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Monday, June 1, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Riyadh Rebukes U.N. Security Council
When Saudi Arabia sought the presidency of the General Assembly in a bid for U.N. glory back in 1991, the oil-rich kingdom was facing Papua New Guinea in a race to head the highest policy-making body in the organisation.
Walking an Economic Tightrope with No Safety Net
With the richest one percent of the population now owning 40 percent of global assets, and the bottom half sharing just one percent, inequality is fast being recognised as a stubborn underlying obstacle to development.
Nobel Laureate Fights African Pullout from Global Court
South Africa's Desmond Tutu, the 1984 Nobel Peace prize laureate, has launched a global campaign to stop African nations from abandoning the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).
Conserve Water or Perish, Warns U.N. Chief
Just 17 years from now, nearly half the global population could be facing water scarcity, with demand outstripping supply by 40 percent.
U.N.’s Top Posts Remain a Boy’s Club
Despite adopting scores of pious resolutions on gender empowerment over the last 67 years, the 193-member General Assembly has failed to practice in its own backyard what it has vigourously preached to the outside world.
Banning Nukes Still a Political Fantasy
The General Assembly's first-ever high-level meeting on nuclear disarmament closed last week on a predictable note: the longstanding proposal for the elimination of nuclear weapons remains firmly in the realm of political fantasy.The Dark Side of International Migration
The number of international migrants continues its inexorable climb even as reports of slave-like conditions continue to proliferate.
Sudan’s “Wanted” President Skips U.N. General Assembly
Sudan's beleaguered president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who threatened to visit the United Nations despite an arrest warrant for war crimes, has backed out at the 59th minute of the eleventh hour.
Poverty Declines as Inequality Deepens
As world leaders from 193 countries evaluate the successes and failures of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during high-level meetings and special events here, the United Nations claims that extreme poverty worldwide has been cut in half.Bloomberg’s Love-Hate Relationship with NYC Press Corps
Mayor Mike Bloomberg has always had a love-hate relationship with the New York city press corps covering City Hall and municipal politics.
Breaking U.N. Protocol, Brazil Lambastes U.S. Spying
Throwing diplomatic protocol to the winds, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff launched a blistering attack on the United States for illegally infiltrating its communications network, surreptitiously intercepting phone calls, and breaking into the Brazilian Mission to the United Nations.
Q&A: Faith Groups as Partners in Development
The United Nations is considered one of the world's most secular institutions, with 193 member states representing peoples of different faiths and cultures and professing religious and agnostic beliefs.
Wanted for War Crimes, Sudan’s President Threatens U.N. Appearance
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accused of war crimes and genocide in the politically-troubled Darfur region, is apparently planning to visit New York and address the U.N. General Assembly next week.
U.N. Team Confirms Syria Chemical Attack but Not Culpability
After an intense investigation of the military attack on civilians in Syria last month, a U.N. team of arms inspectors has reached a predictable conclusion: the deadly attack had all the trappings of the widespread use of chemical weapons.
Low Expectations for High-Level Nuke Meet
The upcoming event at the United Nations is being billed as something politically unique.
Preoccupied with Syria, U.S. Still Saddled with Egypt
The United States, which is preoccupied with the ongoing political and military developments in Syria, is still saddled with an unresolved problem elsewhere in the Middle East: the military takeover of Egypt's first democratically-elected government.
Even if Syria Complies on Chemical Arms, Six Others Still at Large
If Syria eventually agrees to relinquish its stockpile of chemical arms under the 1993 international Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), what of the six other countries that have either shown reluctance or refused to join the treaty?U.N. Inspection a Figleaf to Justify Air Strike on Syria
The United Nations, which has remained deadlocked over Syria, is in danger of being craftily exploited to justify the impending air strike on Damascus.
U.N. Urges Culture of Peace amid Rising Sectarian Strife
Against the backdrop of widespread sectarian violence in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria - and rising xenophobia and Islamophobia in Western Europe and the United States - the United Nations hosted its second high-level forum on the "culture of peace".U.N. Chief Eyes Eight Holdouts in Nuke Test Ban Treaty
A group of about 20 "eminent persons" is to be tasked with an unenviable job: convince eight recalcitrant countries to join the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Ex-World Leaders Urge U.S. to Forego Military Attack on Syria
The United States, which is preparing to launch a military strike on Syria, is being cautioned by several former world leaders and Nobel Peace laureates to seek a political solution to the ongoing crisis - and forego armed intervention in the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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