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WORLD NEWSFriday 8 January 2016
Syria government agrees to let aid into beleaguered villages
BASSEM MROUE of starvation at an MSF- tion are the adjacent Shiite ment of Syria to access daya.
Associated Press supported health center villages of Foua and Kfarya Madaya, Foua and Kfarya “Almost 42,000 people re-
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian in one of the three villages in the country’s north, and is preparing to deliver maining in Madaya are at
government has agreed since Dec. 1 — including which have been be- humanitarian assistance in risk of further hunger and
to allow humanitarian as- six infants under 1 years of sieged by anti-government the coming days,” said El starvation,” El Hillo warned.
sistance into three belea- age and five adults over militants for more than a Hillo. El Hillo said the U.N. is par-
guered villages following the age of 60. year. The third is the village Activists have said that ticularly concerned about
reports of deaths from mal- A statement from Yacoub of Madaya near the border several people have died the plight of nearly 400,000
nutrition in that part of the El Hillo, U.N.’s Resident and with Lebanon, which has over the past weeks in both people besieged by par-
country, a U.N. official said Humanitarian Coordinator been under siege by gov- areas because of malnu- ties to the conflict in areas
Thursday. in Syria, said aid will begin ernment forces since early trition. There are currently including the eastern city
Meanwhile, the aid group entering the villages in the July. some 30,000 people in the of Deir el-Zour as well as the
Doctors Without Borders coming days. “The UN welcomes today’s two Shiite villages and an Damascus suburbs known
said 23 patients have died Two of the villages in ques- approval from the govern- even higher number in Ma- as eastern Ghoua.q
Iran says Saudi strike hits embassy in Yemen; no damage seen
Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, hold posters of late Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed in While armored personnel dom’s state news agency,
Saudi Arabia, during an anti-Saudi protest outside the Saudi embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, carriers rumbled through dismissing the allegation as
Jan. 7, 2016. the area and smoke from false.
burning tires rose into the Iran’s deputy foreign min-
(AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) air, the service for the cleric ister, Hossein Amir Abdol-
who advocated for Shi- lahian, was later Thursday
NASSER KARIMI damage was visible on the land, a memorial service ite rights in the Sunni-ruled quoted by the official IRNA
AHMED AL-HAJ building from the outside, was held honoring Sheikh kingdom passed without news agency as saying
Associated Press the allegation highlighted Nimr al-Nimr, whose execu- violence. But anger could that a Saudi “rocket hit
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on how the two countries’ tion Saturday by the king- be felt in the hall, as videos near our embassy and one
Thursday accused a Saudi- standoff could endanger dom sparked regional pro- showed mourners shouting: of the embassy guards was
led coalition of hitting its the greater Middle East. tests culminating in attacks “Death to the Al Saud,” a seriously injured.” He said
embassy in Yemen in an air- Hours later, in Saudi Ara- on Saudi diplomatic posts reference to the royal fam- further details would come
strike and even though no bia’s eastern Shiite heart- in Iran. ily. in a note to the United Na-
The airstrike claim by Iran tions. Earlier, IRNA had said
came on Thursday after- that shrapnel hit a wall of
noon, when its state-run the embassy and injured
news agency said a Saudi- several staff there.
led airstrike the previous Meanwhile, the Saudi dep-
night had hit the Iranian uty crown prince, widely
embassy in Sanaa, citing thought to wield consider-
Iran’s Foreign Ministry. How- able power in the monar-
ever, an Associated Press chy, said he didn’t believe
reporter who reached war would break out with
the site just after the an- Iran. “It is something that we
nouncement saw no dam- do not foresee at all, and
age to the building, which whoever is pushing towards
sits in a neighborhood near that is somebody who is not
a presidential palace that’s in their right mind,” Deputy
seen many previous strikes. Crown Prince Mohammed
Iran vowed to file a report bin Salman, the Saudi de-
about their claim to the fense minister and 30-year-
United Nations, while the old son of King Salman, told
Saudi military issued a state- The Economist magazine.
ment through the king- q
Libya truck bombing kills at least 60 policemen, wounds 200
ESSAM MOHAMED in the city of Sirte along cue crews at the scene condition of anonymity be- rying out acts of violence in
Associated Press the North African country’s had only managed to ex- cause he was not autho- Libya. Smugglers operating
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A coast. The U.N. special en- tract 60 bodies out of the rized to speak to the media. in Libya are notorious for re-
massive truck bomb ex- voy to Libya, Martin Kobler, wreckage, said a hospital In Washington, White sponding with violence to
ploded near a police base denounced the attack and spokesman, Moamar Kad- House spokesman Josh Ear- any attempt to disrupt their
in the western Libyan town urged Libyans to “put their di. Libyan officials said they nest said Thursday that the lucrative operations, but
of Zliten on Thursday, killing differences aside and unite believed there might be U.S. has not yet determined there have been no report-
at least 60 policemen and to confront the scourge of dozens more dead. who is responsible for car- ed incidents in which they
wounding around 200 oth- terrorism.” The bombing The police base, where rying out a “cowardly act used car bombs, suggest-
ers, officials said. was yet another reminder about 400 recruits were of terrorism” and extended ing that Islamic militant are
No group immediately for Libyans that “urgent training, was used by Lib- condolences to the victims more likely to have been
claimed responsibility for progress is required” to- ya’s border police, a Zliten and the families of those behind Thursday’s attack.
the attack but a local Islam- ward empowering a unity security official said. Border who were killed, and to the Also, it was not immediate-
ic State affiliate has been government and rebuilding police foiled numerous hu- Libyan people. Earnest said ly clear whether the attack
trying to gain a foothold in state bodies, Kobler said in man smuggling attempts the U.S. remains “deeply was a suicide bombing, a
Zliten, spreading westward a statement. off the coast of Zliten last concerned” about Islamic hallmark method of Islamic
from its central stronghold Hours after the blast, res- year. The official spoke on State-inspired militants car- militants. q
