LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The welfare of children is simply too important to be linked to other issues in our bilateral relationship.”

Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, on a proposed ban on the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens Article, 2A

Afghan search on for NATO soldier

KABUL - A search is under way in southern Afghanistan for a soldier from the NATO-led coalition, believed to be the first to have disappeared since a U.S.

Army sergeant was captured by the Taliban more than three years ago, a military spokesman said Friday.

U.S. Army Maj. Martyn Crighton said the soldier was among the 1,560 troops from the former Soviet republic of Georgia serving in the country.

The last known coalition soldier to go missing was U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, 26, who was taken prisoner on June 30, 2009, in Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan.

Bergdahl, who turned 26 in captivity on March 28, was the subject of a proposed prisoner swap by the Obama administration for five Taliban prisoners long held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar. That plan collapsed.

N. Korea detains, charges American

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Friday that it had detained a U.S.

citizen on charges of committing “hostile acts against the republic,” a crime punishable by years in prison in the isolated country.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said the American, Bae Junho, had entered the country on Nov. 3 through a port city near the Russian border. Human-rights activists in Seoul said they believed Bae to be Kenneth Bae, 44, who they said earlier this month had been detained in the North.

The North Korean report said, without elaborating, that an investigation had established Bae’s guilt and that he had confessed. It said he had been allowed to meet with officials from the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, which intervenes on Washington’s behalf on issues involving U.S. citizens in North Korea. The U.S. has no diplomatic relations with North Korea.

U.N. helicopter shot down; 4 die

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations said South Sudan’s armed forces shot down a U.N. helicopter Friday killing all four Russian crew members on board - but South Sudan’s military spokesman blamed rebel fighters.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stood by the U.N.’s account in a statement, strongly condemning the shooting down “of a clearly marked U.N. helicopter by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army” and calling on South Sudan’s government to conduct an immediate investigation and prosecute those responsible.

Ban sent condolences to the families of the four crew members, whose names were not released, and to the Russian government.

Front Section, Pages 7 on 12/22/2012