Tag: United Nation

‘I am not a miracle worker’: new UN chief

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — The new United Nations chief, Antonio Guterres, warned Tuesday that the world body faces “very challenging times” and asked for support of reforms to make it better able to deal with them. Before beginning his first day of work at UN headquarters in New York, Guterres, who succeeded Ban Ki-moon as secretary-general on January 1, addressed staff and diplomats about the need for an overhaul of the international organization. […]

Ban Ki-moon bids farewell to United Nations

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon paid an emotional farewell to the United Nations on Friday, wistfully describing his two-term stint at the helm of the global body as something of a fairy tale. “I feel a bit like Cinderella. Tomorrow at midnight, everything changes!” he joked to staff and colleagues as he wrapped up a decade leading the United Nations. Beginning Sunday, former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres, 67, takes […]

Trump issues fresh attack on UN

PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — US President-elect Donald Trump launched a fresh salvo of accusations against the United Nations Wednesday, saying the world body had not lived up to its potential and failed to solve global problems. “The UN had such tremendous potential. (It is) not living up to its potential,” Trump told reporters at his Florida holiday resort Mar-a-Lago. “When do you see the United Nations solving problems? They don’t. They cause problems.” […]

Syrian war ‘cancer on a global scale’: incoming UN chief

LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — The Syrian conflict “has become a cancer on a global scale”, incoming UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, while hoping Washington and Moscow overcome their differences to help end the crisis. The war has caused “not only the suffering of the Syrian people” but also sparks “violent reactions which in some cases lead to terrorist acts”, the former Portuguese premier told Portugal’s SIC television channel in an interview broadcast Wednesday. […]

US led UN ‘gang-up’ on Israel settlement vote: ambassador

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House orchestrated a “gang-up” against Israel on last week’s UN settlement vote, its ambassador to Washington said Monday in the latest sign of anger between the longtime allies. Ambassador Ron Dermer said in an interview with CNN that the Israeli government plans to show evidence of the alleged US maneuvering in due time. “What is outrageous is that the United States was actually behind that gang-up. I think […]

UN Security Council to vote on halting Israel settlements: diplomats

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — The UN Security Council will vote on Thursday on an Egyptian-drafted resolution demanding that Israel immediately halt its settlement activities in the Palestinian territories and east Jerusalem. A similar resolution was vetoed by the United States in 2011, and it remained uncertain if the measure would be adopted this time. Egypt circulated the draft late Wednesday and a vote was scheduled for 3 pm (2000 GMT) on Thursday. The […]

UN chief alarmed by reports of atrocities in Aleppo

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is alarmed by reports of atrocities against “a large number” of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in the Syrian city of Aleppo, his spokesman said Monday. “While stressing that the United Nations is not able to independently verify these reports, the secretary-general is conveying his grave concern to the relevant parties,” said spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Ban has asked his envoy Staffan de […]

UN chief Ban apologizes to Haitian people over cholera epidemic

by André VIOLLAZ UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday apologized for the first time to the people of Haiti for the role played by the world body’s peacekeepers in sparking a devastating cholera epidemic in the country. “On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly we apologize to the Haitian people,” he said three times — in Haitian Creole, French and English — to […]

Sharapova to return as UN goodwill ambassador

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — Maria Sharapova will once again be a UN goodwill ambassador when her doping ban expires in April and she returns to international tennis competition, a UN statement said Thursday. The United Nations had suspended Sharapova’s role as goodwill ambassador in March after she failed a drug test, putting a hold on a nine-year partnership with the UN Development Programme. “UNDP was glad to learn that Maria Sharapova can return […]

Russia denies role in bloody strike on Syria school

by Sammy Ketz BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Russia Thursday denied any involvement in deadly air strikes on a Syrian school and rejected a UN-led investigation showing its ally Damascus had carried out chemical attacks, as Moscow’s relations with the West took another hit. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded an immediate probe into Wednesday’s attack on the school in rebel-held Idlib province that he said “may amount to a war crime”. The tensions mounted a day […]

UN to begin evacuations from Aleppo if truce holds

by Karam al-Masri ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — The United Nations hopes to carry out the first medical evacuations from Aleppo on Friday, if the “humanitarian pause” in the Syrian army’s Russian-backed assault on the city holds. Despite a drop in violence after the truce took effect on Thursday there was little sign civilians were heeding calls to leave, and Russia accused rebels of preventing civilians from fleeing the east of the city. Meanwhile NATO chief […]

UN announces 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen starting Thursday

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — A 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen will go into effect starting Thursday, the United Nations announced on Monday. A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April “will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time (2059 GMT) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal,” the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said in a statement. The announcement comes after […]