LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“All of this does not concern us.”
Iyad, a Syrian fighter on the outskirts of Damascus, as frustrated Syrians dismissed the calls for dialogue as empty talk Article, this page
Japan says Russia jets trespassed
TOKYO - Japan’s Defense Ministry said two Russian fighter jets briefly intruded Thursday into Japanese airspace as the country was holding rallies demanding that Moscow return a group of disputed islands.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry lodged a protest with the Russian Embassy in Tokyo.
Russia, however, denied any border violation.
The incident occurred as Japan was observing Northern Territories Day, when it holds annual rallies urging Moscow to return the islands, seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II.
Defense Ministry official Yoshihide Yoshida said Japanese air force jets scrambled after an intrusion by two Su-27 jets that lasted just over a minute.
Yoshida said it was not immediately known whether the incident was intentional or accidental, but that it was “extremely problematic.”
In Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement denying any intrusion. It said Russian military aircraft taking part in a military exercise in the area flew in “strict conformity with international rules without any border violations.”
Road crash fatal to 53 in Zambia
LUSAKA, Zambia - A bus operated by Zambia’s postal service carrying passengers toward its capital, Lusaka, smashed into a semi-truck and another car Thursday, killing at least 53 people in one of the worst traffic crashes in the nation in recent history, officials said.
The crash happened Thursday morning near the town of Chifamba, about 60 miles north of Lusaka, police spokesman Elizabeth Kanjela said. Images carried by local media in Zambia showed rescuers climbing over the smashed-in front end of the white bus, the remains of the orange truck in pieces in front of it. Other images showed corpses lying alongside the two-lane highway that connects the capital to neighboring Tanzania.
Kennedy Sakeni, Zambia’s information minister, said at least 53 people died in the crash, while another 22 had been taken to local hospitals. A sport utility vehicle also was involved in the crash, he said.
Iranian sees little good in nuke talks
TEHRAN, Iran - In a meeting with Iran’s air force commanders Thursday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said direct talks between Iran and the United States will not solve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.
“I’m not a diplomat, I’m a revolutionary, and speak frankly and directly,” said Khamenei, according to a report by Iran’s Mehr News agency. “You Americans have pointed guns toward Iran, but at the same time you want to negotiate. The Iranian nation will not be intimidated by these actions.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what impact Khamenei’s remarks would have on a fresh round of negotiations scheduled for Feb. 26 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, involving Iran and the P5-plus-1 group, which consists of the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have in recent days signaled hope for some progress in the coming talks.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 02/08/2013