USA Today is reporting that “The United States admitted 68 Iraqi refugees in the six months through March, a tiny percentage of those fleeing their homes because of the war, State Department figures show. The United States has been unable to accept more Iraqis in part because of the time needed for background checks, [...]
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Filed under: Donors, Iraq
The UN Spokesperson told journalistsa at UNHQ on Monday that “Eric Laroche, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, has written an open letter to Somali leaders, military commanders, elders and community representatives, in which he expressed grave concern at reports of abuse, harassment, theft and rape perpetrated on civilians displaced by the latest round of [...]
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Filed under: Salim Lone watch, Somalia
The UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) announced in a statement today that “while it recognizes that the first round of elections was not perfect, the consensus assessment was that they were free and fair … UNMIT also said that “considering that these are the first national elections which the Timorese authorities have ever [...]
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Filed under: East Timor, UN Peacekeeping, UN Secretary-General
The presidency of the UN Security Council rotates by alphabetical order monthly. The USA’s new Ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, will preside over the UN SC in May.
The UK served as SC President in April — and took the 15 Council members on a trip to Kosovo that ended on Sunday. [...]
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Filed under: Former Yugoslavia, UN Security Council
The NY Times has an article on a colleague (we have not yet had the pleasure of making his acquaintance), who blogs from UNHQ/NY. The Story, As Blogs Proliferate, a Gadfly With Accreditation at the U.N., by Maria Aspan, was published on 30 April, and focuses mainly on issues concerning accreditation [with which we [...]
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Filed under: Blogging, Journalism and Journalists, UN History
What is about to happen here?
It is perfectly predictable and obvious. This man, lying face down on the ground, is about to be summarily shot.
The Guardian newspaper of London ran a story on Thursday by Reuters correspondent Sahal Abdulle in Mogadishu, reporting that: “Anybody with the means to leave Mogadishu has already gone. Some [...]
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Filed under: Journalism and Journalists, Somalia, UN Security Council
The April issue of Le Monde diplomatique carries an incisive critique of the proposed [it will happen] international tribunal to find and try the killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Valentine’s Day 2005 — and some subsequent victims.
The Le Monde diplomatique article is written by two professors and a lawyer: Geraud de [...]
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Filed under: Academic studies and research, Hariri Commission of Inquiry, International Law, International Tribunals, Lebanon, UN Security Council
The caption on this photo says: “Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad laughs during his meeting with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (unseen) at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, 24 April 2007″.
The Syrian President looks excruciatingly uncomfortable.
The AFP photo editors wrote, in their caption, that “Ban urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday to press [...]
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Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, Hariri Commission of Inquiry, Lebanon, Middle East Peace Process, UN Peacekeeping, UN Secretary-General, UN Security Council
There will be a run-off vote on 8 May between the top two candidates in the first round of East Timor’s presidential elections — the parliamentary chief Francisco Guterres, who is leader of the Fretilin party, and the current Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Jose Ramos-Horta.
Here are the top two candidates shaking hands - [...]
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Filed under: East Timor
This week, a journalist noted in a question to the UN spokesperson, “the Staff Union is basically handing out leaflets at the entrances to all the United Nations staff, basically asking for a freeze on the Secretary-General’s mobility package. In talking to some of the representatives, the concerns are that, basically, the Secretary-General is [...]
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Filed under: UN Administration, UN General Assembly