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AP / Manu Fernandez

Unemployment: It Ain’t Over Till It’s ... 2015

Those waiting for recovery from unemployment woes might have to wait a bit longer. The U.N.’s International Labor Organization has warned that it may take until 2015 for the global economy to bounce back to pre-crisis employment levels. Meantime, look for more social unrest of the kind now unfolding across Europe.

Posted on Oct 1, 2010 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS


U.N.’s Poverty Goals

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Posted on Sep 27, 2010 READ MORE


Ahmadinejad at U.N.

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Posted on Sep 27, 2010 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT



fao.org

U.N. Says Global Hunger Is ‘Unacceptably High’

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has released a new report gauging global hunger in 2010, and the FAO surmised that worldwide undernourishment, although slightly improved from 2009, remains “unacceptably high.” This raises the question: Is there ever an “acceptable” level?

Posted on Sep 14, 2010 READ MORE  |  6 COMMENTS



U.S. Navy / MC2 Ted Green

U.S. Leaves Iraq Much Worse Off

Iraq has between 25 and 50 percent unemployment, a dysfunctional parliament, rampant disease, an epidemic of mental illness, and sprawling slums. The killing of innocent people has become part of daily life. What a havoc the United States has wreaked in Iraq.

Posted on Aug 23, 2010 READ MORE  |  46 COMMENTS



U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Angelita Lawrence

Taliban Demand Civilian Casualties Committee

Responding to a U.N. report that found that most of the civilian casualties in Afghanistan are caused by Taliban attacks, the insurgent group released a statement calling for the creation of a joint committee to investigate the deaths of noncombatants. The U.N. and NATO are considering the proposal. (continued)

Posted on Aug 17, 2010 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS



AP / Emilio Morenatti

Formalizing Israel’s Land Grab

Desperate Israeli politicians, watching opposition to their apartheid state mount, have proposed a perverted form of what they term “the one-state solution.”

Posted on Aug 16, 2010 READ MORE  |  174 COMMENTS



Flickr / dbking (CC-BY)

News at 11: How Climate Change Affects You

Our daily weather reports, cheerfully presented with flashy graphics and state-of-the-art animation, appear to relay more and more information.

Posted on Aug 10, 2010 READ MORE  |  32 COMMENTS


Kosovo flag
Wikimedia Commons

U.N. Court Declares Kosovo’s Split-Off Legit

On Thursday, the United Nations’ International Court of Justice validated Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of separation from Serbia, declaring the move legitimate according to international law.

Posted on Jul 22, 2010 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



White House / Pete Souza

White House Pledges $400 Million to Palestinians

A White House statement calls the $400 million aid package announced Wednesday “a down payment on the United States’ commitment to Palestinians in Gaza, who deserve a better life and expanded opportunities, and the chance to take part in building a viable, independent state of Palestine, together with those who live in the West Bank.”

Posted on Jun 9, 2010 READ MORE  |  12 COMMENTS



Flickr / Harshil.Shah (CC-BY-SA)

U.N. Leader Wants ‘Credible’ Investigation of Flotilla Raid

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is calling for Israel to accept international participation in an investigation of the deadly flotilla assault that killed nine activists in international waters. Israeli authorities have rejected the idea of an international tribunal and maintained they will conduct an internal investigation.

Posted on Jun 8, 2010 READ MORE  |  14 COMMENTS


Karzai
bbc.co.uk

Karzai Blames U.N. for Election Fraud

Although Afghan President Hamid Karzai acknowledged Thursday that last year’s presidential election had been greatly hindered by fraud, his assessment as to the source of the problem came as a surprise to the president’s main target.

Posted on Apr 1, 2010 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS



Flickr / FreeCat

A World Without Tuna

They served whale at a Santa Monica sushi restaurant. But where are the shock, horror and hidden cameras when the sashimi comes out? Tuna are rapidly vanishing from the Earth’s oceans. An effort to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna just failed at a U.N. meeting, because the countries that sell the animals as food are worried about their fishermen.

Posted on Mar 18, 2010 READ MORE  |  11 COMMENTS


Indian women
Flickr / mckaysavage

Tracking the Status of the World’s Women

To mark International Women’s Day, Ms. magazine has helpfully broken down some femme-focused reports from the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, detailing how the global group’s Platform for Action empowerment program is faring after 15 years and describing the challenges and gains that women around the world are facing in 2010.

Posted on Mar 8, 2010 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS



World Economic Forum

U.N. Puts Bill Clinton in Charge of Haiti Aid

The former president will oversee international aid in Haiti at the request of the United Nations. The U.N. effort has struggled after losing nearly 100 personnel, including the mission chief, to the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. Clinton was chosen for his fundraising abilities as much as his administrative touch. (Continued)

Posted on Feb 3, 2010 READ MORE  |  16 COMMENTS



U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Nicole Ketchen

British Government Warned That Iraq War Would Be Illegal

Before the invasion of Iraq, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw’s top legal adviser warned that the use of force was “contrary to international law” and “would amount to the crime of aggression.” (continued)

Posted on Jan 26, 2010 READ MORE  |  4 COMMENTS



AP / Ashraf Amra

Israel to Pay U.N. for Gaza Incident

The Israeli government, according to The Wall Street Journal, has agreed to pay about $10.5 million to compensate the United Nations for an incident that resulted in the killing of a U.N. driver and the destruction of two U.N. schools and a World Food Program warehouse during Israel’s attack on Gaza in 2009.

Posted on Jan 7, 2010 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS


Eide
Wikimedia Commons / Bjoertvedt

U.N. Envoy ‘Worried’ About Afghanistan

His term as the United Nations’ official envoy to Afghanistan is up in March, and in his last address to the world body Kai Eide didn’t sound especially optimistic about the state of the country. In fact, Eide said Wednesday, if certain “negative trends” he sees at work “are not reversed,” the situation in Afghanistan could “become unmanageable.”

Posted on Jan 6, 2010 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS



Flickr / america.gov

Take Me to Your Climate Leader

“Politicians talk, leaders act” read the sign outside the Bella Center in Copenhagen on the opening day of the United Nations climate summit.

Posted on Dec 8, 2009 READ MORE  |  25 COMMENTS


Hungering for a True Thanksgiving

“Over 1 billion people are chronically hungry,” says the U.N., yet it would take only $44 billion per year to end hunger globally.

Posted on Nov 17, 2009 READ MORE  |  43 COMMENTS


IAEA
wikimedia.org

IAEA Not Worried About Second Iran Nuclear Site

U.N. inspectors have found “nothing to be worried about” in their first report after visiting a previously clandestine uranium-enrichment site south of Tehran. The clean assessment, which described the site as a “hole in a mountain,” may cause critics to now look for more diplomatic solutions to Iran’s nuclear program.

Posted on Nov 5, 2009 READ MORE  |  9 COMMENTS


Turkish Cooperation—and Coffee—in Short Supply for Israel

Other than the United States, Turkey has probably been the most important of Israel’s allies, but now it is getting the “freedom fries” treatment.

Posted on Oct 20, 2009 READ MORE  |  16 COMMENTS



White House / Lawrene Jackson

Karzai Gives In, Agrees to Runoff

Afghanistan will hold a runoff election on Nov. 7 after a U.N. commission stripped President Hamid Karzai of his victory, citing rampant fraud. Karzai, under heavy foreign pressure, accepted the commission’s findings Tuesday and agreed to the runoff.

Posted on Oct 19, 2009 READ MORE  |  8 COMMENTS



Flickr / sarniebill1

We’ll Need 70 Percent More Food

Global population is expected to hit 9.1 billion in the next 40 years, causing demand for food to double. The U.N. says we will need to produce 70 percent more food by 2050 or risk starving hundreds of millions of people.

Posted on Oct 12, 2009 READ MORE  |  24 COMMENTS


Barack Obama
White House / Pete Souza

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Committee has interrupted the president’s meditations on whether to escalate the war in Afghanistan by awarding him the Peace Prize. The committee cited Obama’s “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” and especially his “vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”

Posted on Oct 9, 2009 READ MORE  |  220 COMMENTS


NATO soldier
AP / Fraidoon Pooyaa

U.N. Calls for Reinforcements in Afghanistan

While the Obama administration continues to mull over its options regarding America’s commitment to the war in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council has voted to urge “member states to contribute personnel, equipment and other resources” to the ongoing conflict.

Posted on Oct 8, 2009 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



U.S. Army / Sgt. 1st Class Gordon Hyde

Migration Is a Win-Win-Win

An independent report commissioned by the U.N. has found that migration is simply good economics for everyone involved. The world’s billion migrants actually boost employment in their destination communities while improving conditions back home.

Posted on Oct 5, 2009 READ MORE  |  27 COMMENTS



World Resources Institute / Jonathan Talbot

Carbon Market Begs to Be Robbed

The U.N. is pioneering a carbon market that would allow rich countries to pay poor countries not to cut down forests. It’s just the kind of feel-good program that could save the planet—or make loggers and organized criminals filthy rich.

Posted on Oct 5, 2009 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT


Islamabad bombing
AP / B.K. Bangash

At Least Six Dead in Bomb Blast at U.N. Office in Pakistan

The United Nations World Food Program office in Islamabad, Pakistan, was a suicide bomber’s target Monday, and unfortunately it was a successful strike. The bomber was able to enter the building in the guise of a guard and set off 16 pounds of explosives during a busy noontime at the office, according to The New York Times.

Posted on Oct 5, 2009 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT


‘Mosaic’: Iranian WMD and the Writing on the Wall

Recent developments in Iran remind “Mosaic” producer Jamal Dajani of Colin Powell’s infamous speech to the U.N. about Saddam Hussein’s phantom WMD.

Posted on Oct 4, 2009 READ MORE  |  7 COMMENTS



U.S. Army / Staff Sgt. Ken Denny

Ex-U.N. Official Slams Afghan Elections

A former U.N. diplomat has attacked the process and results of the recent Afghan elections, claiming that almost one in three votes cast for incumbent President Hamid Karzai was fraudulent and that the elections seriously weakened the democratic process in the eyes of the Afghan people. As a consequence, the Taliban is stronger, says Peter Galbraith, who was fired in a dispute over the voting.

Posted on Oct 4, 2009 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS



Flickr / ISM Palestine

Under Duress, Palestinians Cave In on Gaza War Report

Under heavy U.S. pressure and threat of being denied critical communication infrastructure by Israel, Palestinian officials have removed their support for a U.N. report that criticized as war crimes some of Israel’s actions during its war in Gaza.

Posted on Oct 3, 2009 READ MORE  |  19 COMMENTS


The Next Glenn Beck

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Posted on Sep 24, 2009 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS



Flickr / ISM Palestine

U.N. Finds Israel War Crimes in Gaza

A U.N. fact-finding mission has concluded “there is evidence indicating serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed by Israel during the Gaza conflict, and that Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity.” (Full release after the jump.)

Posted on Sep 15, 2009 READ MORE  |  10 COMMENTS



AP photo / Kent Gilbert

Honduran President Shall Return

A day after he was forcibly removed from office, Manuel Zelaya said he will return to Honduras on Thursday to reclaim his presidency. Zelaya enjoys the support of many of his fellow Latin American leaders as well as the president of the United States. However, he still has to deal with his military and political rivals.

Posted on Jun 29, 2009 READ MORE  |  10 COMMENTS



Flickr / Foreign and Commonwealth Office

U.N. Official Calls for Probe of Sri Lanka War Crimes

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said both sides in Sri Lanka’s civil war “grossly disregarded the fundamental principle of the inviolability of civilians.” She has called for an “independent and credible international investigation,” although she’s up against the notoriously impotent U.N. Human Rights Council and a bristling Sri Lankan government.

Posted on May 26, 2009 READ MORE  |  1 COMMENT



AP photo / Lee Jin-man

World Reacts to North Korean Launch

The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting following what North Korea described as a satellite launch but what the U.S. and South Korea said was actually a long-range missile test. The U.S., the European Union, Japan and South Korea have all weighed in with varying degrees of concern, while China and Russia have urged calm and restraint.

Posted on Apr 5, 2009 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS



Flickr / Earth Hour Global

Turning Off the Lights Gives Activists a Charge

In just three years, Earth Hour has spread from Australia to more than 4,000 cities around the world, and environmentalists are thrilled with the results. Participants in 88 countries killed the lights for an hour on Saturday to call attention to the dangers of climate change.

Posted on Mar 29, 2009 READ MORE  |  10 COMMENTS



Flickr / Amir Farshad Ebrahimi

U.N. Human Rights Investigator Accuses Israel of War Crimes

Richard Falk, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, writes in his annual report that Israeli actions during the recent offensive in Gaza constitute war crimes. Falk, who was denied entry to the region by Israel, says Hamas’ human rights record should also be investigated.

Posted on Mar 19, 2009 READ MORE  |  5 COMMENTS



barackobama.com

Good News and Bad News for Alternative Lifestylists

The good news: The United States now supports a U.N. statement urging governments everywhere to decriminalize homosexuality. The bad news: In the words of the State Department, “supporting this statement commits us to no legal obligations,” such as ending discrimination in employment, housing and the military in the U.S. itself.

Posted on Mar 18, 2009 READ MORE  |  2 COMMENTS



NASA

Climate Crisis Looks Worse and Worse

Scientists meeting in Copenhagen say the U.N.’s worst climate fears are already coming to pass. Lord Stern, who helped alert the world to the economic perils of climate change, said at the conference that his 2006 report underestimated both the speed and scope of climate change.

Posted on Mar 12, 2009 READ MORE  |  8 COMMENTS



Flickr / cikaga jamie

Predicted Rise in Sea Levels May Be Way Short

A team of researchers has found that sea levels could rise up to three times higher over the next century than U.N. estimates have indicated. The findings have dire implications for the 600 million people who live in vulnerable areas. Scientists gathered in Denmark said they expect polar and glacial melting to accelerate.

Posted on Mar 10, 2009 READ MORE  |  3 COMMENTS



AP photo / Andy Wong

We Are Breeding Ourselves to Extinction

All efforts to save the planet will be useless if we do not cut population growth. By 2050, the planet will have between 8 billion and 10 billion people, according to a recent U.N. forecast. And yet studies, books and documentaries that deal with various crises fail to discuss the danger of all those billions of hungry people looking for a better life.

Posted on Mar 8, 2009 READ MORE  |  197 COMMENTS


UN Aid
Maan Images / Hatem Omar

Halt! Who Goes There? Well, Not Aid

Be it a political gamble or a mix-up of epic proportions, Hamas is being accused of stealing humanitarian aid from U.N. trucks in the Gaza Strip. Due to the thefts, officials say, aid has stopped flowing into the battle-torn territory, where half the population depends on the U.N. shipments for food.

Posted on Feb 6, 2009 READ MORE  |  9 COMMENTS



AP photo / Sebastian Scheiner

With Gaza, Journalists Fail Again

The assault on Gaza exposed not only Israel’s callous disregard for international law but the gutlessness of the American press. Nearly all reporters were, as during the buildup to the Iraq war, pliant stenographers and echo chambers.

Posted on Jan 26, 2009 READ MORE  |  369 COMMENTS


Ehud Olmert
Wikimedia Commons / Agência Brasil

Israeli PM Promises to Shield Troops From War Crime Trials

The BBC reports: “Any Israeli soldiers accused of war crimes in the Gaza Strip will be given state protection from prosecution overseas, the country’s PM has said.” At issue is Israel’s use of white phosphorous, a chemical agent that is not permitted in densely populated areas because it sticks to and severely burns human tissue.

Posted on Jan 25, 2009 READ MORE  |  28 COMMENTS



AP photo / Abdel Kareem Hana

The Language of Death

Israel will, from now on, speak to the Palestinians in the language of death. And the language of death is all the Palestinians will be able to speak back. The slaughter—let’s stop pretending this is a war—is empowering an array of radical Islamists inside and outside of Gaza.

Posted on Jan 12, 2009 READ MORE  |  176 COMMENTS



un.org / unrwa

U.N. Suspends Gaza Aid, Blames Israel

The United Nations is suspending relief activity in the Gaza Strip following multiple attacks by Israeli forces. “Our installations have been hit, our workers have been killed in spite of the fact that the Israeli authorities have the co-ordinates of our facilities and that all our movements are co-ordinated with the Israeli army,” said a U.N. Relief and Works Agency spokesman quoted by the BBC.

Posted on Jan 8, 2009 READ MORE  |  10 COMMENTS


Obama
AP photo / Rina Castelnuovo, pool

Obama Will Back Israel

The president-elect has struggled to stay out of the Gaza fight, but based on everything he said during the campaign, he appears determined to stand up for Israel.

Posted on Jan 8, 2009 READ MORE  |  109 COMMENTS



AP photo / Ashraf Amra

Egypt Proposes Cease-Fire; Israel Attacks Gaza School

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak presented a cease-fire proposal Tuesday that would buy time to negotiate a long-term agreement. Israel continued its offensive in Gaza, meanwhile, shelling a United Nations school. At least 30 people, children among them, were killed by the attack, which Israel said was aimed at militants.

Posted on Jan 6, 2009 READ MORE  |  16 COMMENTS


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