NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Iraq attacks: A wave of attacks in and around Baghdad on Sunday killed at least 23 people, the latest in a series of assaults blamed on the Islamic State group. A suicide car bomb ripped through a wholesale market in the sprawling Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, killing at least seven people and wounding 15, said Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, the Interior Ministry spokesman. Islamic State claimed the attack, saying it was targeting Shiites. The Sunni extremist group views Iraq’s Shiite majority as apostates deserving of death. Elsewhere in the city, a suicide bomber killed nine shoppers at a fruit and vegetable market in a mainly Shiite neighborhood. Three additional bombings around the capital killed seven people.
2 Syria fighting: A car bomb exploded Sunday in a government-held area outside the capital of Damascus, killing at least five people and wounding 15 others, state media said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-run monitoring group, said the explosion occurred near a government checkpoint. The al Qaedalinked Fatah al-Sham Front claimed the attack, saying a gunman opened fire on the checkpoint before a suicide bomber struck. Fighting has raged in opposition-held areas near Damascus despite a Dec. 30 nationwide ceasefire.
3 Soldier dies: A U.S. soldier has died in a noncombat related incident while operating construction equipment in Jordan, military officials said Sunday. The service member was part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. military’s name for the campaign to drive Islamic State extremists out of Iraq and Syria. The soldier was not immediately identified.
4 Immolation: A South Korean Buddhist monk is in critical condition after setting himself on fire to protest the country’s settlement with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves, officials said Sunday. The 64-year-old monk suffered third-degree burns across his body late Saturday in Seoul. The 2015 agreement sought to settle a long-standing dispute over South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s World War II military. Japan pledged to fund a foundation set up to help support the victims. South Korea, in exchange, vowed to refrain from criticizing Japan over the issue.
5 Prison riots: The Brazilian government’s national secretary of youth has resigned after celebrating the deaths of inmates killed in recent prison uprisings. Youth Secretary Bruno Julio had said the problem with prison killings is that “there aren’t enough of them.” At least 31 inmates were slain Friday in the northern town of Boa Vista, some with their hearts and intestines ripped out during killings led by the country’s largest gang. The bloodshed came just days after 60 inmates were killed during rioting at two prisons in a neighboring state.
6 Queen’s health: Queen Elizabeth II attended church Sunday near her rural Sandringham estate, after missing recent services due to ill health. The 90-year-old British monarch was applauded by wellwishers as she arrived at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 110 miles north of London. It was her first public appearance in several weeks. The queen attended the service with her husband Prince Philip, 95, and other members of the royal family including grandson Prince William and his wife Kate. The queen is a regular churchgoer, but missed the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades due to what Buckingham Palace said was a heavy cold. The queen has generally been in good health, although she has cut down on travel and public appearances.