UN probe says Syrian government launched April sarin attack By JAMEY KEATEN and ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — U.N.-mandated investigators said Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s air force conducted a sarin-gas attack in the spring that killed at least 83 civilians and sparked a retaliatory U.S. strike. The investigators also appealed to the … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations celebrated Wonder Woman’s 75th birthday on Friday by naming the comic book character as its new Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Woman and Girls, despite frustration from both inside and outside the world organization that the spot should go to a real — and less sexualized — … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. on Wednesday released stark satellite images showing the most recent destruction of Syria’s embattled northern city of Aleppo, which has been pounded by Syrian and Russian airstrikes since the collapse of a U.S.-Russia brokered cease-fire two weeks ago. The release coincided with a stepped-up offensive by Syrian government forces and … Continue reading
STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Guessing the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is notoriously hard because the secretive Norwegian Nobel Committee isn’t dropping any hints, except that 376 people and groups have been nominated for the award, which will be announced on Oct. 7. That doesn’t stop Nobel watchers from speculating, sometimes based on their … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations Human Rights Council has passed a resolution calling for greater U.N. monitoring of rights abuses in war-torn Yemen, while shrugging off calls from the U.N. human rights chief and others for an independent investigation of abuses. The 47-member Geneva council approved by consensus the resolution backed by Arab states, … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The latest on the high-level U.N. General Assembly meetings (all times local): 3:40 p.m. The leaders of small Pacific nations are giving emotional tributes to Ban Ki-moon for becoming the first U.N. chief to visit their part of the world in seven decades. Their speeches have been tinged with concern about … Continue reading
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — The United Nations says hunger in South Sudan has reached “unprecedented” levels, with nearly 5 million people suffering from severe food insecurity. The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday that without a return to stability that will allow agricultural production to continue, “the situation could rapidly become catastrophic.” The … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway was appointed a goodwill ambassador Wednesday for the U.N. agency promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who announced the appointment, called her a longstanding supporter of women’s and girls’ rights. She said Hathaway will put the spotlight on women’s … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran asked the United Nations on Thursday, Apr. 28 to intervene with the U.S. government over a Supreme Court ruling that allows nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets to be paid to victims of terrorist attacks for which the Middle Eastern country has been blamed. In a letter to Secretary … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the face of mounting threats from North Korea, President Barack Obama on Thursday urged closer security ties among its chief allies in Asia and increased cooperation with strategic rival China to discourage Pyongyang from further advances in nuclear weapons. As world leaders gathered for a nuclear security summit, Obama first met … Continue reading
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Mirsada Malagic won’t be celebrating if former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is convicted and sentenced to life Thursday, Mar. 23, in his genocide and war crimes trial at a U.N. tribunal. Whatever the outcome of the case, Malagic says Karadzic has already sentenced her to a life of mourning. Bosnian … Continue reading
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Union told member states Wednesday, Mar. 16, they “urgently need to deliver” on commitments to resettle more refugees on the continent, as the number of refugees arriving in Greece since the start of 2015 reached the 1 million mark. The demand came on the eve of a summit of … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Over a prosecutor’s objection, bail was set at $2 million Friday for a Dominican Republic diplomat arrested in a bribe-related criminal case that also landed a former president of the United Nations General Assembly behind bars. U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry B. Pitman noted that charges against Francis Lorenzo, though serious, did … Continue reading
September 28, 2015 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY United Nations Headquarters New York, New York 10:18 A.M. EDT PRESIDENT OBAMA: Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen: Seventy years after the founding of the United Nations, it is worth reflecting on what, together, the members of this … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian media are abuzz with anticipation of President Vladimir Putin’s speech at the UN. Putin is in the United States for the first time since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and threw its support behind separatist rebels in Ukraine. What is more, Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria has … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Face-to-face for the first time in nearly a year, President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday will confront rising tensions over Moscow’s military engagement in Syria, as well as the stubborn crisis in Ukraine. Underscoring their deep differences, the U.S. and Russia couldn’t even agree on the purpose … Continue reading
BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic State militants have reduced the amount of water flowing to government-held areas in Iraq’s western Anbar province, an official said Thursday, the latest in the vicious war as Iraqi forces struggle to claw back ground held by the extremists in the Sunni heartland. It’s not the first time that water has … Continue reading
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — A rebel leader in eastern Ukraine on Monday accused the Kiev government of hampering a political solution for the conflict that has claimed more than 6,000 lives. Andrei Purgin said in an interview with The Associated Press that the Minsk deal, brokered by Western leaders in February, has been “blocked” … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — The World Health Organization has approved a quick test for Ebola that will dramatically cut the time it takes to determine with reasonable accuracy whether someone is infected with the deadly virus. The Geneva-based U.N. agency says the ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test Kit, made by the U.S. company Corgenix, meets sufficient … Continue reading
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The threat posed by Boko Haram, Nigeria’s Islamic extremist rebels, will be a focus of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as he attends the African Union heads of state summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a spokesman said. The U.N. chief will be encouraging officials in Addis to find a … Continue reading
