RAMALLAH , West Bank, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday said control of crossing points in the Gaza Strip should be turned over to the authority. Speaking at a ceremony in the West Bank , Abbas called on Hama …

BASRA , Iraq , March 24 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki went to Basra Monday to try to restore order in a city where instability is growing , government officials said. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said plans are under way to beef up …

OTTAWA , March 19 (UPI) -- Anger is mounting among Canadians over the detention of a Canadian woman in a Mexican prison for two years , a poll in the Toronto Star showed. Brenda Martin , 51 , worked as a chef for a man who was convicted of running a massi …

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- The home port facilities for the giant Sea-Based X-Band Radar that is a crucial component of the U.S. Ground-based Mid-course Interceptor, or GBI, system in Alaska took a major leap forward last week. The Boeing Co. said last …

WASHINGTON , Oct. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush Wednesday said he doesn't think North Korea appreciates the consequences of its actions. At a White House news conference , Bush said the United States will increase cooperation with allies in the r …

LOS ANGELES , March 30 (UPI) -- Singer Britney Spears and estranged husband Kevin Federline settled their divorce and custody case after a five-hour bargaining session in Los Angeles. "The parties signed an agreement which is a global settlement of all is …

MOSCOW, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- No one will face charges for the death of a Russian lawyer in prison , despite the urgings of a human rights panel, officials say. Sergei Magnitsky , 37 , died in November 2009 after being beaten and denied treatment for pancreatiti …

LOS ANGELES , May 25 (UPI) -- Simon Monjack, a British screenwriter who died in Los Angeles Sunday at the age of 40 , was scheduled to have bypass surgery this fall, a publicist said. Monjack was married to actress Brittany Murphy for nearly three years. …

VIENNA , July 25 (UPI) -- The Nabucco natural gas pipeline has some environmental and social impact assessment permits from potential host nations, an official said. The pipeline consortium said it appointed one of Italy's largest engineering consulting co …

LONDON , Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Between 20 percent and 25 percent of those arrested in the London riots had gang ties, the acting head of the Metropolitan Police said Tuesday. Acting Commissioner Tim Owen said the information came from an analysis of the backgro …