1. Volcano rescue efforts called off

    Search and recovery efforts for at least two dozen victims of Japan’s worst volcanic* eruption in decades were called off on Tuesday due to worries about rising volcanic* activity, including the chance of another steam explosion.

    Hundreds of military searchers had been preparing to enter Mount Ontake by foot and helicopter to resume recovery of at least 24 people caught in a deadly rain of ash and stone after the peak erupted without warning on Saturday when it was crowded with hikers, including children.

    2. 15 wounded in nightclub shooting

    A shooting sent terrified patrons* scrambling* from a Miami nightclub in the United States early on Sunday and left 15 people wounded, including an 11-year-old child, authorities said.

    When Miami police and rescue crews arrived at a club called The Spot around 1 a.m., they said they found chaos among the large throng of adults and teenagers gathered there. Rescuers found wounded people inside and outside the club, some too hurt to flee, Miami Fire Rescue Captain Ignatius Carroll said.

    3. Afghanistan swears in new leader

    Afghanistan inaugurated* its first new president in a decade on Monday, swearing in technocrat* Ashraf Ghani to head a power-sharing government just as the withdrawal of most foreign troops presents a crucial test.

    The inauguration marks the end of an era with the departure of President Hamid Karzai, the only leader Afghans have known since a U.S.-led invasion in 2001 overthrew the Islamist Taliban that had given sanctuary* to al-Qaida.

    4. Kenyan sets new marathon record

    Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto became the first man to run the marathon in under two hours three minutes as he set a new world record in Berlin on Sunday.

    The 30-year-old Kimetto trimmed 26 seconds off* the previous best by compatriot* Wilson Kipsang, set last year in Berlin, with a time of two hours two minutes 57 seconds.

    Kimetto, who is from the Rift Valley region, the traditional breeding ground for many distance running greats, battled fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai in the closing stages, eventually shrugging him off with four kilometers remaining.

    5. Philippines, U.S. begin military exercises

    Thousands of Philippine and American soldiers began annual war games on Monday near disputed waters in the South China Sea, testing the readiness of the two oldest security allies in the Southeast Asian region to respond to any emergency.

    The Philippines has territorial disputes with China over the South China Sea. Nearly 5,000 U.S. and Filipino troops will participate in the 11-day annual exercise, to be held in the Philippines’ western island of Palawan and in the northwest province of Zambales on the main island of Luzon, just 100 miles (160 kilometers) off Scarborough Shoal.

    6. U.S.-led raids hit grain silos, kill workers

    U.S.-LED airstrikes hit grain silos and other targets in Islamic State-controlled territory in northern and eastern Syria overnight, killing civilians and wounding militants, a group monitoring the war said on Monday.

    The aircraft may have mistaken the mills and grain storage areas in the northern Syrian town of Manbij for an Islamic State base, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

    7. Catalonia orders referendum

    The president of Spain’s Catalonia region signed a decree on Saturday calling for a referendum* on independence to be held on November 9, putting the local government on a collision* course with Madrid, which says such a vote is illegal.

    The wealthy northeastern region, which accounts for around a fifth of Spain’s economy, has its own language and distinct culture and has long fought for self-rule. A large majority of Catalans want to hold a referendum on independence, polls show, and have been encouraged by the close result in September’s binding referendum in Scotland.(SD-Agencies)