Shocking facts about the battles of the Korean War.
Showing posts with label UN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UN. Show all posts
25 Oct 2015
10 Jun 2015
UN peacekeepers gave Haitian women food in exchange for sex
United Nations peacekeepers gave more than 225 Haitian women food and medicine in exchange for sex, according to an internal report on exploitation that The Associated Press obtained. The draft by the Office of Internal Oversight Services looks at the way UN peacekeeping, which has about 125,000 people in some of the world’s most troubled areas, deals with the persistent problem of sexual abuse and exploitation.
Expected to be released this month, the report says major challenges remain a decade after a groundbreaking UN report first tackled the issue. Among its findings: About a third of alleged sexual abuse involves minors. “For rural women, hunger, lack of shelter, baby care items, medication and household items were frequently cited as the ‘triggering need,’ ” the report says.
9 Dec 2014
UN Declares 2014 A Devastating Year For Millions Of Children
The United Nations children's agency UNICEF declared 2014 a devastating year for children with as many as 15 million caught in conflicts in Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and the Palestinian territories.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said the high number of crises meant many of them were quickly forgotten or failed to capture global headlines, such as in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Globally, UNICEF said some 230 million children were living in countries and regions affected by armed conflict.
"Children have been killed while studying in the classroom and while sleeping in their beds; they have been orphaned, kidnapped, tortured, recruited, raped and even sold as slaves," Lake said in a statement. "Never in recent memory have so many children been subjected to such unspeakable brutality."
Significant threats also emerged to children's health and well-being like the deadly outbreak of Ebola in the West African countries Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which has left thousands orphaned and some 5 million out of school.
"Violence and trauma do more than harm individual children - they undermine the strength of societies," Lake said.
2 Dec 2014
1.7m Syrian refugees face food crisis as UN funds dry up
More than 1.7 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt are facing a disastrous and hungry winter after a funding crisis forced the UN’s World Food Programme to suspend food vouchers to hundreds of thousands forced into exile by the conflict. Since the war began in March 2011, the WFP has brought food to millions of Syrians inside the country, and has used the voucher programme – which allows refugees to buy food in local shops – to inject about $800m (£500m) into the economies of those countries hosting them.
But after finding itself unable to secure the $64m it needs to support Syrian refugees in December, the WFP announced on Monday that it was halting the scheme. Severe funding shortfalls have already led the UN body to reduce rations within Syria, where it is trying to help 4.25 million people. Its executive director, Ertharin Cousin, issued a blunt and urgent appeal to donors, asking them to honour their commitments and warning that the suspension would have a devastating effect on the lives of more than 1.7 million people.
20 Nov 2014
Universal Children's Day - 20 November
By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world.
The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each considers appropriate. The date 20 November, marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
26 Sept 2014
"Certain intelligence agencies" created ISIS
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed the UN General Assembly on Thursday, and used his speech to accuse the West of inciting extremism and unjustly interfering in other nations’ affairs. Although not specifically mentioning any names, the Iranian leader said that certain states and intelligence agencies are making the world a less safe place by supporting terrorism.
21 Jul 2014
MH17 Crash Speech by Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs at Security Council
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Frans Timmermans gives an emotional speech from the UN Security Council Meeting on Ukraine. The Netherlands lost the most lives of any country, 193 of the 298 people on board, when MH17 was shot down over Eastern Ukraine.
19 Jun 2014
Killing the Count - Mediation and Assassination
After rescuing 30,000 concentration camp inmates in WWII, Count Folke Bernadotte was appointed the United Nation's first mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and was assassinated in September 1948 by Zionist extremists during an official visit to Jerusalem.
17 Apr 2013
23 Feb 2013
The UN tells Haiti: "Tough luck"
A year ago it was just a "conspiracy theory." Yes, UN peacekeeper troops brought cholera to Haiti and are responsible for the biggest outbreak the of the disease in modern times. They're response to request for compensation for thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands cases is: "too bad."
28 Jan 2013
Forget Brussels: now we are ruled by the giants of Geneva
As predicted, that speech on “Europe” delivered by David Cameron at eight o’clock on Wednesday morning put one in mind of the White Queen’s boast that she could “believe six impossible things before breakfast”.
He wanted us to believe that he could persuade the EU to change its nature and the purposes for which it has been built up over 60 years. He wanted us to believe that it could breach its core rule that powers of government once surrendered to Brussels are never handed back; and that he can somehow persuade Brussels, and the other 26 members, to allow us to retain full membership, while opting out of much else except the right to continue trading freely in the single market.
He would also have us believe that he can win the next election on the promise of such negotiations, and that they could be completed by 2017, to be part of a new treaty the EU is planning, for quite different purposes – even though the requirements for such a treaty, including a lengthy intergovernmental conference, could not possibly be completed by that date.
Like many other people, Mr Cameron is clearly unaware that recent years have seen a mighty and accelerating revolution in the way that rules are made in our globalised world. A huge proportion of the regulations governing the single market now originate from global bodies even higher than the EU; and in the tortuous process of shaping those rules, Norway is not only a very active player but also enjoys more influence, as an independent country, than we do. Britain is increasingly represented on these bodies only as part of the EU, on the basis of a “common position” agreed by majority voting, where we are just one of 27 member states, with 8 per cent of the votes.
Rather than seeing Brussels as the source of many of our laws, we should be looking at another European city, Geneva, where vast buildings house the largest number of UN employees on the planet (34 organisations, comprising the United Nations Office at Geneva, or Unog) and such powerful bodies as the World Trade Organisation, the World Health Organisation, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN’s Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the International Standards Organisation, and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with its sponsoring bodies, the World Meteorological Organisation and the UN Environment Programme, to name but a few.
30 Nov 2012
See who voted for Palestine at the UN general assembly
The UN general assembly has just voted overwhelmingly to recognise Palestine as a state. An astounding 138 nations chose to support the path of peace and justice.
Just weeks ago, the vote was expected to be much closer, with Israel and the US lobbying hard to deny Palestine key European support. But in the face of major public pressure and vigorous campaigning by the Avaaz community, countries such as France, Spain, Belgium and Sweden decided to vote yes to statehood for Palestine. In the end, just nine countries ended up on the wrong side of history: Israel, the US, Canada, the Czech Republic, Panama, Palau, Nauru, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.
UN votes to upgrade Palestinian status
The United Nations General Assembly has voted in favour of upgrading the Palestinians status to that of a non-member observer state.
The vote was taken at a meeting of the body in New York, with 138 countries voting in favour of the upgrade. Nine countries voted against it, and 41 others abstained. Thousands of Palestinians gathered across the West Bank and Gaza to demonstrate their support for the fresh attempt by President Mahmoud Abbas to secure the status.
Palestinians were previously listed as a UN observer "entity" with no voting rights. The new status is an indirect recognition of the Palestinians' claims on statehood in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. It allows them to join a number of UN agencies, as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Abbas addressed the General Assembly ahead of the vote. Abbas referenced the recent Israeli assault on Gaza, saying that Palestine had come to the UN at time when they were "still tending to [their] wounds and still burying [their] beloved martyrs of children, women and men who have fallen victim to the latest Israeli aggression".
"What permits the Israeli government to blatantly continue with its aggressive policies and the perpetration of war crimes stems from its conviction that it is above the law and that it has immunity from accountability and consequences [...] The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: Enough of aggression, settlements and occupation."
24 Oct 2012
U.N. calls for 'anti-terror' Internet surveillance
The United Nations is calling for more surveillance of Internet users, saying it would help to investigate and prosecute terrorists. A 148-page report (PDF) released today titled "The Use of the Internet for Terrorist Purposes" warns that terrorists are using social networks and other sharing sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Dropbox, to spread "propaganda."
"Potential terrorists use advanced communications technology often involving the Internet to reach a worldwide audience with relative anonymity and at a low cost," said Yury Fedotov, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report, released at a conference in Vienna convened by UNODC, concludes that "one of the major problems confronting all law enforcement agencies is the lack of an internationally agreed framework for retention of data held by ISPs."
28 Sept 2012
Regime of Secrecy
In U.N. Address, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Urges Obama Admin to End "Regime of Secrecy". Speaking via videolink from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange addressed a side meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday evening. In his remarks, Assange gave thanks to the United Nations for its treaties on political asylum and denounced the U.S. treatment of alleged Army whistleblower Bradley Manning. Assange also accused President Obama of exploiting the Arab Spring, and called on the U.S. to end its persecution of WikiLeaks and its supporters. We air Assange's address.
18 Jul 2012
Russia accuses West of inciting Syrian rebels
The United Nations Security Council has postponed until Thursday a vote on a Western-backed resolution that threatens Syrian authorities with sanctions in a bid to end the 16-month conflict, Russia's UN envoy said.
"A possible vote has been postponed until tomorrow morning," Vitaly Churkin, the Russian ambassador, told reporters after a meeting of the envoys of the council's five permanent members, adding that further talks on the measure would be held on Wednesday.
International envoy Kofi Annan had requested the delay amid differences between Moscow and the resolutions's Western sponsors over whether Damascus should be threatened with sanctions.
Russia has vowed to veto the resolution drawn up by Britain, with the backing of France, United States, Germany and Portugal. The resolution proposes non-military sanctions under Chapter VII of the UN Charter if President Bashar al-Assad does not halt the use of heavy weapons within 10 days of a resolution being passed.
Al Jazeera - Syria rebels form death squad, behead army soldiers (PressTV)
2 Jun 2012
U.S. to differentiate between 'personally displaced' Palestinians and their descendants
the U.S. government approved a resolution to differentiate between Palestinians "personally displaced" in 1948 and their millions of descendants.
The count will be conducted by the State Department and will only include refugees who receive United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) services. Known as the "Kirk amendment" after the drafter, Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL). The bill reads:
United Nations Relief and Works Agency.- Not later than one year after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing the number of people currently receiving United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) services 1) whose place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who were personally displaced as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict ('such persons'); 2) who are children of such persons; 3) who are grandchildren of such persons; 4) who are descendants of such persons and not otherwise counted by criteria (2) and (3); 5) who are residents of the West Bank or Gaza; 6) who do not reside in the West Bank or Gaza and are citizens of other countries; and 7) whose place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948, who were personally displaced as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, who currently do not reside in the West Bank or Gaza and who are not currently citizens of any other state.
Mondoweiss.net (Also on Alternet)
Also see Palestinian-Israeli Conflict For Beginners or The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known as the Nakba on Wikipedia
9 Mar 2012
UN can send Americans to War
In an awkward testimony before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta insists that the UN and NATO can provide the Administration with 'legal authority' for military action without congressional approval.
In fact, it would seem that Congress isn't even necessary.
Once "legal permission" had been granted by NATO or "some kind of UN Security Council resolution," Panetta maintained, the President wouldn't need authorization from Congress.
6 Mar 2012
U.N. investigator slams U.S. over “cruel” treatment of Bradley Manning
Juan Mendez, the United Nations Rapporteur on Torture, has slammed the United States government for abusing accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower PFC Bradley Manning during pre-trial confinement. Mr. Mendez has repeatedly sought to conduct an unsupervised meeting with PFC Manning in order to investigate these abuses.
“I believe Bradley Manning was subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in the excessive and prolonged isolation he was put in during the eight months he was in Quantico,” said Mr. Mendez
Mr. Mendez commented on Bradley Manning’s conditions of confinement at a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. He went on to say that “the explanation I was given for those eight months was not convincing for me.”
“It’s astonishing that US officials are blocking an investigation into the humiliating and degrading treatment of Bradley Manning, while the Kingdom of Bahrain has just invited Mr. Mendez to conduct a fact-finding mission into their recent abuses of political prisoners,” said Jeff Paterson, a lead organizer with the Bradley Manning Support Network.
A song by legendary singer-songwriter Graham Nash and musician James Raymond (son of David Crosby) -- is being released in support of accused U.S. Army whistleblower Bradley Manning.
Nash and Raymond composed the song "Almost Gone (The Ballad of Bradley Manning)" during this spring's US tour of Crosby-Nash, and the new recording serves as the music bed for the video; it features an impassioned lead vocal by Nash, a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted (Crosby, Stills & Nash, and The Hollies). "Bradley Manning is a hero to me," he sings, acknowledging Manning's role in making public videos and documents that shed light on such as issues as the true number and cause of civilian casualties in Iraq, human rights abuses by U.S.-funded contractors and foreign militaries, and the role that spying and bribes play in international diplomacy.
15 Jan 2012
UN peacekeepers spread deadly cholera
United Nations peacekeepers have carried a South Asian 'super bug' strain of cholera into the Western Hemisphere for the first time. The virulent form of cholera has already killed 7,000 people in Haiti, and more than 500,000 Haitians have been infected. Now, isolated cases have turned up in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Boston, Miami, and even New York...
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