SYRIA
300 leave besieged suburb
More than 300 Syrians were bussed out of a rebel-held suburb of the capital, Damascus, in an evacuation Friday under a deal struck with the government that ends a punishing 3-year-long siege, allows rebel fighters to leave and restores state control over the area. The suburb of Moadamiyeh is the latest opposition pocket to relent after residents could no longer take the suffering under sieges by Syria’s military, with food supplies dwindling and key infrastructure like hospitals being destroyed.
Argentina
Unions protest job cuts
Argentina’s unions brought tens of thousands of people into the streets of Buenos Aires on Friday to protest government job cuts, the elimination of subsidies and other policies of President Mauricio Macri. Closing out three days of demonstrations that included road blockages across the country, columns of protesters waving blue and white Argentine flags converged in front of the presidential palace to voice their anger.
Egypt
EgyptAir passenger detained
EgyptAir says a passenger was detained after storming the pilot’s cockpit on a flight carrying 150 passengers. The Friday incident took place aboard charter airline CairoAir 462, which took off from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to Alexandria’s Borg el-Arab airport, EgyptAir said. The passenger was not armed. The pilot notified airport authorities, who declared a state of emergency. The passenger was detained when the plane landed, EgyptAir said.
Colombia
Date set to sign peace deal
Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos announced he will sign a peace accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia later this month in Cartagena. Santos made the announcement in a speech Friday in the historic Caribbean city. He said the signing ceremony will take place Sept. 26.
Italy
Pet found alive in rubble
Firefighters rescued a Golden Retriever from a pile of quake rubble after they heard the dog barking, nine days after the temblor struck central Italy. The dog, called Romeo, appeared to be bewildered at first as it scampered down the mound of broken concrete and other debris, but quickly took a few steps, wagged its tail and sniffed its surroundings. The Aug. 24 temblor claimed nearly 300 lives and injured hundreds.
Compiled from wire reports