Blast hits Afghan coalition troops
KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A suicide bombing in eastern Afghanistan Monday killed three coalition troops and an interpreter, the International Security Assistance Force said.
No other details were provided in a release on ISAF's website but Khaama Press reported more than 70 people were killed or injured in a suicide explosion in Khost province in eastern Afghanistan Monday. A hospital official said at least 30 people were killed, Khaama Press reported.
Witnesses said the blast occurred when the bomber detonated his suicide vest as Afghan and coalition security forces were crossing the area.
No one had claimed responsibility for the explosion, Khaama Press said.
Obama downplays debate; Christie hypes it
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama downplayed this week's debate while Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the exchange would change the campaign's "narrative."
GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney is "a good debater -- I'm just OK," Obama told supporters at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas Sunday night.
"But what I'm most concerned about is having a serious discussion about what we need to do to keep the country growing and restore security for hardworking Americans," Obama said, leading into a stump speech.
The final two debates are to take place Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., and Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla.
Christie told NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, "Come Thursday morning, the entire narrative of this race is going to change."
Romney campaign officials distributed talking points to Republican allies and surrogates Sunday night outlining the campaign's message ahead of the debate.
The points say, "Obama doesn't have a record to run on or a plan for the future."
Romney told supporters in Westerville, Ohio, near Columbus, "Don't be expecting a huge cut in taxes, because I'm also going to lower deductions and exemptions."
Typhoon Jelawatt leaves two dead in Japan
TOKYO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Typhoon Jelawatt has begun to weaken over Japan after authorities said flooding left two people dead and threatened thousands of others with evacuation.
At noon local time Monday, the storm was 56 miles east southeast of Nemuro on the northern island of Hokkaido, moving at 46 mph with winds of up to 78 mph, Kyodo News reported.
Rain was falling at a record rate of 3.25 inches an hour in Iwate prefecture, in the northeast region of Honshu, the country's largest island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
In Miyagi prefecture, just south of Iwate prefecture, government officials in the city of Ishinomaki advised 11,000 people to evacuate.
The high winds and torrential rains have led to two deaths, local authorities said. A 56-year-old man died trying to save his wife when her car was swept away by flooding. High tides pulled a 29-year-old fisherman out to sea.
The typhoon grounded 70 flights and canceled a bullet train from Tokyo to Shinjyo.
Calif. OKs driver's licenses for migrants
SACRAMENTO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill letting an estimated 400,000 young undocumented immigrants qualify for California drivers licenses.
The bill, which Brown signed late Sunday, lets young people qualify for licenses if they are accepted by a federal program giving work permits to immigrants who came to the United States before they were 16 and are now 30 years old or younger.
The bill makes California conform with President Barack Obama's June 15 executive action that let hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children remain in the country without fear of deportation and able to work.
"Gov. Brown believes the federal government should pursue comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship," Brown spokesman Gil Duran was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying. "President Obama has recognized the unique status of these students, and making them eligible to apply for driver's licenses is an obvious next step."
Opponents argued California should be careful in giving drivers licenses because they are used as identification for many other public purposes, including entering airline terminals, The Sacramento Bee reported.
