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by Ben Simon Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – The US claimed its seat Monday on the Human Rights Council under the new presidency of Donald Trump, whose election has provoked deep concern over the body’s future. Over its 11-year history, the council has come in for criticism, including allegations that it has, at times, been co-opted by rights abusers who push resolutions attacking their geopolitical rivals, with genuine rights issues marginalised. But the 47-member […]
BONN, Germany (Reuters) — Countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including the United States, backed continued efforts by the United Nations to broker a political solution to the bloody civil war in Syria, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Friday (February 17). “It is clear that all who met want a political solution … and that this political solution must be achieved in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations and that […]
by Mushtaq MOJADDIDI Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2016 were the highest recorded by the UN, the world body said Monday, with nearly 11,500 non-combatants — one third of them children — killed or wounded. Fighting between Afghan security forces and militants, especially in populated areas, remained “the leading cause of civilian casualties” more than two years after NATO’s combat mission ended, said the United Nations, which began documenting […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday sharpened his criticism of the US ban on travellers from seven Muslim nations, saying such “blind measures” are unlikely to be effective in fighting terrorism. Guterres said countries seeking to strengthen control of their borders cannot do so “based on any form of discrimination related to religion, ethnicity or nationality.” Such discrimination “triggers widespread anxiety and anger that may facilitate the propaganda of the […]
by Ben Simon / Fulya Ozerkan Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – A deal to end decades of division in Cyprus is close, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Thursday, as he led a crunch conference on solving one of the world’s longest-running political crises. Guterres was undertaking his first foreign trip as the United Nations’ secretary general seeking a breakthrough at a Geneva summit that involves rival Cypriot sides as well as Greece, Turkey and […]
by Layal Abou Rahal with Rim Haddad in Damascus Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – The United Nations warned Thursday that sabotaging water supplies was a war crime after the main source for Syria’s capital was cut, leaving more than five million people facing shortages. Water supplies from the rebel-held area of Wadi Barada near Damascus have been severed since December 22, with the regime and rebels trading blame. The head of a UN-backed humanitarian […]
by Dave Clark Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Wednesday that Israel’s settlement building in the West Bank threatens both hope for peace with the Palestinians and the country’s own future as a democracy. In a major speech setting out his vision of a solution to the long-simmering conflict, Kerry sternly warned that Israel was on a course leading to a “perpetual occupation” of Palestinian-owned land. “Today, […]
(Reuters) The United States on Friday allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, defying heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and President-elect Donald Trump for Washington to wield its veto. A U.S. abstention paved the way for the 15-member council to approve the resolution, with 14 votes in favor, prompting applause in the council chamber. The action by President Barack Obama’s administration follows growing U.S. […]
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte called the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein “stupid and “a little bit crazy” for tagging him as a “murderer” and for dictating on the Philippine government on what it should do on its own affairs. Mr. Duterte said it was not proper for a UN official to dictate on a sovereign country what it should do. He said Al Hussein cannot just […]
(Eagle News) — Lawmakers said it was ignorant and not prudent for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to label President Rodrigo Duterte as a murderer, including his call for the Philippine government to probe its own president. Senator Panfilo Lacson and Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque, in separate statements, criticized the UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein saying he does not seem to know the Philippine Constitution because of his conclusion. […]
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut The Syrian government offensive to recapture rebel-held parts of Aleppo sparked international alarm on Tuesday, with the UN saying nearly 16,000 people had fled the assault and more could follow. France called for an immediate UN Security Council session on the fighting, which has seen the army capture a third of opposition-controlled east Aleppo in recent days. The fighting has prompted an exodus […]
PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) – President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will nominate South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a Republican critic who once rebuked him for failing to disavow white supremacists, as US ambassador to the United Nations. An Asian-American with little previous foreign policy experience, Haley was the first woman to be picked for Trump’s cabinet, injecting a measure of diversity in a group that until now has consisted solely of white […]
