In the lead-up to the US election, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin exchanged warm and fuzzy-sounding phrases such as “highly respected” and “very talented” and, “I think we’ll get along very well”. But two-and-a-half months after Mr Trump’s inauguration, it seems their burgeoning relationship has hit the skids. Inevitably perhaps, it is the latest chapter … Read more
The career diplomats working at the UN headquarters building don’t yet quite know what to make of the outspoken newcomer in their midst, US ambassador Nikki Haley. But they agree on two things: She seems intent on shaking things up as she assumes the rotating chair of the Security Council and she’s not afraid to … Read more
Vitaly Churkin died while at work in New York on Monday Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations has died. Vitaly Churkin, who would have celebrated his 65th birthday on Tuesday, died suddenly while at work in New York on Monday, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The cause of the veteran diplomat’s death is … Read more
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a UN call to end illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land is “shameful”. He stressed that Israel would not abide by Friday’s vote at the 15-member UN Security Council. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ spokesman said the resolution was a “big blow to Israeli policy”. The document was passed … Read more
The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution urging an end to illegal Israeli settlements after the US refused to veto it. The Egyptian-drafted resolution had been withdrawn after Israel asked Donald Trump to intervene but it was proposed again by Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal and Venezuela. The US has traditionally sheltered Israel from … Read more
Samantha Power, the Unites States ambassador to the United Nations (UN) has called for the release of a leading Ethiopian opposition member, Bekele Gerba. December 23 marks a year that Gerba – deputy Chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress – is in detention, he has been held by authorities along with 20 others as part … Read more
France has presented a UN Security Council draft resolution on sending observers to Aleppo to monitor evacuations and report on the protection of Syrian civilians, according to the text obtained Saturday by AFP. The measure, circulated to the council late Friday, could be put to a vote on Sunday despite resistance from Russia, Syria’s ally … Read more
North Korea warned of “tougher countermeasures for self-defence” after the UN Security Council unanimously imposed its strongest-ever sanctions on Pyongyang. The country’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Thursday calling the UNSC’s move “another excess of authority and violation of the DPRK’s sovereignty”, referring to its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “Many … Read more
The South Sudan government has agreed to accept the deployment of a UN-mandated regional force in Juba, a spokesman said, after months of hesitation over whether to allow extra foreign troops on its soil. Deputy Information Minister Akol Paul Kordit said late on Friday that the “cabinet has resolved unanimously to allow the deployment of … Read more
President-elect Donald Trump has named South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the UN, praising his former critic as “a proven dealmaker”. She is the first non-white female cabinet-level official appointed to the incoming Trump administration. Mrs Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants and was a vocal critic of Mr Trump on … Read more
The number of people living under siege in Syria has doubled this year to almost one million, the UN says. Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Stephen O’Brien said the figure had jumped from 486,700 to 974,080 in six months. People were being “isolated, starved, bombed and denied medical attention and humanitarian assistance in order to force them … Read more
The United States circulated on Thursday to the 15-member United Nations Security Council a draft resolution to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan and further targeted sanctions amid warnings by a senior U. N. official of possible genocide. Political rivalry between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and his former deputy Riek … Read more
The US has for the first time abstained from voting against an annual UN resolution calling for an end to its economic embargo against Cuba. US Ambassador Samantha Power said the historic decision reflected the new policy of engagement over isolation. Diplomatic ties were restored last year but Republican-controlled Congress opposes lifting the longstanding embargo. … Read more
The US ambassador to the UN has accused Russia of “barbarism” over the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo. At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Samantha Power said Russia had told the council outright lies about its conduct in Syria. She said Russia and the Syrian regime were “laying waste to … Read more
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has expressed regret for the loss of life in a US-led airstrike which killed dozens of Syrian soldiers fighting the so-called Islamic State. Mr Turnbull has confirmed that Australian warplanes were involved in Sunday’s mistaken attack. Russia called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the … Read more
A US-led air attack in eastern Syria that killed dozens of government troops fighting so-called Islamic State has endangered an already shaky ceasefire deal, Russia says. The attack put “a very big question mark” over the truce’s future, said Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin. The Russian army says at least 62 Syrian troops were killed … Read more
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence that Palestinians want the “ethnic cleansing” of Jews in the West Bank “unacceptable and outrageous.” Ban told the U. N. Security Council that he wanted to be absolutely clear: “Settlements are illegal under international law.” In some of the strongest language he’s used … Read more
On the night of July 7, seven American diplomats in Juba left a farewell dinner early and were headed back to the U. S. Embassy, anxious to avoid the city’s deepening chaos, when their two-car convoy was ambushed by the South Sudanese presidential guard of Salva Kiir. South Sudanese troops fired between 50 and 100 … Read more
(Accra, GNA) – In a communique released by the United States Embassy in Ghana, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, is embarking on a five nation tour to further emphasize unbridled commitment by the United States to find a permanent solution to the growing Ebola epidemic. The tour which began on October 25 … Read more