BREAKING NEWS

Rebels clash in north Syria

BEIRUT - An al-Qaida affiliate in Syria battled rival rebels across the country's north on Saturday and dozens of bodies piled up in a hospital in an insurgent-held city, a monitoring group said.
A week of infighting between the al Qaeda-linked group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and other groups including another al Qaeda-affiliated faction has killed hundreds of fighters opposed to President Bashar Assad.
Peace talks are planned in Geneva on Jan. 22 between Assad's government and political opponents who demand he step down after almost three years of bloodshed.
But Assad faces little pressure to make concessions after consolidating his grip on Damascus and the centre of Syria in recent fighting, and the main opposition National Coalition has yet to formally decide whether to attend the talks at all.