, the capital of southern Helmand province.
Haji Gran, chief of the city’s police district 2, said Tuesday that the Taliban attacked four checkpoints late on Monday, killing 12 and wounding another 11 policemen. Lashkah Gar has been under threat of Taliban takeover for months as insurgents have been slowly taking control of Helmand since the beginning of the year.
