LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Our hearts and minds have been burned in this fire. It’s not just a souk and shops, but it’s our soul, too.”
Dima,
a doctor in the contested city of Aleppo, Syria, where a fire swept through a souk at the historic city’s center.
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Protestants march through Belfast
BELFAST, Northern Ireland - A large Protestant march through the heart of Northern Ireland’s capital began peacefully on Saturday amid a heavy security presence.
Thousands were participating in one of Belfast’s biggest parades in years, and police deployed in force to prevent street clashes between marchers and Northern Ireland’s Catholic minority.
Members of the various Protestant “loyal orders,” so-called because they’re loyal to Great Britain, trooped down Belfast’s streets festooned with buttons, tassels, and other ceremonial gear, from the capital’s City Hall to Stormont, the seat of Northern Ireland’s parliament.
The marches date back to the 19th century and are a long-standing irritant between Northern Ireland’s two main religious communities. The loyal orders see them as expressions of their culture and a testament to their faith.
Many Catholics see them as aggressive and anti-Irish.
There were no immediate reports of any unrest, and marchers passed a potential flash point on the parade route - St. Patrick’s Church - without incident.
Somalis: Rebels fled Kenyan advance
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Al-Shabab rebels pulled out of a key port city in southern Somalia, the group said Saturday, a day after Kenyan troops invaded and marched toward the city center and seaside port that long served as the militants’ key source of funding, officials said.
Residents in Kismayo said they woke to find police and government headquarters abandoned by the militants, sparking a looting spree of the government and police headquarters.
The withdrawal came about 24 hours after Kenyan forces made a beach landing and as inland troops from Somalia and Kenya moved toward the port city from the west.
Col. Cyrus Oguna, a spokesman for the Kenyan military, said five al-Shabab fighters were killed in a battle overnight. Two commanders were killed in the fighting, the military said.
He said the Kenyan forces are still verifying the reports that al-Shabab had pulled out of Kismayo. “For now we are treating it as a theory,” he said.
Pakistani anti-film ralliers rail at U.S.
KARACHI, Pakistan - Thousands of members of Pakistan’s radical Islamic groups rallied on Saturday in the southern city of Karachi against an anti-Islam film that has sparked violence across the Muslim world.
Innocence of Muslims has enraged many Muslims for deprecating the Prophet Muhammad. At least 51 people, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, have been killed in violence linked to the film.
Chanting “Down with America” and demanding expulsion of the U.S. ambassador, the participants gathered in the heart of the city’s business district, where prominent radical leader Muneebur Rehman demanded stern punishment for the filmmaker.
Protests are dying down in many countries but continue in Pakistan, home to several powerful radical movements. Since 23 people died in Karachi earlier this month during demonstrations, however, marchers appear to have heeded calls by clerics and other public figures to avoid violence.
Senior police officer Asif Ijaz Sheikh estimated that the crowd numbered more than 15,000. He said the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Bahraini funeral march turns violent
MANAMA, Bahrain - Riot police in Bahrain fired tear gas and stun grenades Saturday in clashes with protesters, who broke away from a funeral procession for a 17-year-old boy killed during earlier street battles with security forces in the Persian Gulf kingdom.
Thousands of mourners took part in the funeral march, chanting anti-government slogans and waving Bahraini flags. Later, smaller groups of several hundred demonstrators broke away and hurled stones at police units. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
More than 50 people have died including protesters and police, in almost 20 months of political turmoil.
The Shiite-led protests are aimed at breaking Sunni minority rulers’ monopoly on power in Bahrain. They started in February 2011 and were inspired by other Arab Spring revolts against authoritarian regimes in the region.
Bahrain’s largest Shiite political bloc, Al Wefaq, said security forces killed the boy by firing birdshot during street clashes in Sadad village, southwest of the capital, Manama.
Front Section, Pages 10 on 09/30/2012