From Washington,this is VOA News.

South Sudan's military says it is no longer in control of a town north of the capital, where fighting spread following what the government has called an attempted coup.

Military spokesman Philip Aguer said Thursday the army was not in control in Bor, where the U.N. reported fighting broke out Wednesday at a military camp. The South Sudan Red Cross says 19 civilians have been killed in the town.

Meanwhile, the country's information ministry says that security forces are in "absolute control" of the situation in Juba. The government says 500 people have been killed there, with at least another 700 wounded since clashes began Sunday.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the president to engage with his opponents and cooperate with the U.N.

"This is a political crisis, and urgently needs to be dealt with through political dialogue. There is a risk of this violence spreading to other states, and we have already seen some signs of this.It is essential to protect the human rights of all those who are detained."

The U.S. State Department said it has evacuated three groups of American citizens from South Sudan.The U.S. has organized at least one other evacuation scheduled for Thursday.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power has arrived in Bangui, in the Central African Republic, where she is to meet with government officials and civil society leaders about the fighting that has created a large and growing humanitarian crisis.
 
UNITED NATIONS Margaret Besheer has more.

Ambassador Power and a small delegation arrived in the capital,Bangui, for a one-day unannounced visit Thursday. She told reporters in a conference call during a stop in Abuja, Nigeria, that the disarming of the groups fomenting violence in the country is critical to its stabilization.
 
“The violence has been vicious, it has been directed almost entirely at civilians, and it has been increasingly sectarian. "
 
In March, the country descended into turmoil after mostly Muslim rebels, known as Seleka, overthrew President Francois Bozize. Months of looting and killing have led to inter-communal fighting, with Bozize allies and Christian militias, known as anti-balaka, engage in tit-for-tat attacks on the Seleka.
 
Margaret Besheer VOA News UNITED NATIONS.

Retired U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman is returning to North Korea for his third visit in recent months, but says he will not raise political issues with the country's leader, Kim Jong Un.

Rodman spoke to Reuters at a Beijing hotel before leaving for North Korea on Thursday.

"I have no control over that. I mean, these things have been going on for years and years. I mean, whoever is going to be a political insider over there, from America or somewhere else in the world, [who] wants to come over there and try to get a hold of it, great. But I'm just over there to do a basketball game and have some fun,"

Rodman's visit comes at another tense moment in Pyongyang, just days after the shocking execution of Kim's uncle, mentor and second in command, who was accused of trying to overthrow the state.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov says the country's new bailout deal with Russia will allow Ukraine to revitalize its economy and avoid collapse, but pro-European Union demonstraters continue to enter the squares and streets in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.

Ukrain's President Yanukovych held talks with Moscow , which Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to reduce the price of natural gas exports to Ukraine by a third and lend it $15 billion.

A U.S. federal prosecutor in the case against an Indian diplomat facing visa fraud charges says that the diplomat was well-treated while in detention, contrary to her claims.

The diplomat arrested in the United States last week says she repeated handcuffing and cavity searches while being held on visa fraud charges in New York City, fueling a diplomatic dispute between the U.S. and her country.

U.S Secretary of State John Kerry called India's National Security Advisor to discuss the December 12th arrest, saying U.S. laws must be enforced, but also expressing regret at the events that unfolded after her detention.

India has reacted with outrage to the incident.

Tokyo's governor, who helped bring the 2020 Olympics to his city, has resigned after acknowledging he received money from a scandal-plagued hospital company.

Naoki Inose said the nearly $500,000 payment was a personal, interest-free loan and has already been returned. Critics say the payment amounted to bribery and have pressured him for weeks to resign.

Inose said in a live televised address Thursday he did not want the scandal to affect Tokyo's preparations to host the Olympic Games.

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