CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The regional bureau of The Associated Press shares 10 things you need to know Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. TURKEY SIGNALS IT’S HOLDING BACK ON RESUMING SYRIA PUSH
Turkey’s Defence Ministry says it will not resume its offensive against Kurdish Syrian fighters in northeast Syria following separate agreements reached with the U.S. and Russia.
2. HONG KONG PULLS CONTENTIOUS BILL
Authorities in the semi-autonomous Chinese city withdrew an unpopular extradition bill that sparked months of chaotic protests that have since morphed into a campaign for greater democratic change.
3. HOW A CAREER US DIPLOMAT DETAILED UKRAINE DEALINGS
With memos, text messages and detailed notes, William Taylor related a bureaucratic thriller to impeachment investigators on the mystery of the missing aid for Ukraine.
4. WHY TRUMP’S TWEET STRUCK A NERVE
The president’s claim that the impeachment inquiry is “a lynching” strikes a painful chord for black people whose relatives died in racial violence.
5. GRUESOME DISCOVERY IN ENGLAND
Police in the southeastern town of Essex say 39 people were found dead in a truck container believed to have come from Bulgaria and a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland was arrested.
6. WHAT HAS SHED LIGHT ON HOUSTON GANG WARFARE
Investigators say a federal ballistics database has helped link dozens of seemingly unconnected killings.
7. WHERE TRUMP IS HEADED
The president will be in Pennsylvania to show his support for the natural gas industry, making clear he sees his pro-industry policies as a boost to his chances of winning the battleground state.
8. GOOGLE TOUTS QUANTUM COMPUTING MILESTONE
The tech giant says an experimental quantum processor has completed a calculation in just a few minutes that would take a traditional supercomputer thousands of years, a finding that is facing pushback from competitor IBM.
9. HIGH-TECH RIVALS POSE THREAT TO A MEDICAL STAPLE
The stethoscope is being threatened by hand-held devices that rely on ultrasound technology, artificial intelligence and smartphone apps instead of doctors’ ears.
10. NATIONALS STRIKE FIRST IN FALL CLASSIC
Juan Soto homers and hits a two-run double as Washington tags Gerrit Cole and the Houston Astros 5-4 in the World Series opener.
The Associated Press
