United Nations

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Don't Fall for This 'Fertility Fallacy'

Low birth rates globally aren't due to lack of desire, per UN report—it's the lack of access, cost

(Newser) - A new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report challenges the usual question about declining birth rates, suggesting the real issue isn't that people don't want more kids—it's that many feel they can't have them. The report, which includes polling from 14 countries, found that...

General Assembly Demands Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

US had vetoed a measure in the UN Security Council

(Newser) - UN member nations voted overwhelmingly Thursday to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and unrestricted access for the delivery of food to 2 million Palestinians. The vote in the 193-member General Assembly was 149-12 with 19 abstentions, the AP reports. It was...

It's Been the 'Wild West' on the High Seas. Maybe Not for Long

High Seas Treaty sees surge in nations ratifying it at UN Ocean Conference, needs just 11 more

(Newser) - Eighteen countries ratified the High Seas Treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49—just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support, occurring during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, adds momentum to what could become a historic...

International Fleet Carries Message on Protecting Oceans

Advocates to push for ratifying treaty at UN conference

(Newser) - A fleet of 30 research and exploration vessels from around the world set sail just off the French coastal city of Nice on Sunday to kick off the third UN Ocean Conference and mark World Oceans Day. The event themed "Ocean Wonders" will see the vessels sail across Nice'...

US Move Called a 'Green Light for Continued Annihilation'

US again vetoes a UN resolution demanding immediate Gaza ceasefire

(Newser) - The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza because it was not linked to the release of hostages, saying it would embolden Hamas militants, the AP reports. All 14 other members of the council voted in favor of the...

Israeli Troops Open Fire Near Gaza Food Site, Killing Dozens

Aid groups criticize new food distribution system amid deadly chaos

(Newser) - Israeli troops shot and killed at least 27 Palestinians near a new food distribution site in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, per the New York Times . The Washington Post reports that number is 31. Dozens more were wounded. The Israeli military said the gunfire,...

Iran Is Stockpiling Uranium During US Talks: Agency

Report figures there's enough for about 10 nuclear weapons

(Newser) - Even as it negotiates with the US on limiting its weapons program, a new United Nations report says, Iran has roughly doubled its stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium in the past quarter—a rate of about one nuclear weapon's worth per month. Based on International Atomic Energy Agency measures, that...

UN Humanitarian Chief: 14K Gaza Babies in Immediate Peril

Tom Fletcher says they could die within next 48 hours if Israel doesn't allow much more aid in

(Newser) - An international report from earlier this month noted that the Gaza Strip is "teetering on the edge of famine," as food supplies dwindle down to nothing and aid trucks are denied entry. Now, the head of the United Nations' humanitarian arm has issued a dire warning about the...

Report: 500K Face Starvation in Gaza

Famine likely as humanitarian aid remains blocked, per IPC

(Newser) - A new international report says Gaza is teetering on the edge of famine, with nearly half a million residents already facing catastrophic levels of hunger. As food runs out and aid remains blocked, the warning signs are only growing, per the AP . Citing Israel's blockade and ongoing military...

US Sides With Russia Over UN Resolution on War

America votes against measure condemning Moscow for Ukraine war

(Newser) - The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned Russia for the war in Ukraine on Monday, though the US joined Moscow in voting against the measure, reports the Washington Post . Others in the "no" camp included North Korea and Belarus. The final vote on the resolution put forth by Ukraine—which...

UN Report: Russia Is Executing More POWs

Witnesses say injured troops also are being killed

(Newser) - Russian armed forces have executed at least 79 captured Ukrainian soldiers since the end of August, a UN body reports, saying the total represents an "alarming rise." Killing prisoners of war and wounded troops is regarded as a war crime under international humanitarian law. "Many Ukrainian soldiers...

With Ceasefires in Balance, Israeli Fire Kills 22 in Lebanon

UN urges both sides to recommit to agreements

(Newser) - Israeli forces killed 22 people and wounded 124 in southern Lebanon, that nation's health ministry said, and maintained their deployment past Sunday's withdrawal deadline. Thousands of residents returned to their homes near the border, the BBC reports, despite being warned of the danger and an Israeli order not...

Global Reaction to Collapse Is Hopeful

UN envoy calls for urgent talks in Geneva

(Newser) - Global response to the end of President Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria included expressions of optimism that the nation can emerge from what a UN envoy called "this dark chapter" to establish a government that respects peace and human rights. President Biden addressed the US on Sunday about...

'Home Is the Most Dangerous Place for Women and Girls': UN

An average of 140 females were killed each day in 2023 by a partner or relative

(Newser) - The deadliest place for women is at home, and 140 women and girls on average were killed by an intimate partner or family member per day last year, two UN agencies reported Monday. Globally, an intimate partner or family member was responsible for the deaths of approximately 51,100 women...

Musk's Meeting With Iran Envoy 'Could Be a Very Big Deal'

Iranian officials tell NYT that billionaire Trump adviser had 'positive' talk with Iran's UN envoy

(Newser) - When he's not running Tesla, SpaceX, and X, or prepping for his new role in the "Department of Government Efficiency," Elon Musk has been taking some meetings. That list includes Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, who met with the tech billionaire at...

Iran Helped Make Houthis a Powerful Force: UN Experts

Attacks at sea are on a scale not seen since World War II, report says

(Newser) - Yemen's Houthi rebels have been transformed from a local armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organization with support from Iran, Iraqi armed groups, Lebanon's Hezbollah militants, and others, UN experts said in a new report. The Iranian-backed Houthis have exploited the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza...

Israel Blocks UN Agency Aiding Palestinian Refugees

Netanyahu has accused employees of involvement in terrorism

(Newser) - Israel's parliament overwhelmingly passed legislation on Monday banning a United Nations agency supplying essential services to Palestinian refugees from operating in territory it occupies, a move that could exact a high humanitarian cost. The US is among the nations expressing concern about the decision, CNN reports. "There's...

Latest Count: 1B People Live in Acute Poverty

More than half the global total are children, UN and Oxford programs find

(Newser) - More than 1 billion people live in acute poverty, over half are children, and nearly 40% live in conflict-torn and fragile countries, according to a report released Thursday. The report by the UN Development Program and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative at the University of Oxford also said...

Israel Bars UN Chief: 'Stain on the History of the UN'

Foreign minister claims Antonio Guterres is backing 'terrorists, rapists, and murderers'

(Newser) - Israel just declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to be a "persona non grata" and banned him from the country. Foreign Minister Israel Katz made the announcement Wednesday, saying the Portuguese diplomat, "a stain on the history of the UN," failed to "unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous...

At UN, Russia and China Warn About Ukraine

Sergey Lavrov brings up nuclear risk, while Wang Yi pushes against expanding the war

(Newser) - Russia's top diplomat warned Saturday against "trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power," delivering a UN General Assembly speech packed with condemnations of what Russia sees as Western machinations in Ukraine and elsewhere—including inside the United Nations itself. In his address, per the AP...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser