1. Former West German leader dies

    Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt died on November 10 aged 96 and leaders from around Europe praised him as an architect* of international cooperation and post-war European integration.

    Schmidt was then-West Germany’s second center-left government leader from 1974 to 1982, taking office at the height of the Cold War when fellow Social Democrat (SPD) Willy Brandt was forced to resign after a close aide* was exposed as a spy for East Germany.

    At the same time, Schmidt dealt with the consequences of the 1973-74 energy crisis caused by the OPEC oil embargo, and later faced down a serious threat to West German democracy from a spree of attacks by Red Army Faction urban guerrillas.

    2. 9 killed as jet hits buildings in US

    Nine people were killed on November 10 when a small business jet crashed into two residential buildings while approaching an Akron airport, local media reported, citing police sources.

    Ohio State Highway Patrol officially confirmed that the pilot and co-pilot as well as an unknown number of passengers were killed in the fiery* crash.

    However, unnamed police sources at the site of the crash told local media that a total of nine people were dead. Ohio State Highway patrol spokesman Lieutenant Bill Haymaker said the plane struck a residential building at about 3 p.m., engulfing* it in flames. The plane then hit an embankment and another residential building, Haymaker added.

    3. French police carry out 150 raids

    French police raided* more than 150 locations overnight* as authorities released the names of two more potential suicide bombers involved in the Paris attacks — one born in Syria, the other a Frenchman wanted as part of a terrorism* investigation.

    The raids came as the hunt continued for members of the sleeper cell* that carried out last Friday’s gun and bomb attacks that killed 129 people and as France launched its heaviest airstrikes on the Islamic State group’s de-facto* capital in Syria. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Monday “we are at war” against terrorism.

    4. 2 Palestinians killed in clashes

    Israeli forces shot dead at least two Palestinians when clashes erupted* during an operation on Monday to destroy the West Bank home of a Palestinian accused of killing an Israeli hiker, the army said.

    Palestinian hospital sources reported the death of two Palestinians while the Israeli military said three were shot in an exchange of fire at Qalandiya. Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner spoke of a third death on Twitter, but Palestinian hospital sources had not confirmed it.

    5. UN chief to visit North Korea

    U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon is to visit North Korea, the first head of the world body to set foot in the state for more than 20 years, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.

    Citing an unidentified* high-level U.N. source, Yonhap said Ban would visit Pyongyang in his official capacity as secretary general later this week, though no precise dates were given.

    The U.N. spokesman’s office in New York declined to comment on the report. The U.N. source told Yonhap that Ban was almost certain to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — a meeting that, if it happens, would mark a major diplomatic opening by Pyongyang.

    6. Paris attacks intensify migrant debate

    The Paris attacks have revived* the European debate on whether to take a harder line on migrants.

    With the continent facing its biggest migration crisis since World War II, EU states have bickered* for months on how to stem* the flow and share out* the new arrivals. There have been steady calls for nations to be wary of the wave of people fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.(SD-Agencies)