MOSCOW, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Russia widened its retaliation against the United States, banning adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens and warning of tit-for-tat measures against U.S. visitors over the spiralling human rights debate.
BENGHAZI, Libya, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Security forces in Benghazi, Libya, said four people were killed in clashes when militants tried to free prisoners from a security complex.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The new civilian leadership in Mali needs to address rampant abuses or risk jeopardizing the country's political future, Human Rights Watch said.
NEW YORK, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Foreign support for violence in Syria "is tantamount to a military attack" on the country, a Syrian diplomat at the United Nations said.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused some in his government of exploiting the arrest of ministerial bodyguards for political purposes.
NEW YORK, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- U.N. peacekeepers were deployed to western South Sudan to protect civilians fleeing violent clashes, a mission spokesman said.
MOSCOW, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. pro-democracy groups might continue work on Russian issues but from other countries, an NGO official said following new restrictions.
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The incoming government in Seoul said it would work closely with the United States to ensure security prevails on the Korean Peninsula.
GENEVA, Switzerland, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The United Nations is "highly concerned" and "appalled" at the violence that lingers in eastern DRC, a human rights spokesman said Friday.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. government welcomed the 35-year prison sentence for a Rwandan minister convicted on genocide charges but fugitives remain at-large, a spokeswoman said.
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- An Egyptian government spokesman said peace should prevail but riot police in Alexandria fired tear gas at demonstrators ahead of voting for a new constitution.
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye put top priority on national security, saying North Korea's successful long-range rocket launch shows the "grave" situation between the two Koreas.
BRASILIA, Brazil, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faces investigation in a swirling corruption controversy that seems to be catching up with him after two years.
GENEVA, Switzerland, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- "Unrelenting violence in Syria" has lead to thousands of civilian deaths and destruction on a "massive scale," a commission of inquiry found.
TEL AVIV, Israel, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Israel's air force, the Jewish state's strike arm, was reported Thursday to be planning massive, pulverizing strikes against foes who bombard the country with missiles.
ARUSHA, Tanzania, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- A tribunal judge said Thursday that former Rwanda Planning Minister Augustin Ngirabatware was sentenced to 35 years in prison on genocide charges.
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- A rocket launch by North Korea is an indication of how serious the situation on the Korean Peninsula is, South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye said.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- There's a weak system of government below the central level that's inhibiting gains in Afghanistan, the U.N. special envoy to the country said.
JUBA, South Sudan, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- U.N. peacekeepers were deployed in South Sudan where a witness said police killed at least four people protesting against the government.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Washington sees a resurgence of state support for terrorist groups amid the changing political landscape of the Middle East, an official said.
BANGUI, Central African Republic, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The number of parties to recent conflicts in the Central African Republic has made humanitarian missions there "very complex," the ICRC said.
NEW YORK, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council expressed concern about the Syrian war when it made a unanimous decision to extend the mandate for a Golan Heights observer force.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department is watching foreign supporters of a rebel movement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said.
BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Human rights advocates are urging the European Union to demand that Russia relent on its internal crackdown on dissent at this week's summit in Brussels.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- If Iraq's stricken president, onetime guerrilla leader Jalal Talabani, dies or is permanently incapacitated following his stroke, the violence-torn country faces political turmoil a year and a day after U.S. military forces completed their withdrawal.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin talks to victims from the May 20 tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, May 22, 2013. The EF-5 tornado cut a path of destruction approximately 17 miles by 1.3 miles wide and left 24 people dead. UPI/J.P. Wilson
