Briefly

ISRAEL

Netanyahu bid put to test as voting begins

Israelis began voting for the fifth time in less than four years on Tuesday, with former premier Benjamin Netanyahu bidding for a comeback. Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving premier, is on trial for corruption, which he denies, but his Likud party is still expected to finish as the largest in parliament. However the final opinion polls from last week showed him still short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Security and surging prices have topped the list of concerns in the poll.

CAUCUS

Azerbaijan, Armenia to work toward peace

With Russia as a mediator, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on Monday to actively prepare for the conclusion of a peace treaty in order to achieve long-term peace in the South Caucasus. The consensus was part of a statement by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin adopted during their trilateral talks in Sochi, Russia. In the statement, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strict observance of all previous tripartite agreements in the interest of the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian ties.

UNITED STATES

15 hurt in Chicago Halloween shooting

As many as 15 people were injured in a drive-by shooting, including three children, in the city's Garfield Park neighborhood on Halloween night, Chicago police said. According to WLS-TV, Chicago Police said there are three juvenile victims. The others wounded are adults ranging in age from their 30s to their 50s. Preliminary information indicates there were at least two shooters seen on the video, firing indiscriminately into the crowd.

Agencies - Xinhua