South Africa Abstains From Voting in the UN Security Council on the Situation in Syria

South Africa has abstained from the vote in the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the situation in Syria, instead calling on the opposition in that country to participate in the political process to bring about peace and stability.

U.N. Security Council Fails in Its Responsibility By Not Passing a Resolution Condemning Syria

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.N. Security Council has failed in its responsibility by not passing a resolution condemning Syria for its brutal crackdown on civilian protesters.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has Criticized U.S. Lawmakers for Suspending $200m in Aid for Palestinian Territories

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has criticized U.S. lawmakers for suspending $200 million in aid slated to fund development projects in the Palestinian territories.

Syria Says Authorities have Seized a Cache of Weapons Smuggled Into the Country From Neighboring Turkey

Syria says authorities have seized a cache of weapons smuggled into the country from neighboring Turkey. The state-run SANA news agency said Monday the weapons included more than 150 shotguns and Kalashnikov rifles, along with several rocket-propelled...

HRH Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain Honors U.N. World Habitat Day

In honor of U.N. World Habitat Day, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa called on the international community to mobilize and take the necessary measures to address potential risks resulting from climate change and address the need...

Educated for War?

The most striking sentence in Patricia Storace’s review of David Grossman’s novel To the End of the Land for the October 13 issue of The New York Review of Books and now available for all to read online comes at the very end of her analysis: Yet...

Portugal And the United States Criticize Israeli Settlement Plan

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Portas Tuesday criticized Israel’s announced intention to build 1100 new Jewish housing units in East Jerusalem. The United States and Portugal are pushing an international plan...

Security Council to Convene in a Formal Meeting Wednesday to Consider Palestine’s Application for Membership

The U.N. Security Council on Monday took up the issue of the Palestinian bid for full U.N. membership. The meeting was mostly procedural and that the council is expected to meet again on the subject later this week.

Iraqi President Seeks Investors During United Nations Speech

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has invited other nations to invest in Iraq, saying the country is restoring its strength after decades of internal and external war and international sanctions.