Here's a report of more deadly violence in Syria from our news desk:
Syria's Homs Rocked By Car-Bomb Blast
A bomb blast in the western Syrian city of Homs has left at least 16 people dead and more than 50 injured.
Reports said the car bomb exploded on December 12 near a hospital in the mainly Alawite neighborhood of Al-Zahraa in the eastern part of the city.
The initial blast was followed by a second explosion from a gas canister inside the vehicle, which injured people trying to help victims of the first explosion.
Homs Governor Talal Barazzi said most of the dead were women and children.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an army colonel, a policeman, and woman were among those killed.
The explosion comes shortly after the government secured its control over Homs following a truce deal with insurgents fighting against President Bashar al-Assad in the district of Al-Waer.
Under that UN-brokered deal, some 750 rebel fighters and civilians were allowed to leave Al-Waer and the government agreed to allow aid in.
The deal came after the area had endured a siege by government forces for nearly two years.
Some 250,000 people have been killed since the conflict in Syria erupted into violence in 2011.
(AP, dpa, Reuters, AFP)
From our news desk:
Suicide Bomber Strikes Checkpoint Near Iraqi-Saudi Border
Several Iraqi soldiers were killed and injured when a suicide bomber in a car struck a checkpoint near the town of Al-Nukhayb near the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border.
According to various media reports, either five or six soldiers were killed, including the commander of the local military base. At least 10 others were reported injured.
The bomber, who was wearing an Iraqi Army uniform, was also killed.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Islamic State terrorist organization has carried out similar attacks in the area.
(AP, AFP)