Landslide buries mountain village
A landslide rumbled down a mountainside on an eastern Philippine island today, burying hundreds of houses and a school packed with elementary students. Red Cross officials estimated at least 200 dead and 1,500 missing.
“It sounded like the mountain exploded, and the whole thing crumbled,” survivor Dario Libatan told Manila radio DZMM. “I could not see any house standing anymore.”
Sen. Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, said an entire village appeared to have been buried, with perhaps 200 dead and 1,500 missing. The landslide on Leyte island followed two weeks of nonstop rains.
“There is no body count yet, it’s our estimate,” he told the Associated Press by telephone from Geneva. “We’re mobilizing rescue operations. This area is infamous for landslides.”
Tehran, Iran
Danish pastries renamed in Iran
Iranians love Danish pastries, but when they look for the flaky dessert at the bakery they now have to ask for “Roses of the Prophet Muhammad.”
Bakeries across the capital were covering up their ads for Danish pastries Thursday after the confectioners’ union ordered the name change in retaliation for caricatures of the Muslim prophet published in a Danish newspaper.
“Given the insults by Danish newspapers against the prophet, as of now the name of Danish pastries will give way to ‘Rose of Muhammad’ pastries,” the union said in its order.
Ankara, Turkey
Hamas leaders arrive in Turkey
A five-man delegation from the Hamas movement headed by leader Khaled Mashaal arrived in the Turkish capital Thursday, provoking harsh criticism from Israel and concern from U.S. officials.
“It is hard to understand why these people went to Turkey,” Raman Gissin, a spokesman for the Israeli government told a private Turkish news channel. “It is a serious mistake; this visit could have serious consequences for our links that could be hard to repair.”
Reflecting the controversial nature of the visit, it was first announced that the delegation would be received by Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Hours after the delegation arrived, the prime minister’s office said the meeting would not take place.
A Turkish official close to the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity said the prime minister changed his mind in part because of intense pressure from the Bush administration not to meet with Hamas officials.
Instead, Mashaal and the delegation held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul at the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development party.