EVENTS

CLEANUP RESUMES IN NORTHERN RUSSIA Cleanup work resumed yesterday at the site of a huge oil spill in northern Russia. Heavy storms had prevented workers from bringing cleanup equipment to the damaged areas of pipeline over the weekend, said Anatoly Streltsov, spokesman for the Ministry for Emergency Situations. Most of the area's rivers have already iced over, further hindering cleanup in the remote region near the city of Usinsk, 1,000 miles north of Moscow. The spill is the result of a series of leaks in the 31-mile pipeline over the past few months. Meanwhile, the environmental group Greenpeace announced yet another pipeline leak, which it claims has released at least another 3.8 million gallons of oil. Iran bombs bases in Iraq

Iranian warplanes bombed rebel bases inside Iraq yesterday, a rare aerial attack that could rekindle tension between the two neighbors and former Gulf war foes. Tehran's official Islamic Republic News Agency said the attack was in response to recent ``terrorist measures'' in western Iran by agents of the Iraq-based Mujahedeen Khalq opposition group.

Christopher reassures Seoul

US Secretary of State Warren Christopher reassured South Korea yesterday that Washington still supports the North Korean nuclear accord, even though President Clinton's party has lost control of Congress. ``Whatever the outcome of the midterm elections, there is a strong continuity in American foreign policy,'' Mr. Christopher said in a speech. ``Our policy toward Asia and particularly toward Korea has strong bipartisan support.''

Ramos rejects US bases

President Fidel Ramos yesterday rejected suggestions that the Philippines again allow the United States to set up military bases in his country. He said such an idea was premature and he did not expect the issue to come up in his talks with President Clinton, who is to visit Manila Saturday and Sunday. The United States shut down Subic naval base and pulled out the last of its military forces from the country in 1992 after Manila rejected a new bases treaty.

Another Chunnel glitch

Hundreds of passengers, including members of Britain's Parliament, were left waiting on the platform for a Channel Tunnel train yesterday, the latest in a series of glitches to hit the state-of-the-art service. A spokesman for European Passenger Services, the British arm of a three-nation consortium running Eurostar trains under the Channel, said the train developed motor problems on its way from the depot to gleaming new terminal at Waterloo station.