SANAA, Yemen, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Yemeni government pledged to continue to fight terrorists in its country who are moving to destabilize the region, the Yemeni president said.

HARTSEL, Colo., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Authorities in Park County, Colo., said nearly 100 dogs were seized from an area kennel after allegedly being found starving and severely neglected.

DAMASCUS, Syria, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Security and political progress in Iraq are included in the foreign policy interests of the government in Damascus, the Syrian president told Iraqi leaders.

ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Lawmakers in Turkey announced plans to stay in Parliament by joining forces with the Peace and Democracy Party following the closure of a pro-Kurdish party.

ELDORADO, Texas, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A jury in Schleicher County, Texas, said polygamist Allan Eugene Keate will spend 33 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child.

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- California's Department of Finance says the state's population is growing at a slower rate because of an exodus of state residents.

EDMONTON, Ontario, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Canadian province of Alberta is being challenged for its removal of nuclear protest signs from private property along roads, the Edmonton Journal said.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Beirut is waiting for the effects of U.S. diplomatic efforts as disputes over the right of Hezbollah to maintain an armed resistance drags on, lawmakers said.

BOSTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Authorities said convicted killer Ralph F. DeLeo, who avoided a life prison sentence by aiding them, has been indicted in an organized crime case in Boston.

MEXICO CITY, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The death of wanted drug kingpin Arturo Beltran Leyva may prompt a war between drug traffickers along the border of Sonora, Mexico, and Arizona, experts say.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The United States and Russia are nearing agreement on a treaty that would cut the countries' nuclear arsenals, the presidents said Friday.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Two 23-year-old British nationals convicted of attempted insurance fraud in Brazil have been acquitted on a legal technicality, Brazilian officials say.

MINSK, Belarus, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The European Union Parliament said it adopted a resolution that supports maintaining sanctions against Belarus officials to prompt greater democratization.

ROTHLEY, England, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The parents of Madeleine McCann said in a holiday appeal they long for the safe return of their missing daughter to their home in England.

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- British soldiers in Northern Ireland are being warned dissidents may use women to lure them into ambushes this holiday season, a security force source said.