QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I am sure we will continue the fight against terrorists harshly and consistently until their complete destruction.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his annual New Year’s message, days after two bombings in Volgograd killed dozens of people Article, this page
Strike on Syrian bus reported; 10 dead
BEIRUT - A missile struck a bus Tuesday in a rebel-held area of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, setting it on fire and killing at least 10 people, activists said.
Another missile stuck nearby in the al-Bab area of Aleppo as residents rushed to carry out the wounded from the bus, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Syrian forces have killed more than 500 people, mainly civilians, since Dec. 15 in a bombing campaign of Aleppo, mostly by dropping explosive-filled barrels over rebel neighborhoods.
The bombing campaign has been one of the most intense attacks on residential areas since the Syrian uprising began three years ago against the rule of President Bashar Assad.
Also Tuesday, Syrian state media reported that a rebel-fired mortar shell killed three people in the central city of Homs. The Observatory said one person was killed in the attack.
Interim Iran nuke pact closer to fruition
TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian and Western negotiators on Tuesday reported they were nearing an understanding on the details of implementing an interim nuclear accord reached between Tehran and world powers in November.
The nuclear accord puts strong limits on Iran’s uranium-enrichment program in return for an easing of some international sanctions on Tehran for six months while a permanent deal is negotiated. The United States and its allies believe that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at producing a nuclear weapon, a claim that Tehran denies.
Experts from Iran and the so-called 5+1 countries - the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - have held several rounds of talks in the past 30 days in Geneva to work out details on carrying out the agreement. The most recent session was Monday.
A member of the Iranian negotiating team, Hamid Baidinejad, said the sides had had “achieved a mutual understanding” and that implementation of the accord would begin in January, according to the semiofficial news agency ISNA.
A U.S. State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there has been progress in the talks and the teams have taken “a few outstanding points” back to their governments for consultation. “The two sides expect to finalize the implementation plan soon,” the official said.
Car bomber kills 2, injures 6 in Yemen
SANA, Yemen - A suicide car bombing outside security headquarters early Tuesday in a port city in southern Yemen killed two guards, a police official said.
The pre-dawn attack in the Khormaksar neighborhood in Aden also wounded six people, destroyed much of the headquarters’ building, and damaged two hotels and several nearby buildings, the official said.
Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, has been plagued by scores of troubles, including a powerful al-Qaida insurgency in the south and in much of its remote hinterland, a rebel Shiite movement in the north and a separatist drive in the south.
The Interior Ministry said two suspects were arrested after Tuesday’s bombing in Aden, but no other details were provided.
Iraqi premier tries to halt Sunni pullout
BAGHDAD - Iraq’s Shiite prime minister called on his Sunni political rivals Tuesday not to withdraw from the government and the parliament over the dismantling of a protest camp that led to deadly clashes in a western city, as he sought to contain Sunni unrest in the country.
More than 40 Sunni lawmakers submitted their resignations from the parliament, and Sunni ministers threatened to withdraw from the Cabinet over the unrest in the western province of Anbar. Seven gunmen and three police officers were killed in clashes Monday as security forces took down tents and cleared a Sunni sit-in in its provincial capital, Ramadi.
Sunnis have been staging protests since December 2012 against what they consider second-class treatment by the Shiite-led government and against tough anti-terrorism measures they say target their sect.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also said that the Iraqi army will hand over control of cities in Anbar province to the local police, a main demand from discontented Sunni politicians who see the army as a tool in the hand of al-Maliki to target his rivals and consolidate power.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 01/01/2014