Officials in South Sudan say a tension-filled showdown in the middle of a market town between rebels and South Sudan's military led to the deaths of four civilians.

A security official says gunmen attacked a gas pipeline in northern Algeria and killed two guards but were driven off.

Egypt's president has declared a 30-day state of emergency and curfew in the three Suez Canal provinces hit hardest by a wave of political violence that has left more than 50 dead in three days.

The crisis mood is gone, but that doesn't mean you can slip back into your old ways. That was the message from the head of the International Monetary Fund and other top international financial officials as they wrapped at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today.

More French and African troops and equipment are being sent to an Islamist stronghold in northern Mali in an effort to drive the al-Qaida-linked extremists from power.

An aide to Iran's supreme leader is warning that any attack on Syria would be deemed an attack on Iran, a sign that Tehran will do all it can to protect embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Egyptian troops have been deployed to quell rioting that's killed at least 27 people in the Mediterranean city of Port Said today.

Venezuelan media are reporting that dozens have been killed in a bloody prison riot, and the government says it is investigating.

Venezuela's government says a specialized ship will help scan the seafloor for a plane that disappeared carrying the CEO of Italian fashion house Missoni.

WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange says he has obtained the script for "The Fifth Estate," a DreamWorks film about the Australian maverick and his world famous secret-busting site.

Brazil is mixing tradition with the newest technology to connect visitors to tourist information by embedding bar codes into the black and white stone mosaic sidewalks that are a symbol of Rio de Janeiro.

Thousands of children were murdered by the Nazis because they fell short of the Aryan ideal. On Friday, a hushed audience gathered in Austria's Parliament to watch the world premiere of an opera depicting how the Nazis methodically killed mentally or physically deficient children at a Vienna hospital during World War II.

SEVARE, Mali (AP) - A local official says that Islamic extremists based in the Malian town of Ansongo have destroyed a bridge near the Niger border, marking the first use of explosives by the insurgents since the start of the French-led military intervention exactly two weeks ago.

MOSCOW (AP) - Officials say that a 63-year old municipal legislator campaigning for protection of a forest just outside Moscow is in intensive care after being stabbed several times by an unidentified assailant.

ROME (AP) - A moderately-strong earthquake has rattled much of north-central Italy, including Milan skyscrapers, but authorities say first reports indicate there are no injuries or major damage.

OSLO, Norway (AP) - Norwegian energy company Statoil ASA said Friday that two Norwegian employees missing after a terror attack on a gas plant in Algeria have been confirmed dead.

LONDON (AP) - A British court has rejected a compensation claim by a man wrongly convicted of murdering a prominent television personality.

AMHERST, N.H. (AP) - A photo marked "not to be published" that shows a teenage Diana Spencer before she became Princess of Wales has been sold by a New Hampshire auction house for more than $18,000.

U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson's flagship Macau casino is suing two mainland Chinese high-rollers over gambling debts worth millions.

Kia Motors Corp. says its fourth-quarter operating profit was halved as the won's rise erased overseas earnings and production was disrupted by a strike.

A scandal involving Chinese city officials having sex with women hired by developers who secretly videotaped the trysts to extort construction deals has expanded with state media saying 10 more officials were fired.

For a second day, searchers have been unable to reach a plane believed to have crashed in an Antarctic mountain range while carrying three Canadians.

Investor and philanthropist George Soros says the "euro is here to stay" but warns that complacency about the future of the 17-country currency is misplaced because its fundamental problems have not been fixed.

Hurricanes, floods, droughts and a newly climate-conscious Barack Obama are helping boost efforts around the world to fight climate change.

A prominent genetics expert from Harvard Medical School says he is not looking for a woman to bear a Neanderthal baby. Not even an adventurous one.