United Nations news stories on Newser

UN Suspects North Korea Shipped Weapons to Syria

Matt Cantor — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:35:05 CDT

UN officials fear North Korea may be involved in arms deals with Syria and Burma. Pyongyang "continues actively to defy" UN sanctions, says an unpublished panel report viewed by Reuters that cites "illicit sales of arms and related materiel and luxury goods." According to the report, in 2010 France discovered...

Inside Iran's Nuclear Site

Sun, 13 May 2012 13:40:52 CDT

A drawing provided to the AP is said to come from inside an Iranian military site and to show a structure used in secret work on nuclear arms. The image shows the type of explosives containment chamber needed for such tests that UN inspectors suspect Tehran has conducted at the...

UN Monitors Arrive as Syria Shells Homs

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:06:00 CDT

The first UN monitors have arrived in Syria just as the promised ceasefire appears to be going up in smoke with the government's shelling of Homs. Some 25 were killed in attacks yesterday, reports the BBC . Six UN observers have arrived in Damascus. The remaining 25 are expected to arrive...

North Korea Escapes UN Penalties, for Now

John Johnson — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:02:37 CDT

The UN Security Council criticized North Korea today for its attempt to launch a rocket but didn't impose sanctions or other penalties. US ambassador Susan Rice said the council "deplored this launch" and agreed to "continue consultations on an appropriate response." The Washington Post says some council members, including China,...

1 Dead as Syria Protests Test Ceasefire

Matt Cantor — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:47:41 CDT

Syria's fragile ceasefire seems to be largely holding, as renewed protests today put it to its first real test. But one Hama protester was shot dead by security forces as thousands of protesters again took to the streets, reports the BBC, while the New York Times notes that clashes had...

Turkey: Syria Firing Across Our Border

Matt Cantor — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:37:44 CDT

Syrian government forces killed two and wounded three in a cross-border shooting into Turkey yesterday, according to Turkish officials. The shots, which rang out near one of the biggest Syrian refugee camps, came days before a UN-brokered cease-fire was set to begin, further indicating that the deal is on thin...

Syria Escalates Violence, Cease-Fire In Danger

Kevin Spak — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:06:05 CDT

Syria is just days away from its cease-fire deadline, but the regime sent tanks and troops into a Damascus suburb yesterday, escalating the conflict in defiance of the Kofi Annan-brokered peace plan. "Clearly the violence is still continuing at alarming levels," Annan told the UN General Assembly yesterday, according to...

UN: Syria Ceasefire in Place by April 12

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:00:00 CDT

Fierce clashes continue to erupt in Syria, even as the UN's deadline for a ceasefire looms a week from today. Kofi Annan's peace plan requires Syrian troops to withdraw from towns and cities by April 10 , and the UN expects both sides to stop fighting within two days afterward, the...

Mali's 'Very Existence' Threatened by Coup

Matt Cantor — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:58:20 CDT

Since we last checked in, the situation in Mali following a soldiers' coup has spiraled, with rising concerns over food and gas shortages, violence, and indeed the country's "very existence," according to Le Monde . An update: The coup has driven more than 200,000 people from their homes to other...