Central Africa Rebels halt advance

Central African RepublicRebels Halt Advance By REUTERS Published: January 02, 2013 BANGUI (Reuters) - Rebels in Central African Republic said they had halted their advance on the capital on Wednesday and agreed to start peace talks, averting aclash with regionally backed troops in the mineral-rich nation. The Seleka rebels had pushed within striking distance of Bangui after a three-week onslaught and threatened to oust PresidentFrancois Bozize, accusing him of reneging on a previous peace deal and cracking down on dissidents. Their announcement on Wednesday only gave the leader a limited reprieve as the fighters told Reuters they might insist on his removal in the negotiations.

Syrian warplane strike kills, wounds dozens
UPDATED: Jan 2, 2013 14:22 GMT
Syrian government warplanes hammered the Damascus suburbs and other targets Wednesday and left dozens dead in an airstrike on a fuel station.
The fighting raged as President Bashar al-Assad'sgovernment works to ramp up its air attacks and rebelstarget air bases.
At least 50 people died and dozens were wounded in theDamascus suburb of Mleiha in the fuel station air raid, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said, citing initial reports.
Read more: Syria's grim toll continues into 2013
"The number of martyrs is likely to be increased due tocontinuous pulling of the bodies from under the rubble," the LCC said.
The victims were among 105people killed in the country on Wednesday, most of whom died in Damascus and its suburbs.
Aerial shelling was reported in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, in the cities of Aleppo and Deir Ezzor and other locations.
Read more: Envoy: 2013 could bring 100,000 deaths in Syria
Rebels fight for an airbase
In Idlib province, Syrian rebels, including jihadists, fought to wrest a key military air base from government forces Wednesday, the opposition said, as anti-regime fighterskept up the heat on al-Assad's forces.

Syrian warplane strike kills and injure dozens

Syrian warplane strike kills, wounds dozens Syrian government warplanes hammered the Damascus suburbs and other targets Wednesday and left dozens dead in an airstrike on a fuel station. The fighting raged as President Bashar al-Assad'sgovernment works to ramp up its air attacks and rebelstarget air bases. At least 50 people died and dozens were wounded in theDamascus suburb of Mleiha in the fuel station air raid, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said, citing initial reports. Read more: Syria's grim toll continues into 2013 "The number of martyrs is likely to be increased due tocontinuous pulling of the bodies from under the rubble," the LCC said. The victims were among 105people killed in the country on Wednesday, most of whom died in Damascus and its suburbs. Aerial shelling was reported in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, in the cities of Aleppo and Deir Ezzor and other locations. Read more: Envoy: 2013 could bring 100,000 deaths in Syria Rebels fight for an airbase In Idlib province, Syrian rebels, including jihadists, fought to wrest a key military air base from government forces Wednesday, the opposition said, as anti-regime fighterskept up the heat on al-Assad's forces.

Syrian warplane strike kills and injure dozens

Syrian warplane strike kills, wounds dozens Syrian government warplanes hammered the Damascus suburbs and other targets Wednesday and left dozens dead in an airstrike on a fuel station. The fighting raged as President Bashar al-Assad'sgovernment works to ramp up its air attacks and rebelstarget air bases. At least 50 people died and dozens were wounded in theDamascus suburb of Mleiha in the fuel station air raid, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said, citing initial reports. Read more: Syria's grim toll continues into 2013 "The number of martyrs is likely to be increased due tocontinuous pulling of the bodies from under the rubble," the LCC said. The victims were among 105people killed in the country on Wednesday, most of whom died in Damascus and its suburbs. Aerial shelling was reported in the Damascus suburb of Harasta, in the cities of Aleppo and Deir Ezzor and other locations. Read more: Envoy: 2013 could bring 100,000 deaths in Syria Rebels fight for an airbase In Idlib province, Syrian rebels, including jihadists, fought to wrest a key military air base from government forces Wednesday, the opposition said, as anti-regime fighterskept up the heat on al-Assad's forces.

Ivory Coast mourns 60 killed in a stampade

Ivory Coast mourns 60 killed in stampede Ivory Coast's presidentdeclared three days of national mourning and promised a speedy investigation into the New Year's Day stampede that killed 60 people, most of them women and children. "The president of the republic offers his saddest condolences tothe families and close relations of the victims and ensures them of his compassion in thosepainful circumstances," President Alassane Ouattara's office said ina statement issued Tuesday night. Ouattara went to the scene of the disaster and has ordered the government to take care of the injured, his office said. "He also asked an investigation to be carried out as soon as possible to determine the circumstances and causes of this stampede," the statement said. The horror unfolded about 1 a.m. after a New Year's Eve fireworks show in Abidjan, the West African country's largest city and former capital. The dead included 26 children, 28women and six men, Youth Minister Alain Lobognon reported via Twitter. Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko said the tragedy happened as hundreds of people were trying to go home after the fireworks display ended in Plateau, the city's central business district. The crush was near a stadium, Bakayoko said, adding that the proper security measures were in placeduring the fireworks show. In addition to the deaths, Bakayoko said,another 49 people wereinjured, two seriously. Many of the victims were trampled on or suffocated by the surging crowd, a seniorfire official said on national television. Rescue workers were at the scene two hours later but could not savethe victims, the official AIP news agency said. AIP had reported earlierthat all the victims wereall children, ranging in age from eight to 15. A police official in Abidjan told CNN that most of the victims were young people whowanted to join in the celebration while their elders stayed at home. The stampede occurredin an area of narrow streets, according to the official, who did not want to be named as heis not authorized to talkto the media.