POLITICS-UN: Sharp Divisions in Security Council

The five veto-holding permanent members of the UN Security Council have had their differences in the past but this week's meetings in New York underscored lingering divisions on a wide range of issues.

POLITICS-UN: Drugs, Poverty Highlight Latin Concerns at Assembly

Drug trafficking and widespread poverty are destabilising Latin America, according to many of the region's leaders, gathered here for the 54th session of the UN General Assembly.

POLITICS-US: Clinton Defends Efforts to Combat Abuses

US President Bill Clinton, in an explicit commitment to act against mass killings and displacement, told the UN General Assembly Tuesday that nations had a "shared responsibility" to combat such abuses.

POLITICS-UN: Peacekeeping Debate Kicks Off General Assembly

Recent crises in Kosovo and East Timor should prompt the United Nations to takle a new look at how it intervenes in conflicts, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday in opening another session of the UN General Assembly.

POLITICS-KOSOVO: KLA Leader Criticises Role of UN Mission

East Timor has the full attention of United Nations' members these days but that has not stopped Hashim Thaci, leader of the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), from criticising the UN role in Kosovo.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: UN Force Approved, but Some Problems Remain

The UN Security Council unanimously approved early Wednesday the deployment of a multinational force to East Timor to restore law and order in the ravaged territory.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: Destruction Persists as UN Force Prepares to Move

Hundreds of international troops are ready to land in East Timor this weekend but UN officials say a campaign of destruction by Indonesia-based militias persists in the ravaged territory.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: UN Force Approved, but Some Problems Remain

The UN Security Council unanimously approved early Wednesday the deployment of a multinational force to East Timor to restore law and order in the ravaged territory.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: UN Talks on Force Gather Momentum

Progress on deploying an Australian- led multinational force in East Timor picked up steam at the United Nations Monday, with high-level talks kicking off here following Indonesia's acceptance of the force.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: UN Likely to Authorise Force Within Days

If Indonesia failed to end the bloodshed in East Timor, the United Nations was prepared to authorise the dispatch - possibly within the next few days - of about 6,000 troops to take charge of the territory, UN officials said Tuesday.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: Annan Ratchets Up Pressure on Indonesia

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told Indonesia Friday to immediately agree to to the deployment of an international force to restore peace in East Timor or face charges of crimes against humanity.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: Annan Ratchets Up Pressure on Indonesia

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told Indonesia Friday to immediately agree to to the deployment of an international force to restore peace in East Timor or face charges of crimes against humanity.

POLITICS-UN: Who Failed the People of East Timor?

The mood has been bleak at the United Nations this week with many diplomats openly discussing whether the crisis in East Timor was just the latest in a series of UN failures.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: UN Gives Indonesia Time To Show Results

Despite growing international support for the dispatch of international troops to East Timor, the United Nations continued to wait Thursday to determine whether Indonesia would restore order in the strife-torn territory.

/ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC-US: Does Jazz Have a Sense of Humour?

The title of jazz pianist Horace Silver's new album makes an argument that listeners may find puzzling: 'Jazz Has a Sense of Humour.'

RIGHTS-PUERTO RICO: FALN Members Agree to Clemency Offer

Twelve Puerto Rican nationalists, who have been in US jails for nearly two decades, decided Tuesday to accept President Bill Clinton's offer of conditional amnesty, while two others rejected it, their lawyers said.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: UN Likely to Authorise Force Within Days

If Indonesia failed to end the bloodshed in East Timor, the United Nations was prepared to authorise the dispatch - possibly within the next few days - of about 6,000 troops to take charge of the territory, UN officials said Tuesday.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: Voters Choose Independence, UN Mulls Options

The United Nations said Friday night that a wide majority of voters in East Timor supported that state's independence from Indonesia - but UN observers remain powerless to halt the growing violence there.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: Council Approves Increased UN Presence

The UN Security Council approved an increase Friday in the number of United Nations civilian police and military liaison officers on East Timor as violence increased there, barely 48 hours before the territory votes on self- determination.

RIGHTS-US: Black Nationalists Stir Tension in New York

African American militants are planning to march Saturday in the Manhatten's famous Harlem area, just one year after a similar demonstration ended in a brief clash with police that sparked racial tensions.

RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: Bloodbath in the Making? Analysis –

With violence worsening in East Timor after Monday's self-determination vote, the United Nations once again finds itself under-equipped and unable to prevent a crisis.