Pope Francis makes surprise visit to quake-hit AmatriceOctober 4, 2016 - 13:31 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Pope Francis on Tuesday, October 4 made a surprise visit to Amatrice, one of the towns hardest hit by an earthquake that struck central Italy in August, killing nearly 300 people, Reuters reports. The Vatican kept the trip secret until he arrived. The pope first visited a makeshift school and was then due to see people who have been forced to live in tents, with most of the buildings in Amatrice either leveled or considered too badly damaged to live in. He was later expected to go to the so-called "red zone", which covers the center of Amatrice and is closed off to the public because it is still highly dangerous. The visit is taking place on the feast of the pope's namesake, St. Francis of Assisi. One the plane returning from Azerbaijan on Sunday, Francis said he had been given a choice of three day when he could visit but would not reveal which one he had chosen. He said at the time he wanted the visit to be "privately, alone, as a priest, as a bishop, as pope, but alone, privately. I want to be close to the people." The earthquake, which struck on Aug. 24, flattened several towns and villages in the Lazio and Marche regions northeast of Rome and caused at least 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion), according to government estimates. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |