QUOTE OF THE DAY “To those who would say that the People’s Party or the presidency would be controversial under our guardianship, under our stewardship, I would say, listen to democracy.” Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistani presidentelect, at a dinner with supporters Saturday at the prime minister’s residence Article, 1 A Visit to Armenia historic for Turk ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkey’s president arrived in Armenia on Saturday, the first visit by a Turkish leader in the two nations’ history.
The president, Abdullah Gul, was invited by the Armenian president, Serge Sargsyan, to attend a soccer game in Yerevan, the capital, between the national teams.
The trip was widely seen as a symbolic gesture to normalize relations between the countries, which have recognized each other but have not established diplomatic relations.
The two nations have deeply held disagreements about what is widely referred to as the Armenian genocide, in which more than 1 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman army in the early 1900 s. Many Western countries support the genocide designation, but the official narrative in Turkey is that both Turks and Armenians were killed in warfare as the Ottoman Empire dissolved. Spare civilian lives, Filipinos are urged MANILA, Philippines — A Red Cross official appealed Saturday to government troops and Muslim separatist rebels not to harm civilians as they battle each other in the worst fighting in the southern Philippines in five years.
Dominik Stillhart, International Red Cross deputy director of operations, urged both sides to comply with international humanitarian law “to spare civilian communities and allow delivery of relief assistance.” Stillhart told reporters in southern Cotabato city that the Red Cross is increasing its relief operations in the southern Mindanao region.
The Philippine government’s disaster agency says more than a half-million people in the region have been displaced or have lost their homes and livelihoods since violence broke out last month after an aborted peace accord between the government and rebels. Blast, shootout kill 15 in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide bomb attack by a fake beggar inside a regional prosecutor’s office and a shootout between police and Taliban militants killed 15 people in Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said.
The suicide bomber penetrated the office in Zaranj, the capital of the southwestern province of Nimroz, said Police Chief Mohammad Ayub Badakhshi. Six people died in the blast, including a provincial state attorney.
The bomber entered the compound pretending to be a beggar, said Ghulam Dastagir Azad, the provincial governor.
Elsewhere in Nimroz, Taliban militants attacked a police checkpoint, killing two police, Azad said. He said seven Taliban fighters also were killed in the exchange.
Taliban militants have increased the pace of attacks in Afghanistan this year.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
