Author: Edith M. Lederer
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UN rejects US recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in protest against President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, largely ignoring Trump’s threats to cut off aid to any country that went against him. The nonbinding resolution declaring U.S. action on Jerusalem “null and void” passed Thursday (Dec. 21) by a vote…
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North Korea says ‘a nuclear war may break out any moment’
UNITED NATIONS — North Korea’s deputy U.N. ambassador warned Monday that the situation on the Korean peninsula “has reached the touch-and-go point and a nuclear war may break out any moment.” Kim In Ryong told the U.N. General Assembly’s disarmament committee that North Korea is the only country in the world that has been subjected…
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North Korean diplomat says tweet by Trump ‘declared war’
UNITED NATIONS — North Korea’s top diplomat said Monday that a weekend tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump was a “declaration of war” and North Korea has the right to retaliate by shooting down U.S. bombers, even in international airspace. It was the latest escalation in a week of undiplomatic exchanges between North Korea and…
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UN chief: Nuclear threat at highest level since Cold War
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the world’s leaders Tuesday that the threat of a nuclear attack is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War and “fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings.” In his first state-of-the-world report since taking the reins of the United Nations on Jan. 1,…
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US calls for Monday vote on new North Korea sanctions
UNITED NATIONS — The United States called for a vote Monday on new U.N. sanctions against North Korea, though exactly what measures would be in the resolution remained a mystery. Security Council diplomats, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly because talks have been private, said the U.S. and China were still negotiating the text late…
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Russia’s ambassador to United Nations dies in NYC at 64
NEW YORK — Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, a veteran diplomat known as a potent and personable voice for his country’s interests as he sparred with his Western counterparts, died suddenly after falling ill Monday in his office at the mission. Vitaly Churkin, 64, was rushed to a hospital in New York, where he…
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United Nations passes resolution condemning Israeli settlements, U.S. abstains from vote
UNITED NATIONS — In a striking rupture with past practice, the United States allowed the U.N. Security Council on Friday to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as a “flagrant violation” of international law. In doing so, the outgoing Obama administration brushed aside Donald Trump’s demands that the U.S. exercise its…
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Rebels to evacuate Aleppo in surrender deal as fighting ends
BEIRUT — Syrian rebels reached a cease-fire deal to evacuate from eastern Aleppo in an effective surrender on Tuesday, as Russia declared all military action had stopped and the Syrian government had assumed control of the former rebel enclave. The dramatic developments, which appeared to restore the remainder of what was once Syria’s largest city…
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Gates predicts passage in Iran sanctions vote
LONDON — The United States and its allies called for a U.N. vote Wednesday on imposing new sanctions on Iran’s suspect nuclear program, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said those would be followed by even stricter unilateral penalties by Washington and others. The international sanctions, up for a vote before the U.N.…
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U.N. chief urges action against child soldiers
UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday urged the U.N. Security Council to consider tough measures against countries and insurgent groups that persist in recruiting child soldiers. The U.N. chief’s annual report to the council for the first time includes a list of violators that have been monitored for at least five years, including…