NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Russia protests: Under the slogan, “I’m fed up,” demonstrators urging Vladimir Putin not to run for a fourth term rallied in cities across Russia on Saturday. Dozens were arrested in St. Petersburg and elsewhere. The centerpiece rally in Moscow went peacefully, despite being unsanctioned by authorities. Several hundred people rallied in a park, then moved to the nearby presidential administration building to present letters telling Putin to stand down from running in 2018. Putin has not announced whether he plans to run for president again next year. The demonstrations were called for by Open Russia, an organization started by Kremlin foe Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
2 Syria fighting: Air strikes killed eight members of Syria’s rescuers known as the White Helmets in a rebel-held area in the country’s center, opposition activists said Saturday. The bombing was one of the deadliest against the rescuers who operate in oppositionheld areas and who have garnered global attention for operating in extreme conditions, pulling survivors out of recently struck areas. The local White Helmets in central Hama province said an air raid on one of their centers in Kfar Zeita killed eight members of the team. It was not clear who carried out the air strikes, as Syrian government and Russia aircraft have targeted oppositionheld areas.
3 Afghanistan talks: A former Afghan warlord who battled U.S. forces after the 2001 invasion and nursed bitter rivalries with other militant factions before signing a peace deal with the Afghan government appeared in public for the first time in more than 20 years Saturday and called for peace. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who leads the Islamist organization Hezb-iIslami, appeared in eastern Laghman province where government officials were also present. During his remarks, Hekmatyar called on all insurgent groups to end the war and join the peace process in Afghanistan.
4 Plane crash: A Cuban military plane crashed into a hillside Saturday in the western province of Artemisa, killing eight troops on board, the government said. The military said the Soviet-made AN-26 took off from the Playa Baracoa airport outside Havana at 6:38 a.m. and crashed into a hillside outside the town of Candelaria about 40 miles away. The military said a special commission will investigate the crash.
5 U.S. fatality: A U.S. service member in Iraq was killed Saturday by an explosive device outside the city of Mosul, the military said. The Pentagon said the service member died from wounds sustained in an “explosive device blast.” The person was not immediately identified. Saturday’s incident marks the second American military fatality since the start of the operation to oust the Islamic State group from Mosul more than six months ago. The Pentagon has acknowledged more than 100 U.S. special operations forces are operating with Iraqi units in and around Mosul, with hundreds more playing a support role.
6 Earthquake: A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday off the coast of southern Sarangani province in the Philippines and prompted a local tsunami warning, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries. The quake struck relatively deep below the seabed, causing much of its disastrous power to dissipate.