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LONDON — The United Nations said Friday that it had sent helicopters to rescue personnel from a base in South Sudan that came under lethal attack amid a worsening political crisis, and President Obama warned that South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, “stands at the precipice.” The number of civilians seeking refuge in the United Nations’ other outposts there exceeds 30,000, and diplomats expressed fears about the potential for a civil war. Britain, which began evacuating its citizens on Thursday, said Friday that it would send a second airplane to Juba, the capital. “We strongly advise all British nationals in...

Two Indian peacekeepers have died in an attack on a United Nations compound in South Sudan's Jonglei state, India's foreign ministry has said. Rebels from the second-largest ethnic group, the Nuer, stormed the base on Thursday, targeting civilians of the majority Dinka ethnic community. South Sudan has been in turmoil since President Salva Kiir accused his ex-deputy Riek Machar of mounting a coup. The unrest, which broke out on Sunday, has killed some 500 people so far. The conflict first erupted in the capital Juba but has since spread. Mr Kiir, who is a Dinka, has blamed the violence on...

SNIPPET - quote: www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl1955.aspx Treasury Announces New Sanctions Against Iran Actions Target Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Proliferation Activities 5/23/2013     WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury is taking action today against 20 individuals and entities for their involvement in Iran’s nuclear and missile proliferation networks and Iran’s continued attempts to circumvent sanctions. These networks are responsible for moving supplies and providing essential services to Iran’s clandestine nuclear and weapons programs. These actions are designed to increase pressure on the Iranian regime by tightening sanctions against Iran’s energy sector and exposing key proliferation related networks that span the...

China formally recognized the new state of South Sudan on Saturday, 10 days after Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir left the Chinese capital after signing agreements on 'economic and technical cooperation.' Coming on the heels of a senior Chinese diplomat's visit to the Libyan rebel capital of Benghazi on Thursday, it highlights China's peculiar relationship with unpopular and embattled leaders. China has been at the receiving end of international criticism for its relationship with Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur. It has also clashed with the United States and European powers over Libya, where...