United Nations, United States | AFP | The world is holding its breath over the possibility that North Korea might undertake a nuclear bomb test, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday. “Everybody is holding its breath about this, because another nuclear test would be yet another confirmation of a program which is moving full steam ahead, in a way that is incredibly, incredibly concerning,” IAEA head Rafael Grossi said […]
Tag: UN
Climate plans would allow up to 2.6C of global warming: UN
Paris, France | AFP | by Patrick GALEY Country climate pledges leave the world on track to heat by as much as 2.6 degrees Celsius this century, according to a United Nations assessment Wednesday warning that emissions must fall 45 percent this decade to limit disastrous heating. The United Nations Environment Programme, in its annual Emissions Gap report, found that updated national promises since last year’s COP26 summit in Glasgow would only shave less […]
‘We don’t eat lithium’: S. America longs for benefits of metal boon
by Martín SILVA Agence France-Presse SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA, Chile (AFP) — The turquoise glimmer of open-air pools contrasts sharply with the dazzling white of salt flats in Latin America’s “lithium triangle,” where hope resides for a better life fueled by a metal bonanza. A key component of batteries used in electric cars, demand has exploded for lithium — the “white gold” found in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia in quantities larger than anywhere else in […]
Vietnam’s ‘wave of repression’ threatens climate goals: rights groups
Hanoi, Vietnam | AFP | A “new wave of repression” in Vietnam is jeopardising progress in tackling climate change, human rights groups told UN chief Antonio Guterres Friday as he began a visit to Hanoi. Vietnam, which has an economy heavily reliant on coal, has committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. But the authoritarian regime has also handed down prison terms to four environmental human rights defenders this year, sentencing them on “trumped-up” […]
World food prices fall for sixth straight month: UN
Paris, France | AFP | World food prices have fallen for a sixth month in a row in September, UN data showed Friday, as they continued to decline since a record reached following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Food and Agriculture Organization said its price index, which tracks the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, averaged 136.3 points in September, a 1.1 percent drop from August. The index, however, was […]
North Korea fires two ballistic missiles, slams UN meet
by Sunghee Hwang Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired two ballistic missiles Thursday, Seoul’s military said, as the UN Security Council met to discuss Pyongyang’s earlier, highly provocative launch of a missile over Japan. The launch is Pyongyang’s sixth in less than two weeks, and comes two days after it fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan, prompting Tokyo to issue a rare evacuation warning. South Korea’s military said it had […]
Tired of power cuts, blockaded Gaza turns to solar
by Rosie SCAMMELL and Mai YAGHI Agence France-Presse GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — Palestinians living in the Israeli-blockaded enclave of Gaza have long endured an unstable and costly electricity supply, so Yasser al-Hajj found a different way: solar power. Looking at the rows of photo-voltaic panels at his beachfront fish farm and seafood restaurant, The Sailor, he said the investment he made six years ago had more than paid off. “Electricity is the backbone […]
‘Desperation’ in violence-ravaged Haiti: UN hears
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Officials described a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Haiti to the UN Security Council Monday, as the nation hits “new levels of desperation” after two weeks of violence and attacks on food aid warehouses. Protests and looting have rocked the already unstable nation since September 11, when Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced a fuel price hike; he says subsidies are too expensive for one of the world’s poorest states. “An economic […]
US, China top diplomats to meet on high tensions on Taiwan
by Shaun Tandon and Nicolas Revise Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The top US and Chinese diplomats meet Friday in New York as soaring tensions show signs of easing, but Beijing issued a new warning against support for Taiwan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are set to meet on the sidelines of the annual United Nations summit, their first encounter since extensive talks in July […]
US, China top diplomats to meet on high tensions on Taiwan
by Shaun Tandon and Nicolas Revise Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The top US and Chinese diplomats meet Friday in New York as soaring tensions show signs of easing, but Beijing issued a new warning against support for Taiwan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are set to meet on the sidelines of the annual United Nations summit, their first encounter since extensive talks in July in […]
Israel PM: World must use force if Iran builds nuclear bomb
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The international community should use military force if Iran develops nuclear weapons, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told the United Nations on Thursday, as he reiterated support for creation of a “peaceful” Palestinian state. Israel has been conducting an intense diplomatic offensive in recent months to try to persuade the United States and main European powers such as Britain, France and Germany not to renew the 2015 Iran nuclear […]
Blinken demands action on Putin at UN showdown on Ukraine
by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday demanded President Vladimir Putin be held to account as he faced Russia in a Security Council session in which the United Nations cataloged abuses in Ukraine. Pressure has swelled against Moscow as world leaders attend the UN General Assembly, but in the highly anticipated first encounter between the top Russian and US diplomats since the war […]





