World News Roundup: Brexit 'inferno' lays bare a divided United Kingdom; Former French president Jacques Chirac dies, aged 86

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Dozens of migrants in a wooden canoe rescued off Canary Islands

Dozens of African migrants attempting to reach the Canary Islands in a battered wooden canoe were rescued in waters off the Spanish archipelago on Thursday, emergency services said. The 37 migrants, including a child, were rescued by the Spanish coastguard six miles off the island of Gran Canaria after attempting to make the dangerous crossing from North Africa, the Canary Islands emergency services said on Twitter.

Death toll mounts in Pakistan earthquake but panic subsides

At least 24 people were killed and 450 injured in an earthquake that hit Pakistani Kashmir, local officials said on Wednesday, but they added that rescue work was in full swing and panic was subsiding. Tuesday's earthquake leveled homes and shops and split open roads in an area between the towns of Jhelum and Mirpur to the north, which is in Pakistan's portion of the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Hong Kong public chastise leader Carrie Lam at first 'open dialogue'

Hong Kong residents turned on leader Carrie Lam on Thursday, criticizing her for curbing electoral freedoms as she began the first "open dialogue" session with the public in a bid to end more than three months of sometimes violent protests. Lam nodded attentively in the town hall-like gathering as speaker-after-speaker accused her administration of ignoring the public and exacerbating a crisis that has no end in sight.

Former French president Jacques Chirac dies, aged 86

Former President Jacques Chirac, a political chameleon who dominated French politics for decades in roles ranging from mayor of Paris to the second-longest serving leader of the nation, died on Thursday at the age of 86. "He passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by his loved ones," his son-in-law Frederic Salat-Baroux told Reuters.

Five years after student disappearances, Mexico digs for remains in new dump

Mexican officials have begun scouring new sites for the remains of 43 student teachers including a dump near where they disappeared five years ago, after re-opening the case that plunged the last government into a major crisis. The abduction and apparent massacre of the youths by corrupt police working with a violent drug gang drew international outrage and led to widespread condemnation of the administration of Mexico's previous president, Enrique Pena Nieto.

U.S. lawmakers to grill Trump intel chief about whistleblower report

President Donald Trump's top intelligence official will be grilled by U.S. lawmakers on Thursday over the administration's handling of a whistleblower report central to an impeachment inquiry into the president. The acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, will testify to the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee after refusing to share the complaint with Congress, despite a law requiring that it be sent to lawmakers after an inspector general's determination that it was urgent and credible.

Brexit 'inferno' lays bare a divided United Kingdom

The fury of Britain's Brexit "inferno" is so intense that it could encourage violence unless politicians tone down their rhetoric, the husband of a lawmaker murdered a week before the 2016 EU referendum said on Thursday. Parliament reached boiling point on Wednesday when Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his opponents engaged in hours of vitriolic argument over Brexit, with lawmakers hurling allegations of betrayal and abuse of power across the chamber.

Afghanistan bolsters security as Taliban threatens presidential poll

Afghanistan deployed more than 100,000 troops and police on Thursday to guard polling stations in a presidential election which the Taliban has threatened to disrupt with suicide bombings and rocket attacks. Every election in the last decade has been marred by violence in Afghanistan, where Taliban Islamic militants are fighting U.S.-backed government forces and demand the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.

Explainer: Israel's Netanyahu clutches political lifeline

Israel's president has thrown Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a political lifeline, asking him to try to form a government after he failed to secure a clear election victory twice in six months. The inconclusive ballot on Sept. 17 left had Netanyahu weakened and his right-wing Likud party in second place, with 32 seats versus 33 for former armed forces chief Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White party in the 120-member parliament.

Khashoggi murder 'happened under my watch,' Saudi crown prince tells PBS

Saudi Arabia's crown prince said he bears responsibility for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives "because it happened under my watch," according to a PBS documentary to be broadcast next week. It is the first time that Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, has publicly indicated personal accountability for the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by operatives seen as close to him. The CIA and some Western governments have said they believe he ordered it, but Saudi officials say he had no role.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE-The Chief Executive 'has to serve two masters' - HK leader Carrie Lam – full transcript