QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We will not go anywhere from here.This is an island of freedom, and we will defend it.”

Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko, who urged protesters to defend their camp in central Kiev after thousands of riot police moved against it Article, this page

Iran draws line as nuclear talks begin

VIENNA - Iran drew a red line Tuesday on how far it would go at landmark nuclear talks, saying as the meeting opened that it would not buckle to pressure from the U.S. and five other world powers to scrap any of its nuclear facilities.

The statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested tough talks ahead, constituting a rejection of a central demand by the six countries.

Lack of agreement would leave Iran struggling under the weight of harsh economic sanctions and a threat of military strikes by Israel, which sees Iran’s nuclear program as an unacceptable security threat primarily designed to develop weapons.

The United States has promised to protect Israel but said more time is needed for diplomacy and sanctions to try to reduce the threat from Iran. Iran insists it is not interested in producing nuclear weapons, but the six powers want Tehran to back its words with concessions.

The talks are designed to build on a first-step deal that came into effect last month and commits Iran to initial curbs on its nuclear program in return for some easing of economic sanctions.

10 slain in S. Sudan city; rebels advance

JUBA, South Sudan - Rebel forces took control of parts of the capital of South Sudan’s oil-producing Upper Nile state, a military official said Tuesday, and the United Nations said at least 10 people died in the latest outbreak of violence in the world’s newest country.

Fighting broke out early Tuesday in Malakal, which once was in rebel hands but is now mostly controlled by government troops, said South Sudanese military spokesman Col.

Philip Aguer.

Aguer said the rebels now control parts of eastern Malakal and suggested they had received reinforcements from outside the country. The same allegation was made by presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny, who said the rebels have the backing of “certain international actors.”

Neither official identified who they believe is giving support to rebel forces.

The international community -including the U.S. and the U.N.- has repeatedly urged both sides to respect a cease-fire and to start serious talks aimed at finding a political solution.

At least 10 people died at a U.N. hospital in Malakal from injuries sustained during “inter-communal violence” within the U.N. compound as well as clashes outside it, said the U.N. mission in South Sudan in a statement Tuesday.

In Tunisia, Kerry backs democracy effort

TUNIS, Tunisia - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made a surprise visit to Tunisia on Tuesday in a gesture of support for its struggle to establish a democratic system.

“We thought it was important to come to this country, which is struggling with this transition, in order to lend our support,” Kerry said after meeting with Tunisia’s caretaker prime minister, Mehdi Jomaa, and its president, Moncef Marzouki.

Tunisia’s longtime ruler, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was ousted in a popular uprising in 2011, and Tunisia was the first nation to elect a government as a result of the Arab Spring.

Kerry’s visit was the first since militants stormed the U.S.

Embassy there in September 2012, for which U.S. officials have blamed Ansar al-Sharia, a terrorist organization.

Kerry indicated that Tunisian officials had presented him with a list of equipment they are seeking for the nation’s security forces. He said the U.S. would evaluate the request.

Assad forces retake central Syrian town

BEIRUT - Government troops regained full control of a village in central Syria after ousting rebels accused of killing dozens of people there, state media said Tuesday as activists reported that an explosion in a southern town killed at least 18 people.

The SANA state news agency said government troops seized control of the village of Maan in Hama province Monday after destroying the last “hideouts of terrorists, who came into the village and committed a massacre.” The government refers to rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad as terrorists.

Syria’s nearly 3-year-old conflict has grown increasingly sectarian, pitting a rebellion dominated by the country’s Sunni Muslim majority against Assad’s government and its security forces, which are stacked with members of the leader’s Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Meanwhile, a blast in the town of Muzayrib in Daraa province killed at least 18 people, including four children, the Britain-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights activist group said. Observatory Director Rami Abdurrahman said it was unclear whether the explosion was a car bomb or an airstrike.

Front Section, Pages 5 on 02/19/2014