KAMPALA: President Idi Amin has sent a message to a number of Arab leaders warning of Israeli designs on Muslim holy places in Sa­­udi Arabia. The message … went to the Sec­re­tary-General of the Arab League, the Secre­tary of the World Muslim League, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, and the leaders of all other Arab and Muslim countries. President Amin charged that Israel planned to acquire more Arab territories, “especially Medina and Mec­ca”. The Ugandan leader called on Arabs to “prepare their troops”… . — News agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported from Santiago,] nearly three weeks after the overthrow of President Salvador Allende, sources close to Chile’s military government have said the death toll from the coup is “around the 600 mark”. This is about double the latest official figure of 284 dead — including only 31 troops and police — issued early last week. Some 5,000 detainees, most of them picked up in military sweeps, are still held in Santiago’s National Soccer Stadium awaiting investigation to decide whether they will be court-martialled.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2023