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Tuesday, October 20, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
U.N. Tight-Lipped on Use of Military Force in Cote d’Ivoire
As the continuing political stalemate threatens to unleash a civil war in Cote d'Ivoire, the United Nations is taking an increasingly aggressive stance in the widening standoff with the West African nation.U.N. Chief Leaves Women out of Year-End Summing Up
When Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote a year-end op-ed piece for an Australian newspaper last week, he talked about the future of a world body facing a new generation of threats: climate change, poverty, nuclear disarmament and human rights.U.N. Threatens Ivorian Leaders With Possible War Crimes
The United Nations has warned the beleaguered president of Cote d’Ivoire and his military leaders that they may well go the way of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir: face charges of war crimes and genocide before the international criminal court.Indigenous Peoples Gain U.S., U.N. Recognition
As 2010 draws to a close, both the United States and the United Nations have reached out to one of the world’s most marginalised groups in society: indigenous peoples.
U.N. in Test of Wills over Cote d’Ivoire Crisis
The United Nations is taking an unrelenting stand on the spreading constitutional crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, where two contenders - one victorious and the other vanquished - are battling it out for the country's presidency.West Continues to Dodge Migrants’ Rights Treaty
Against the backdrop of rising xenophobia and growing anti- immigrant trends in Western Europe, the United Nations will commemorate International Migrants Day next week calling on member states to ratify the 1990 international convention aimed at protecting the rights of migrants worldwide.U.N.’s Message to Whistleblowers: “Kill the Messenger”
A rousing battle between former Under-Secretary-General Inga- Britt Ahlenius, who once headed the U.N.'s powerful investigating arm, and her boss Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is threatening to get ugly.30 Million Lost Jobs Drag Down Global Economic Recovery
The global economic recovery is being stymied by a hefty rise in unemployment in industrial economies, including the United States, Japan and Western Europe, according a new U.N. report released here.
U.N. a Playground for Spies of all Political Stripes
The United Nations has long been a veritable playground for spooks of all political stripes to spy on each other - going back to the days of the U.S.-Soviet Cold War in the 1960s and '70s.U.N. Remains Deadlocked on Defining Terrorism
When Israeli commandos killed nine mostly Turkish activists during a raid on a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians last May, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the attack as a prime example of "state terrorism".Despite Setbacks, Africa Seen as Key Player in Future
As the international community commemorated Africa Industrialisation Day last week, United Nations officials expressed mixed emotions about a beleaguered continent plagued by a rash of political, economic and military crises.
World’s Poorest Nations See a Glimmer of Hope
When the U.N. General Assembly recognised a special category of member states ranked as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) back in 1971, there were only 25 which qualified for the dubious distinction of being the "poorest of the world's poor".
U.N. Chiefs Vulnerable to Manipulation by Big Powers
Since the creation of the United Nations over 65 years ago, successive secretaries-general have won re-election for a second five-year term mostly by currying favour with the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council: the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.Multi-Billion-Dollar Arms Deals Could Haunt U.S.
When the Shah of Iran, a strongly pro-U.S. ally, was ousted from power after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the stridently anti-U.S. regime of Ayatollah Khomeini that captured power also inherited a military bonanza: billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art weapons provided by the United States.
Developing World Scores on Health, Wealth and Education
When the Human Development Report (HDR) was introduced back in 1990, it broke new ground, arguing that national development should be measured not simply by income alone but also by life expectancy and literacy.U.N. Journos Decry Move to Torpedo Rent-Free Offices
The United Nations is in danger of becoming irrelevant or even non-existent - specifically in the eyes of the developing world - because of a revived proposal to provide office space only to journalists who can afford to pay rent.U.N. Doubts Credibility of Upcoming Burmese Polls
The United Nations is fighting a losing battle trying to convince the repressive military junta in Burma (Myanmar) that nationwide elections scheduled for next week should be both "credible" and "inclusive".
China Set to Reassert Clout in World Body
When a U.S. delegate once confronted a Chinese diplomat about Beijing's uncompromising support for Pakistan, the Chinese reportedly responded with a heavily-loaded sarcastic remark: "Pakistan is our Israel."Women Warriors Take the Offensive in War Zones
The world's traditional peacemakers - a title long conferred on women - may be undergoing a gradual transformation.War Is Hell, Especially for Women
As the United Nations commemorates the 10th anniversary of a landmark Security Council resolution (1325) on the protection of women in war zones, a new study details the successes and failures of a long-drawn-out effort to battle gender-based violence and provide women a key role in male-dominated peacekeeping and peace-building operations.Sri Lanka Challenges Post-War Human Rights Probe
When Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris was at the United Nations last month, he challenged human rights groups to appear before a government-appointed 'Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission' (LLRC) probing human rights violations during the country's civil war.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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