LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There is one way out for Bashar and that is to respect the will of the people and do whatever is necessary.”

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticizing Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Article, 6A

Bahrain upholds jail terms for 20 rebels

MANAMA, Bahrain - Bahrain’s highest court Monday upheld jail terms for 20 opposition figures - including eight sentenced to life - for purported plots to “overthrow” the state in a decision likely to touch off more protests in the Gulf nation and bring renewed criticism from its Western allies.

The group includes a rights activist who staged a 110-day hunger strike last year to protest the verdicts, which critics have denounced as part of attempts to crush an Arab Spring-inspired uprising that began nearly two years ago in the strategic island kingdom.

Authorities in Bahrain accuse Iran of encouraging the Shiite-led protests as a way to undermine Bahrain’s pro-Western leadership and gain a key foothold on the doorstep of rival Saudi Arabia. Tehran has sharply criticized Bahrain’s crackdowns, but denies it has any direct role with the opposition.

Bahrain’s majority Shiites, who have led sporadic unrest in past decades, claim they face systematic discrimination at the hands of the Sunni monarchy.

More than 55 people have died in the unrest since February 2011 and many opposition leaders and activists have been arrested, including the group of 20 charged with “plotting to overthrow” the ruling system by leading the protests.

Palestinian cautious on logo change

RAMALLAH, West Bank - With U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state in his pocket, President Mahmoud Abbas wants official documents to carry a new emblem: “State of Palestine.”

But scrapping the old “Palestinian Authority” logo is as far as Abbas is willing to go. He is not rushing to change passports and ID cards Palestinians need to pass through Israeli crossings.

Abbas won overwhelming U.N. General Assembly recognition for a state of “Palestine” in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in late November. The U.N. nod was important to the Palestinians because it affirmed the borders of their future state in lands Israel captured in 1967.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev dismissed the name change as pointless but declined comment on whether Israel would retaliate in any way. “Instead of looking for gimmicks, Palestinians should negotiate with Israel to bring about the end of the conflict,” he said.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland expressed U.S. opposition to using the term “State of Palestine.”

Egypt thwarts attempted car bombing

EL-ARISH, Egypt - The Egyptian military said Monday it foiled an attempted car bombing that was likely targeting an abandoned church or a nearby military camp under construction along the Egypt-Gaza border.

Military spokesman Col. Ahmed Mohammed Ali said in a statement that security forces learned that militants were preparing a car bomb late Sunday in a deserted part of the city of Rafah, which borders Gaza.

Three military vehicles raided the site, forcing the suspected militants to flee, some by foot and others in an unmarked pickup. They left behind a vehicle packed with explosives, bullet casings, and a rocket-propelled grenade, the spokesman said.

U.S. drone kills 8, Pakistanis say

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan - Several missiles fired from U.S. drones slammed into a compound near the Afghan border in Pakistan early today, killing eight suspected militants, Pakistani officials said.

The two intelligence officials said the compound was located near the town of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan tribal area.

One of the officials said an al-Qaida operative was believed to have been killed in the strike.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

North Waziristan, the area where the strike occurred, is considered a stronghold for insurgent groups operating in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is one of the few parts of the tribal areas that border Afghanistan in which the Pakistani military has not conducted an operation to root out militants, despite repeated pushes to do so from the U.S. government.

Today’s strike was the fourth since the new year began.

The U.S.’s covert-drone program is contentious in Pakistan, seen as an affront to the country’s sovereignty. Many Pakistanis complain that innocent civilians have been killed, something the U.S. rejects.

Islamabad officially opposes the use of U.S. drones on its territory, but is believed to have tacitly approved some strikes in the past.

Front Section, Pages 6 on 01/08/2013