ZURICH - TURKEY and Armenia were set to take a historic step towards reconciliation on Saturday with the backing of major powers, by signing pacts to normalise ties after nearly a century of bitterness over their blood-soaked past.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edouard Nalbandian and Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu will sign the two protocols in a ceremony at the University of Zurich at 5pm (1500 GMT, 11pm Singapore time), the Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed.

LONDON - A BRITISH newspaper says the military has ordered a home defence force to stop training for six months because of budget pressures.

The Times of London reported Saturday that weekend exercises and other training for the Territorial Army, the largest of Britain's reserve forces, will stop temporarily. The decision is expected to save 20 million pounds (S$44.7 million).

LAGOS - AS MANY as 70 people were feared dead after a fuel tanker and six commuter buses crashed in the southern Nigerian state of Anambra late on Friday, Nigerian newspapers said on Saturday.

The This Day newspaper quoted witnesses as saying the fuel tanker was attempting to cross large potholes on the Enugu-Onitsha highway when it toppled over, spilling fuel across the road.