Man sets himself on fire outside U.N. refugee agency: spokeswoman

GENEVA (Reuters) – A man set himself on fire outside the U.N. refugee agency headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday and was evacuated by medical services, a spokeswoman said.

Liz Throssell, spokeswoman of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva that the man’s identity and origin were not known but he was alive.

Brexit: Johnson's legislation to fast-track deal rejected

EU Council President Donald Tusk says he will recommend the bloc grant the UK another Brexit extension in order to avoid a no-deal.

The UK is due to leave the EU on October 31st and Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been hoping to have his withdrawal agreement ratified by Parliament this week.

But MPs rejected that plan, saying it did not give them time to scrutinise the legislation. The rejection may have dealt the prime minister’s dreams of leaving the EU at the end of October a mortal blow.

Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands reports from Westminster.

Prince Harry-Duchess Meghan documentary, California power outages, Chicago teachers strike: 5 things to know Wednesday

Associates of Trump lawyer Giuliani face arraignment 

After helping President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani seek dirt in Ukraine on Joe Biden’s son, businessmen Lev Parnas, 46, and Igor Fruman, 53, are set for arraignment on Wednesday in a New York City federal court on campaign finance charges. The arraignment follows delays in posting security for their $1 million bonds, which will allow them to remain free while the court case continues. A criminal indictment unsealed on Oct. 10 alleges that Parnas, a U.S. citizen born in Ukraine, and Fruman, a U.S. citizen born in Belarus,  schemed to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal banned campaign contributions from foreign donors to U.S. officials, including Trump-supporting candidates and political action committees. The indictment of Parnas and Fruman drew the attention of the House’s presidential impeachment inquiries, which issued subpoenas to both men hours after their arrests at Dulles International Airport in Virginia earlier this month. 

• “I don’t know those gentlemen”:Trump denies knowing indicted Giuliani associates despite photos
• Long-running probe: Federal investigators have been looking into Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine since early 2019
• Charged:Parnas, Fruman arrested on campaign finance charges

Farewells to US Rep. Elijah Cummings to begin in Baltimore

Constituents, friends and other mourners are set to gather at a historically black college in Baltimore to honor the life of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings in the first of a series of planned services.

The Maryland congressman and civil rights champion died Thursday of complications from long-standing health issues.

Cummings will lie in repose Wednesday at Morgan State University. A tribute service will follow the public viewing. It will include remarks from his wife, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes and Baltimore Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young.

The university is in the congressional district Cummings represented since 1996. He also served on the school’s Board of Regents for 19 years.

A sharecropper’s son, Cummings led one of the U.S. House committees leading an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

European Royalty at Japan's Imperial Palace Court Banquet

UK says 'shocked and saddened' after 39 bodies found in a container

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s interior minister Priti Patel said she was “shocked and saddened” by the news on Wednesday that the bodies of 39 people had been found in a shipping container on an industrial estate east of London.

“Shocked & saddened by this utterly tragic incident,” Patel said on Twitter. “Essex Police has arrested an individual and we must give them the space to conduct their investigations.”

Lebanon protests: Thousands demonstrate for sixth day

The demand of the people in the streets is for the government to go.

Thousands of protesters in Lebanon are demonstrating for a sixth consecutive day, despite emergency reforms announced by the prime minister.

Demonstrations began last week over the government’s plan to impose new taxes, but have since widened into calls for the entire political class to step down.

The protesters’ message is that they do not want the same people who got the country into a dire situation to be the ones to try to fix it.

Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker reports from Tripoli, in north Lebanon.

UK prime minister mulls early election over Brexit impasse

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to be pushing for an early general election after Parliament blocked a fast-track plan to approve his Brexit deal before Britain’s scheduled departure from the European Union on Oct. 31.

Interested in Brexit?

Lawmakers on Tuesday backed the substance of Johnson’s divorce deal but rejected plans to allow only three days of debate before final consideration of the legislation, saying it didn’t provide enough time for scrutiny.

The government is now waiting for the EU’s response on a possible extension of the Brexit deadline.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told the BBC on Wednesday that Parliament’s failure to break the logjam means “we are left with the option of a general election … That seems to me to be the only way to break this impasse.”

Owens Corning Q3 adjusted earnings Beat Estimates

Owens Corning (OC) reported earnings for third quarter that decreased from last year.

The company’s bottom line came in at $150 million, or $1.36 per share. This compares with $161 million, or $1.45 per share, in last year’s third quarter.

Excluding items, Owens Corning reported adjusted earnings of $179 million or $1.63 per share for the period.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $1.50 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items.

The company’s revenue for the quarter rose 3.3% to $1.88 billion from $1.82 billion last year.

Owens Corning earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q3): $179 Mln. vs. $174 Mln. last year.
-EPS (Q3): $1.63 vs. $1.57 last year.
-Analysts Estimate: $1.50
-Revenue (Q3): $1.88 Bln vs. $1.82 Bln last year.