Anger: Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the UN, walked out of a security council meeting after Russia and China vetoed a resolution on Syria America’s ambassador to the U.N. stormed out of a security council meeting after China and Russia vetoed a resolution condemning Syria’s crackdown on anti-government protests. Furious Susan Rice claimed Washington was ‘outraged’ by opposition... 

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin Russia and China have vetoed a Western-backed United Nations Security Council resolution threatening military action and sanctions against Syria. On Tuesday, nine countries voted for the text drawn up by France, Britain, Germany and Portugal, but Russia and China voted against, killing the resolution because of their veto power as permanent members of Security... 

All four ex-ministers were accused of calling for the massacre of Tutsis in meetings and speeches Two former Rwandan ministers have been sentenced to 30 years in jail by the UN war crimes tribunal for involvement in Rwanda’s genocide in 1994. Former civil service minister Prosper Mugiraneza and former trade minister Justin Mugenzi were convicted of complicity to commit genocide and incitement... 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas The Palestinian Authority has claimed its people are victims of “collective punishment” after accusing the United States of blocking $200 million in aid in response to President Mahmoud Abbas’s application for UN statehood. The freeze on funds, which has been unpublicised, was reportedly put in place in August, ahead of Mr Abbas’s planned... 

France’s UN Ambassador Gerard Araud warned Wednesday, Sept. 28 that Iran runs a high risk of a military strike if it continues on the path to nuclear proliferation. “Some countries won’t accept the prospect of Tehran reaching the threshold of nuclear armament,” he said. “Personally I am convinced that it would be a very complicated operation …with disastrous consequences... 

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has gone on the warpath against the West at the United Nations again, sparking a mass walkout by outraged US and European delegations. The Iranian leader accused the US of using the “mysterious” September 11 attacks as a “pretext” to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. He also repeated comments casting doubt on the origins of the Holocaust... 

Mahmoud Abbas In the whirr of diplomacy taking place at the United Nations, the case for and against statehood recognition for the Palestinians has become almost an afterthought. Rather, two countries, the United States and Israel, are going to great lengths to avert the embarrassing consequences of an expected application. Great pressure is being placed on the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas,... 

China on Tuesday said it backs Palestine’s efforts to seek recognition by the United Nations. “China understands, respects and supports Palestine’s bid for UN membership,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said at a daily press briefing on Tuesday. Hong’s comments came after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday that he will formally apply... 

The Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, warned on Wednesday that a possible unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood will have “serious consequences.” The statement comes after the Organization for the Liberation of Palestine (PLO) reiterated on Tuesday that they will request from the United Nations the above mentioned admission. Lieberman made the remarks during a conference... 

Russia put its growing ties with Israel to the test on Monday by announcing plans to back a controversial Palestinian bid to win UN statehood despite strong resistance from the Jewish state. The decision does not come as an outright surprise but still underscores the growing diplomatic isolation Israel finds itself in following a violent new flare-up in relations with regional powers Egypt and Turkey. Russia’s... 

United Nations health officials have warned of serious cholera outbreaks in various regions of the already famine-stricken Somalia. The World Health Organization (WHO) says some 4,272 cases of acute watery diarrhea have been recorded in the capital Mogadishu so far this year. The agency says more than 180 people have already fallen victim to the disease in Mogadishu and surrounding areas and that... 

At least 38 people have been killed after Syrian tanks launched an offensive on another rebel town on Sunday. The attack came as the UN appealed for an immediate halt to violence in the country. Syrian troops stormed several other cities on Sunday raising the overall death toll to 69, according to Reuters news agency. Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reported about 52 victims. Over 100 are reported... 

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton disembarks from her plane upon her arrival in Athens, as she continues her regional diplomatic tour, Saturday, July 16, 2011. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has begun a visit to Greece after telling officials in Turkey she wants to see an early solution to the Cyprus dispute. Clinton’s talks with Greek officials will also cover that country’s... 

The BBC's Will Ross describes the celebrations in the capital Juba. South Sudan has become the world’s newest nation, the climax of a process made possible by the 2005 peace deal that ended a long and bloody civil war. Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among international dignitaries attending celebrations in the capital, Juba. Sudan earlier became... 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under increasing pressure from the United States to accept President Barack Obama’s peace proposal, Haaretz has reported today. According to an Israeli source, Washington is becoming frustrated with Netanyahu’s behaviour, and feels that he is deliberately hindering US efforts to prevent the Palestinians from seeking UN recognition of statehood...