Israel forced to release documents on Gaza blockade

An Israeli court has forced the Israeli ministry of defense to release records of government research detailing the number of calories Palestinians in Gaza need to avoid malnutrition.
Keeping almost 2 million people locked inside the strip of land bordering the Mediterranean, the Gaza blockade is considered to be illegal by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Campaigning against Israel’s Gaza blockade, Israeli human rights group Gisha fought a long legal battle to get the documents released.

The UN stated that if the research reflected a policy intended to cap food imports, it went against humanitarian principles, the BBC reports.
Syrian government indicates interest in ceasefire
A temporary truce proposed by the UN and Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, is now being considered by both the Syrian government and its opposition.
Brahimi wants a truce during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, which starts on Oct. 25.
Syrian government spokesman Jihad al-Makdisi stated that the government would listen to any initiative to end the crisis, but that both sides would need to be involved, reports the BBC.
Six Russians and an Estonian kidnapped by pirates off Nigerian coast
Pirates have boarded a ship off the coast of Nigeria and kidnapped six Russians and an Estonian. This is the latest incident in the Gulf of Guinea, which has the second highest rate of piracy (second only to the waters around Somalia).
Bourbon, the French oil firm who owns the vessel, confirmed that seven crew members were kidnapped during the boarding of the Bourbon Liberty 249. The firm also stated that the other nine crew members are still on-board the vessel which is heading for the Port of Onne. They are believed to be in good health, Al Jazeera reports.
Man arrested in sting operation to bomb US central bank
A 21-year-old man has been arrested in New York for attempting to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, authorities said.
Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, a Bangladeshi national, believed he was going to detonate a 453 kilogram bomb during an undercover operation in which he was closely monitored by the FBI Wednesday, Al Jazeera reports.
Second presidential debate pushes women to the forefront of race
After President Obama leveled a charge at Mitt Romney for having policies threatening to women, Romney has set off a popular reference to his come back of having “binders of women” available to work, the New York Times reports.