United Nations

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US Blocks UN From Prison Inspections in Iraq

Official is 'astonished'

(Newser) - The US has denied a top UN official access to American prisons in Iraq, drawing condemnation from the torture expert, reports AFP. "I'm astonished that the US government is not willing to grant me access," said the official. Iraqi and British forces have permitted access to their prisons....

UN Cranks Up Iran Sanctions
UN Cranks Up Iran Sanctions
Mar 3, 2008 6:19 PM CST

UN Cranks Up Iran Sanctions

Security Council continues to press Tehran on nuclear concerns

(Newser) - The UN hit Iran with a third round of sanctions today for refusing to halt its nuclear enrichment program, Reuters reports. The 14-0 security council vote approved more travel and financial limits and boosted trade restrictions, but was curbed by a US report that Tehran had scuttled its nuclear weapon...

Darfur Sees New Cycle of Bloodshed, Refugees

Recent upset in Chad has Sudanese military, janjaweed militias on warpath

(Newser) - Darfur may be on a road back to the pitched fighting between rebels, militias and the Sudanese army that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions 5 years ago, prompting the US to call it genocide, the New York Times reports. The Sudanese government recently stepped up operations in the...

Cuba Signs Human Rights Pacts at UN
Cuba Signs Human Rights Pacts at UN
Feb 29, 2008 8:22 AM CST

Cuba Signs Human Rights Pacts at UN

But critics say the nation's dissidents must be released

(Newser) - Cuba yesterday signed a pair of legally binding human rights agreements, promising, among other things, to allow its citizens free speech, free association, and the right to travel, the BBC reports. Coming mere days after Raul Castro became president, the gesture could signal a shift in Cuba’s policy, though...

UN May Cut Aid During Hunger Crisis
UN May Cut
Aid During Hunger Crisis
Feb 25, 2008 6:54 PM CST

UN May Cut Aid During Hunger Crisis

Rising food costs force agency to rethink relief plan

(Newser) - A UN hunger relief agency is in crisis talks today over concerns that it has to slash worldwide aid, the Financial Times reports. Officials at the World Food Programme said today that rising food prices are forcing up their budget by millions of dollars per week. “Our ability to...

Serb Protests Rock Kosovo
Serb Protests Rock Kosovo
Feb 23, 2008 7:29 AM CST

Serb Protests Rock Kosovo

Independence stokes tensions between Russia and West

(Newser) - Mobs of Serb nationalists chanting "Kosovo is ours!" threw stones, bottles, and firecrackers at UN police yesterday as a bridge in northern Kosovo separating Serbs from ethnic Albanians became a flashpoint for conflict over the fledgling independent state. The State Dept. meanwhile ordered non-essential diplomats and all dependents...

Dozens Dead in Turkish Ground Raid
Dozens Dead in Turkish Ground Raid
Feb 23, 2008 6:39 AM CST

Dozens Dead in Turkish Ground Raid

Troops continue to pursue Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq mountains

(Newser) - Turkish forces pursued Kurdish militants in northern Iraq for a third day today, with the Turkish military reporting least 24 militants and five Turkish soldiers killed since they sent troops across the border to attack separatist strongholds Thursday night. At least 20 other Kurds died in the air assault that...

Iran Nukes Raise 'Serious Concern' for UN

Watchdog group says Tehran has failed to explain its programs

(Newser) - The UN’s nuclear overseers warned today that Iran hadn’t explained various intelligence reports suggesting it was making atomic weapons and called the matter a “serious concern.” Tehran dismissed the intelligence data as "fabricated" and provided unacceptable answers, the UN report says. The developments could lead...

Seabed Rights Add Up to Long Division

UN team weighs international claims on underwater territory

(Newser) - The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf has a big job. As some 60 countries rush to claim the ocean seabed—and the oil reserves beneath—the 21-person team of part-time scientists must settle disputes, relying on geology and the sometimes arcane Law of the Sea. “...

Violence Erupts in Split Kosovo
Violence Erupts in Split Kosovo
Feb 19, 2008 10:25 AM CST

Violence Erupts in Split Kosovo

New country 'inches away from partition'

(Newser) - Hundreds of Serbs torched government and UN buildings in Kosovo today in the worst violence since the country declared independence on Sunday, raising fears of an ethnic split, Reuters reports. Seemingly well-organized gangs rampaged near the border, driving off peacekeepers who tried to intervene. No injuries were reported. “We...

Serbia Calls Home US Envoy
Serbia Calls Home US Envoy
Feb 18, 2008 8:26 PM CST

Serbia Calls Home US Envoy

PM vows to pull diplomats from all nations that support Kosovo independence

(Newser) - Serbia called home its US ambassador today to protest America's recognition of Kosovo's independence, the BBC reports. Serbian PM Vojislav Kostunica called the move Serbia's "first urgent measure," and warned that envoys in other countries that recognize Kosovar autonomy will soon be withdrawn.

Kosovo Independence Splits EU
Kosovo Independence Splits EU
Feb 18, 2008 6:11 AM CST

Kosovo Independence Splits EU

Some fear feisty new nation could inspire separatists elsewhere

(Newser) - A meeting of EU officials today to discuss Kosovo is likely to reveal deep-seated divisions within the European Union. While Britain, France and Germany are expected to recognize the newly independent Kosovo immediately, other states like Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Spain worry about the message such recognition will send to...

Gore to Investors: Ditch Guzzlers
Gore to Investors: Ditch Guzzlers
Feb 15, 2008 7:36 AM CST

Gore to Investors: Ditch Guzzlers

Costs risk market crash, he warns

(Newser) - Nobel prize-winner Al Gore yesterday urged financial leaders at a United Nations conference in Manhattan to unload their investments in businesses reliant on carbon-intensive energy. Gore likened such investments to the subprime mortgage market, warning that "the assumption you can safely invest" in business models that assume carbon is...

Bush Envoy Wants to Rule Afghanistan, Rumors Say

Ambassador lets political buzz persist

(Newser) - Diplomatic circles are abuzz about a US envoy who reportedly wants to rule Afghanistan next year. Zalmay Khalilzad, ex-US diplomat to Afghanistan and Iraq, hasn't squelched the gossip about his presidential aspirations either. He even joked at Columbia University recently that “I didn’t come here to collect contributions...

Rebel Soldier Shoots East Timor Prez

Nobel Prize-winner expected to live; assassin shot dead

(Newser) - A rebel soldier shot East Timor's president today in an attack on his home, the BBC reports. President Jose Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, underwent surgery at an Australian army hospital and is expected to live. The president’s guards shot and killed the assailant, Alfredo Reinado, who had...

Rainforests Still Fall at Shocking Rates

Summit proposes financial rewards for conservation efforts

(Newser) - Rainforests continue to vanish at "alarming" rates worldwide despite decades of scientific warnings, experts say. Tropical trees are falling at 60 acres per minute—up 10 from a generation ago—accounting for roughly 20% of Earth's carbon emissions. Environmental leaders plan to preserve forests with a carbon trading system,...

Afghan Senate Revokes Call for Execution

About-face is lifeline for journalism student convicted of blasphemy

(Newser) - Following international outcry, the Afghan Senate has withdrawn its call for the execution of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, a 23-year-old student convicted of blasphemy for downloading a report on women's rights. The Senate now calls its previous endorsement of the death penalty for Kambaksh "a technical mistake," raising hopes...

Rebels Storm Chad's Capital in Coup Attempt

French, US embassies prepare to evacuate amid fighting

(Newser) - Rebels looking to overthrow Chad's president stormed the capital today, advancing toward the African nation’s presidential palace and ransacking its parliament building, CNN reports. Ndjamena has been the site of fierce clashes between rebels and government forces, and today, a military source told the AFP it “is in...

Kenya Leaders Agree to Peace Talk Structure

Immediate issues could be resolved within 15 days, Annan says

(Newser) - Kenya's rival leaders have agreed on an outline for peace talks, Kofi Annan said today. Larger problems could take a year to iron out, but the ex-UN chief said the most pressing issues--ending the killings, aiding those hit by the turmoil, and fixing "immediate" political woes--could be solved within...

New Peace Envoy Clooney Pleads for Darfur

Sees 'hope' after first mission to Africa

(Newser) - Actor George Clooney was officially designated a United Nations peace envoy yesterday—but he had already wrapped up his first mission. "If I'm going to go somewhere that cameras are going to follow me, they might as well follow me to places that people should be looking at,"...

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