United Nations

Stories 561 - 580 | << Prev   Next >>

Empire State Lighting Thrills Iranian Activists

Tower green during Ahmadinejad visit—for The Wizard of Oz

(Newser) - With Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York to speak at the annual opening of the UN general assembly, opponents of the Iranian regime petitioned to have the Empire State Building bathed in protesters' trademark green. The building's managers said no, but the activists got a lucky break, reports the Wall Street ...

Obama Set to Bankrupt US, Appease Foes

Wrongheaded policies to be on display at UN, G20 meetings

(Newser) - President Obama's agenda can be summed up as "beggar thy neighbor, bankrupt thy country, and appease thy foe," as can be seen in his plans for summit meetings this week, Bret Stephens writes in the Wall Street Journal. The president chairs a UN Security Council meeting on...

Zelaya Returns to Honduras
 Zelaya Returns to Honduras 

Zelaya Returns to Honduras

Ousted leader announces return on TV, but interim government denies it

(Newser) - Manuel Zelaya is back in Honduras, the ousted president told a Honduran TV station today, prompting thousands of his supporters to gather outside the UN building in the capital to celebrate. “I am here for the restoration of democracy, to call for dialogue,” Zelaya declared. The US State...

Obama to Pentagon: Scale Back Nuke Arsenal

President rejects Defense review, plans international deal

(Newser) - Barack Obama rejected the first draft of a Pentagon report on the US nuclear arsenal and is demanding a radical review ahead of deep cuts, according to the Guardian. The president, whose stated goal is the complete abolition of nuclear weapons, wants to see a range of options: cutting the...

Gisele Named UN Goodwill Ambassador

Bundchen more than just a supermodel, has long campaigned for environmental issues

(Newser) - Gisele Bundchen will have more than a baby with hubby Tom Brady to keep her busy—yesterday she was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, the Boston Herald reports. “Mother Earth is our fundamental life-support system, and by becoming aware and responsible now, we can...

4 UN Debuts to Watch
 4 UN Debuts to Watch 

4 UN Debuts to Watch

Leaders of China, Libya, Japan, US make first General Assembly speeches

(Newser) - This week the world's heads of government gather in New York for the annual UN General Assembly, and attention will be focused on four leaders—two new to office, two long in power—making their debuts at the green marble lectern. NPR outlines who to watch:
  • Hu Jintao: He'll be
...

Obama at the UN: Eloquence Is Not Enough
Obama at the UN: 
Eloquence Is Not Enough
ANALYSIS

Obama at the UN: Eloquence Is Not Enough

The president may face tough questions on N. Korea, Iran, and climate change

(Newser) - President Obama will get a respite from America’s rancorous political scene when he appears at the United Nations next week, but he may find international squabbles just as heated, Economist writes. An enthusiastic multilateralist, Obama is loved by leaders around the world. But topics like North Korea, Iran, and...

Iconic Vietnam War Survivor a Symbol of Hope

Kim Phuc now gives hope to burn victims

(Newser) - When Kim Phuc was only 9, she unintentionally played a part in ending the Vietnam War. Nick Ut of the AP photographed Phuc running naked from a napalm attack in which she was horribly burned. She wasn't expected to survive, but survive she did, with the help of Ut, who...

Iran Nuclear Talks Stall; Sanctions Loom

Stalemate seen as Ahmadinejad refuses more negotiations

(Newser) - Iran looks set to face another round of international sanctions as nuclear talks have reached an impasse and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad refuses to discuss a compromise, reports the Guardian. Mohamed ElBaradei, who heads the UN nuclear watchdog, said today Iran has not suspended enrichment activities and continues to be uncooperative with...

Gadhafi to Urge UN to Abolish Switzerland

Libyan leader seeks revenge for son's arrest, wants nation busted up

(Newser) - Moammar Gadhafi plans to urge the United Nations to wipe Switzerland off the map when he visits New York later this month, the New York Daily News reports. The Libyan leader—as part of a vendetta against the Alpine nation that began when his son Hannibal was busted for beating...

North Korea Pokes World Again on Nukes

Pyongyang reports progress on uranium for weapons program

(Newser) - North Korea’s official news agencies say the country “is in the concluding stage” of uranium enrichment key to a nuclear-weapons program, the BBC reports—the latest instance of the outlaw regime thumbing its nose at a disapproving international community. “Reprocessing of spent fuel rods is at its...

Obama to Moderate Abbas-Netanyahu Meeting: Peres

Israeli prez says settlement issue isn't settled, yet

(Newser) - President Obama will play moderator to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting at the UN before the end of next month, Israeli President Shimon Peres tells Fox News. “I think they will meet by the end of September,” he says. "...

Not So Fast, UN: Darfur War Isn't Over
 Not So Fast, UN: 
 Darfur War Isn't Over 
analysis

Not So Fast, UN: Darfur War Isn't Over

(Newser) - A top UN official has declared that the "real war" in Darfur is over, but that might come as a surprise to the 3 million or so refugees still living in fear of militia attacks, writes Andrew Meldrum for Global Post. He talks to relief officials who find the...

UN Calls Aussie Aboriginal Policies Racist

(Newser) - Australia’s interventions in remote Aboriginal communities “overtly discriminate” against them, and prove that entrenched racism remains in Australia, a UN official said today. In 2007, Australia sent police and troops to aboriginal lands, and instituted special bans on alcohol and pornography. These measures "infringe their right of...

Gadhafi's Planned Visit to Jersey Sparks Fury

(Newser) - Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi plans to visit New Jersey, perhaps unfortunately soon after he gave a hero's welcome to the freed Lockerbie bomber, reports the Washington Post, and Garden State residents aren't exactly rolling out the red carpet. Gadhafi plans to pitch his huge Bedouin tent in Englewood during his...

US Near Deal to Restart Mideast Talks

West will get tough on Iran; Israel will freeze settlements

(Newser) - In exchange for a tougher US and European line on a nuclear Iran, Israel is prepared to freeze the majority of settlement construction in Palestinian territory, paving the way for renewed Mideast peace talks, the Guardian reports. The groundwork—George Mitchell and Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to hammer out the...

Under Pressure, Afghans Pledge Results Within Day

(Newser) - With the leading opposition candidate further hinting at election fraud, and international observers not exactly disagreeing, officials in Afghanistan say they’ll release preliminary results tomorrow from last week’s voting. But even that could raise tensions, the Los Angeles Times reports, as Abdullah Abdullah claims there’s no way...

'Indelible' Ink Washes Off, Afghan Candidates Charge

(Newser) - The supposedly indelible ink used to mark voters' fingers in today's Afghanistan election rubs off easily with household detergent, raising fears of widespread ballot fraud. Campaigners for Abdullah Abdullah, the main opposition candidate, found they could remove the ink with minimal effort, and a Guardian journalist scrubbed his finger clean...

Female UN Worker in Sudan Wears Pants, Faces Flogging

(Newser) - A local woman working for the United Nations in Sudan has been charged with wearing “clothing causing harassment to the public sentiments” and could be flogged 40 times tomorrow for the crime, the Washington Post reports. Lubna Ahmed Hussein and 12 other women were rounded up earlier this month...

Ex Liberian Prez Defends Skull Displays

(Newser) - Former Liberian President Charles Taylor defended displaying human skulls along roadways in his country to scare people into obeying soldiers' orders, reports the Times of London. “Skulls were used as symbols of death,” he told the judges at his trial at the Hague. “Enemy soldiers had been...

Stories 561 - 580 | << Prev   Next >>