The UN General Assembly has voted to grant Palestine “non-member state” UN observer status, by 138 votes to nine, with 41 countries abstaining, after the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, asked it to endorse a Palestinian “birth certificate”. The US, Israel, Canada, the Czech Republic, Palau, Nauru, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands voted against. Mr […]
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Tag Archives: UN
Mahmoud Abbas wins UN ‘birth certificate’ for Palestine state
November 30, 2012 
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(AFP) — The UN General Assembly on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to recognize Palestine as a non-member state, handing a major triumph to president Mahmud Abbas in the face of fierce US and Israeli opposition. Abbas demanded the United Nations give a “birth certificate” to a Palestinian state and was rewarded with the backing of […]
Read moreGaza ‘will not be liveable by 2020′ – UN report
August 28, 2012 Comments Off
(BBC) — The Gaza Strip will not be “a liveable place” by 2020 unless action is taken to improve basic services in the territory, according to a UN report. Basic infrastructure in water, health, education and sanitation “is struggling to keep pace with a growing population”, according to the report. It estimates Gaza’s population […]
Read moreLack of sufficient services in Gaza could get worse without urgent action, UN warns
August 28, 2012 Comments Off
(UN) — Gaza’s problems in water and electricity, education and health will only get worse over the coming years unless remedial action is taken now, a senior United Nations official warned today. “Gaza will have half a million more people by 2020 while its economy will grow only slowly. In consequence, the people […]
Read moreUN Chief Visits China Ahead of Security Council Showdown on Syria
July 17, 2012 Comments Off
(VOA) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is heading to China amid a looming showdown at the U.N. Security Council over two competing resolutions on Syria. Ban’s trip will include talks with President Hu Jintao, and his arrival comes as the official People’s Daily newspaper ran a commentary rejecting foreign intervention in the Syrian crisis. […]
Read more50 aid groups demand Israel lift Gaza blockade
June 14, 2012 Comments Off
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Fifty international aid groups and U.N. agencies have called on Israel to lift its Gaza border blockade, saying it violates international law. Israel began restricting access to Gaza after Hamas militants captured an Israeli soldier in 2006. It tightened the blockade after Hamas seized the territory in 2007. […]
Read moreUN appeals for humanitarian aid for N.Korea
June 13, 2012 Comments Off
(NHK) — The United Nations is appealing for continued humanitarian aid for North Korea. The world body says about 16 million North Koreans are suffering from food shortages and malnutrition. The UN made the call for donations in its annual report on North Korea that was released on Tuesday. The report says malnutrition is […]
Read moreUN Chief to meet Aung San Suu Kyi for first time
April 24, 2012 Comments Off
UNITED NATIONS — UN leader Ban Ki-moon said Monday he will visit Myanmar to support democratic reforms and called for a “harmonious” deal allowing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to take an oath as a deputy. Ban said he will leave for Myanmar at the end of the week and meet with Suu […]
Read moreU.N. Chief to visit Myanmar to encourage reforms
April 24, 2012 Comments Off
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Monday he would visit Myanmar soon to encourage the Southeast Asian nation to press ahead withdemocratic reforms. “I have accepted an invitation from President Thein Shein to visit Myanmar,” Ban told reporters. “I will depart at the end of this week.” “We have seen encouraging political and economic reforms over the past […]
Read moreBan Ki Moon urges N.Korea to shift focus to helping people
April 20, 2012 Comments Off
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged North Korea not to go ahead with a nuclear test. He said the government should instead focus on addressing humanitarian issues within the country. Ban spoke at a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday. He welcomed the presidential statement condemning the launch of what North Korea said […]
Read moreUN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Deepens Ties with ASEAN on Visit to Indonesia
March 20, 2012 Comments Off
The United Nations says a recently adopted partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was the focus of talks Tuesday between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of ASEAN. Mr. Ban’s office says the meeting in Jakarta with ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan dealt with disaster risk reduction and peace and security issues. They […]
Read morePhoto : Happy 41st Wedding Anniversary, Mr Ban Ki-moon & Mrs Ban Soon-taek
March 20, 2012 Comments Off
Photostream : U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets Indonesian Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
March 20, 2012 Comments Off
Kofi Annan to be Syria Crisis Envoy
February 24, 2012 Comments Off
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – The United Nations on Thursday named its former leader Kofi Annan as the international troubleshooter to try to end the Syrian government’s deadly crackdown on protests. As special envoy for the UN and Arab League, Annan will “provide good offices aimed at bringing an end to all violence and human […]
Read moreUN nuclear agency considering Fukushima office
January 29, 2012 Comments Off
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said the agency is considering opening a branch office in Fukushima to monitor efforts to contain the world’s worst atomic accident since Chernobyl, a report said. The Japanese government has struggled with public trust overnuclear energy since the March 11 disaster and had asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to […]
Read moreUN Chief says onus is on Iran in nuclear dispute
January 27, 2012 Comments Off
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged a resumption of dialogue between Western powers and Iran on their nuclear dispute Friday, and said Tehran must comply withSecurity Council resolutions and prove conclusively that its nuclear development program is not directed to making arms. “The onus is on Iran,” said Ban, speaking here at a press conference during the annual […]
Read moreUN chief pays tribute to peacekeepers in Lebanon
January 14, 2012 Comments Off
Visiting UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Saturday met with the commander of the peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon and paid tribute to fallen soldiers. Ban, who is on a three-day visit to Lebanon, traveled by helicopter to the town of Naqura, headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and laid a wreath at a memorial site for soldiers […]
Read morePhotostream : U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits Mogadishu, Somalia
December 10, 2011 Comments Off
U.N. chief appoints Slovakia’s Kubis as Afghan envoy
November 24, 2011 Comments Off
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday named Slovak diplomat Jan Kubis as his next special envoy to Afghanistan, a challenging post that will be changing hands for the third time in four years. Kubis will replace Staffan de Mistura of Sweden, whose tenure expires on December 31. Kubis, 59, who speaks five languages and graduated from a […]
Read moreUN Renews Peacekeeping Mandate in Somalia
October 1, 2011 Comments Off
UNITED NATIONS, October 1, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / VOA) — The United Nations has renewed its mandate for its peacekeeping mission in Somalia as heavy fighting broke out near Somalia’s border with Kenya, VOA reported on Friday. The U.N. Security Council Friday also called on the African Union to increase the number of troops in Somalia […]
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