Brazil and Germany have formally presented an anti-spying draft resolution to the UN General Assembly amid the US surveillance scandal. On Thursday, the jointly sponsored Brazilian-German resolution was introduced to the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee. “Today, there seem to be hardly any technical limitations for accessing, storing or combining personal data. But should everything... 

Twenty-one countries, including US allies France and Mexico, have now joined talks to hammer out a UN resolution that would condemn “indiscriminate” and “extra-territorial” surveillance, and ensure “independent oversight” of electronic monitoring. The news was reported by Foreign Policy magazine, which has also obtained a copy of the draft text. The resolution was proposed earlier this... 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un China says it will not abandon North Korea and sanctions are not the ‘fundamental way’ to resolve the issues pertaining to North Korea, despite Beijing’s support for a recent UN resolution against Pyongyang. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at a news conference on Saturday that Beijing’s backing of a new series of UN sanctions against Pyongyang should... 

China’s President Hu Jintao Wednesday warned French leader Nicolas Sarkozy that air strikes on Libya could violate the “original intention” of the UN resolution authorising them if civilians suffer. The tough talk from Hu came during a meeting at the start of Sarkozy’s mini-tour of Asia, which will include a G20 meeting on global monetary reform and a stop in disaster-struck... 

Muammar Gaddafi says the UN resolution authorising international military intervention in Libya is “invalid”. The Libyan leader says he sent a message to US President Barack Obama defending his decision to attack rebel cities: “If you found them taking over American cities by the force of arms, tell me what you would do.” The statement came from the government spokesman at... 

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich Russia says it regrets that the Western countries decided to take military action against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who has been cracking down on revolutionaries in the country. A statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich on Saturday said, “Air force units from a host of countries began military actions... 

A French Rafale fighter plane takes off from the Saomt-Dizier military base in France today bound for Libya to enforce a no-fly zone. The image was provided by the French Ministry of Defence. The Pentagon has confirmed that that U.S. has launched missile strikes against Libya’s air defence network as a coalition of forces begin a no-fly zone over the north African nation even though a recent... 

An Israeli border police officer walks out from a Palestinian house during clashes with Palestinian demonstrators during a protest against the expansion of the nearby Jewish settlement of Halamish in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. The United States has vetoed a draft UN resolution condemning the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, turning a deaf ear to international... 

A partially built Israeli 'separation barrier' and the sprawling Gilo neighborhood (Right) as seen from the Palestinian village of Walaje. Washington is desperately trying to head off a United Nations resolution condemning Jewish settlements in Jerusalem and the disputed West Bank territories that is presenting Barack Obama with one of the most acute dilemmas of his presidency. Senior Palestinian... 

Israel will not heed President Barack Obama’s powerful appeal to halt all settlement activity on lands the Palestinians claim for a future state, officials said Friday, a position that looks sure to cause a policy clash with its most important ally. The government plans to allow construction inside existing West Bank settlements to accommodate for growing families, said the officials. In...