Special Reports - UPI.com

Cartoonist draws wrath of Thai prime minister

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:03:00 -0400

BANGKOK, May 22 (UPI) -- Police want to question a political cartoonist in a defamation case brought by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra over comments he reportedly made about her on Facebook.

Tunisia teeters as it grapples with jihadists

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:19:12 -0400

TUNIS, Tunisia, May 21 (UPI) -- Tunisia is getting tough with hard-line Islamists as it finds itself struggling with the fallout of its groundbreaking pro-democracy uprising.

Mali conference declared a success

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:04:52 -0400

BRUSSELS, May 21 (UPI) -- Last week's donor conference for Malian reconstruction exceeded expectations set by leading delegates, Malian and European leaders said Tuesday.

U.S. shrugs off North Korean missile tests

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:01:46 -0400

WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- Recent missile launches by North Korea haven't led to additional security concerns on the Korean Peninsula, a U.S. government spokesman said.

Myanmar extends state of emergency

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:53:16 -0400

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar, May 21 (UPI) -- Lawmakers in Myanmar voted Tuesday to extend a state of emergency over parts of the country gripped by fighting between Muslims and Buddhists.

Hezbollah inciting violence, U.S. says

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:49:30 -0400

WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. government rejects Hezbollah's role in the Syrian conflict and affirms its support for Lebanon's policy of disassociation, a government spokesman said.

M23 clashes erupt in eastern DRC

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:46:25 -0400

UNITED NATIONS, May 21 (UPI) -- Renewed fighting between DRC forces and the rebel March 23 Movement is cause for serious concern, a U.N. spokesman said.

Nigeria relaxes state of emergency

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:36:26 -0400

ABUJA, Nigeria, May 21 (UPI) -- Nigerian authorities said they've relaxed a curfew in northern states as military forces gain ground against Islamic militant group Boko Haram.

Focus on politics problems would help Ivory Coast recovery

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:13:32 -0400

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 21 (UPI) -- Long-term recovery in Ivory Coast would be supported by focusing on the country's political problems, Human Rights Watch said.

Uganda news editor cries foul over raid

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:52:37 -0400

KAMPALA, Uganda, May 21 (UPI) -- A police raid on a daily newspaper in Uganda is evidence of government-backed media harassment, the newspaper's managing editor said.

Russia pressured over NGO law

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:23:18 -0400

MOSCOW, May 21 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch called on a European leader to pressure Russia to end its policy of targeting non-governmental organizations.

Iran's candidate list expected Wednesday

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:02:47 -0400

TEHRAN, May 21 (UPI) -- The final list of candidates allowed to compete in the June 14 Iranian presidential elections is to be released Wednesday, an interior minister said.

India and China boost border peace efforts

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:03:00 -0400

NEW DELHI, May 21 (UPI) -- China's Premier Li Keqiang and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to step up discussions to end their long-running Himalayan region border disputes.

France deports Moroccan accused of calling for 'acts of murder'

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:02:00 -0400

PARIS, May 21 (UPI) -- France is continuing a crackdown on suspected Islamic radicals with the expulsion of a 24-year-old Moroccan man who allegedly called for "acts of murder."

Hezbollah's heading for sectarian showdown

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:46:30 -0400

BEIRUT, Lebanon, May 20 (UPI) -- Hezbollah has taken heavy losses while backing regime forces in Syria, heightening concerns the Shiite movement's heading for a showdown with Sunni jihadists.

Rwanda fends off DRC accusations

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:24:41 -0400

KIGALE, Rwanda, May 20 (UPI) -- Rwandan President Paul Kagame said accusations that his government was backing militancy in neighboring DRC were off the mark.

Nigerian leaders critical of Boko Haram treatment in north

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:11:39 -0400

ABUJA, Nigeria, May 20 (UPI) -- Nigerian militant group Boko Haram is getting some level of protection from lawmakers in northern states, their critics contend.

Ugandan police shut down media

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:33:24 -0400

KAMPALA, Uganda, May 20 (UPI) -- Ugandan police shut down public radio stations and stormed the offices of a major newspaper Monday in response to a political scandal, editors said.

Tunisian protests turn deadly

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:13:51 -0400

TUNIS, Tunisia, May 20 (UPI) -- Tunisian authorities said at least 11 policemen were injured and one protester died during clashes with supporters of Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia.

As many as 40 names to be on Iranian ballot

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:51:50 -0400

TEHRAN, May 20 (UPI) -- There may be as many as 40 candidates on the ballot when Iranians vote June 14 to select their next president, a Guardian Council spokesman said.

U.N.'s Ban frustrated with North Korea

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:25:58 -0400

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (UPI) -- There's a risk that the short-range missile tests by North Korea will escalate tensions in the region, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

Veteran envoy to head Malian mission

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:07:21 -0400

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (UPI) -- Veteran U.N. envoy Bert Koenders will be tasked with helping Mali ensure political stability and regain territorial integrity, the U.N. secretary-general said.

Don't reward Myanmar, rights group says

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:03:07 -0400

WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. government has an obligation to put pressure on Myanmar President Thein Sein to address national security, Human Rights Watch said.

Reporters' safety group issues Somalia warning

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:55:04 -0400

LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- Journalists and aid workers are among those considered most at risk of crime and kidnapping in Somalia, a reporters' safety monitoring group said.

Hot summer spells trouble for Syrian refugees

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:09:49 -0400

LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- The onset of a hot summer may spell trouble for the estimated 1.5 million Syrians living as refugees, international agency Oxfam warned Monday.