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Tuesday, October 13, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Syria’s Crackdown Undermines Claim for Seat on Human Rights Council
When the General Assembly meets on May 20 to elect 15 new members for the Human Rights Council (HRC), the four candidates from the Asian Group - India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Syria - were until now considered certain winners for one primary reason: they remain uncontested on a "clean slate" for four vacant uncompetitive Asian regional seats.Amid Turmoil, a Nuke-Free Middle East May Be in Jeopardy
A proposed international conference on a nuclear weapons-free Middle East, tentatively scheduled for 2012, may be in jeopardy amid the growing political turmoil sweeping across the Arab world - and Israel's fears of negative fallout on its own security.U.N. Chief Powerless to Pursue War Crimes in Sri Lanka
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon admitted Monday he is not empowered to establish an international war crimes tribunal to probe the "serious violations" of international humanitarian and human rights law committed during the concluding stages of the decades-long conflict in Sri Lanka in May 2009.SRI LANKA: U.N. Chief Rejects Request to Quash War Crimes Report
The United Nations, which is embroiled in a dispute with Sri Lanka over a controversial report detailing war crimes charges against the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has rejected an appeal to keep the findings under wraps.
Developing Nations Protest Move to Slash U.N. Budget
The Group of 77 (G77), the largest single coalition of developing countries, has issued a strong letter of protest against a proposal to cut some 155 million dollars from the U.N.'s 2012-2013 biennium budget beginning next January.U.N. Decries Stagnant Funding For Population Goals
As the international community readies to cope with a rising world population of some seven billion people by the middle of this year, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns that financial assistance for population-related activities has made no visible gains since 2008.Latin America Logs Largest Increase in 2010 Military Spending
Latin America has displaced traditional high-rollers, including the Middle East and Europe, as the region registering the largest percentage increase in military spending last year, according to a new study released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Israel Hits Roadblock over Dismissal of War Crimes Charges
The Israeli government and South African jurist Richard Goldstone may be heading for a political confrontation over war crimes charges against Tel Aviv and a subsequent selective retraction of some of those charges.Amid Uprisings, Africa Readies for Slew of National Polls
As the resounding cry for multi-party democracy reverberates violently throughout the Middle East, the African continent, long known for military rule and dictatorial regimes, is readying for a slew of presidential and parliamentary elections this year.U.N. Chief Proposes Budget-Cutting Austerity Drive
Armed with a sharp knife, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is on an austerity drive seeking deep cuts, amounting to about 155 million dollars, in the U.N.'s 2012-2013 budget, which comes into effect next January.
U.N. Member States Falter in Protecting Staffers, Peacekeepers
The United Nations has remained virtually helpless as hundreds of its staffers, mostly peacekeepers, are killed, kidnapped or victimised by unbridled violence worldwide.
Asian Group in Key Role in High-Level U.N. Elections
The 53-member Asian Group, one of the largest regional groups in the world body, is expected to endorse the final candidates for two key positions in the organisation: the president of the next General Assembly sessions, beginning in September, and the secretary-general of the United Nations for the next five years, beginning in January 2012.No Plans for Regime Change in Libya, Assures U.N. Chief
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon brushed aside widespread speculation that the U.S.-led military attacks on Libya is part of a much-wider plan with a hidden political agenda: the ouster of Muammar el-Gaddafi from power.
LIBYA: U.N. Chief’s Ambivalent Role in the No-Fly Zone
When the U.N. Security Council adopted a wide-ranging resolution last week recommending humanitarian and military action inside Libya, both U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa were assigned key roles in "coordinating" the implementation of the mandate.
A Moment of Silence for Dying Millions on World Water Day
When the international community commemorates World Water Day next week, perhaps it should ponder the words of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who once remarked he does not expect people the world over to stop what they are doing and observe a moment of silence, come Mar. 22.
U.N. Body Authorises Military Intervention in Libya
As Libyan leader Muammar el-Gaddafi's fighter planes and helicopters continue to mercilessly pound civilians and rebel groups inside Libya, the U.N.'s most powerful political body voted to militarily intervene in the besieged North African country in an attempt to prevent and neutralise the attacks.Maldives Seeks “Smooth Transition” for World’s Poorest Nations
When the environmentally-threatened Indian Ocean island of Maldives "graduated" from the ranks of least developed countries (LDCs) to a middle-income country last January, the graduation was characterised as a milestone in the country's socioeconomic development.India, Wary of China and Pakistan, Boosts Arms Stockpiles
As it projects its political and economic power in Asia - and vigorously pushes its longstanding claims for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council - India is also steadily strengthening its military might in the sprawling continent.Libyan Weapons May Come Back to Haunt Europe
When Muammar el-Gaddafi went on an arms-buying spree in the 1970s and 80s - stockpiling a staggering array of sophisticated weapons systems both from the East and West - the United States warned that Libya was in danger of becoming one of the world's most "overarmed" countries.Arab World Protests Could Reignite Anti-Nuke Campaign
The global civil society campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons could be politically reignited by the phenomenal successes of the grassroots demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia, shadowed closely by Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan.Libyan Leader Arab World’s Perennial Gadfly
The irrepressible Hollywood comedian and celebrated movie director Woody Allen once jokingly remarked that the 1917 Russian Revolution erupted when the serfs discovered that "czar" and "tsar" were one and the same autocratic monarch they hated.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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