UN assembly approves resolution granting Palestine new rights and reviving its UN membership bid

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on Friday to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to reconsider Palestine's request to become the 194th member of the United Nations. The world body approved the...

Somalia wants to terminate the UN political mission assisting peace efforts in the country

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Somalia is asking the United Nations to terminate its political mission in the country, which has been assisting the government to bring peace and stability in the face of attacks by the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab. In a letter to the Security...

UN assembly votes by a wide margin to give Palestine new rights and urges Security Council to revive its membership bid

Russia is violating UN limits on petroleum shipments to North Korea, the White House says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia is shipping refined petroleum to North Korea at levels that exceed U.N. Security Council limits, the White House said Thursday, signaling it will impose new sanctions against those involved in facilitating the transfers. The United Nations had set an...

Russia proposes UN resolution on banning weapons in space, after vetoing similar UN-Japan draft

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia has circulated a U.N. resolution calling on all countries to take urgent action to prevent putting weapons in outer space “for all time” a week after it vetoed a U.S.-Japan resolution to stop an arms race in space. The Russian draft resolution,...

Envoy says US is determined to monitor North Korean nukes, through UN or otherwise

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and its allies are discussing options “both inside and outside the U.N. system” to create a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, the American ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday. ...

UN envoy lashes out at Libya's feuding parties and their foreign backers, then says he's resigned

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, lashed out at the country’s feuding parties and their foreign backers at a U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday and then confirmed he had submitted his resignation. The former Senegalese minister and U.N....

IAEA warns that attacks on a nuclear plant in Russian-controlled Ukraine put the world at risk

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and Ukraine on Monday traded blame before the United Nations Security Council for the attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said have put the world “dangerously close to a nuclear accident.” ...

The Security Council revives the Palestinian Authority’s UN hopes. The US says not yet

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Monday revived the Palestinian Authority's hopes of joining the United Nations as a full member. But the United States said relations between Israel and the Palestinians are far from ripe. That all but quashes the Palestinian...

Russia and West join forces to tackle trade in 'blood diamonds' despite feud over Moscow's diamonds

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and its Western allies are feuding with Russia over its diamond production, but they joined forces Wednesday to keep supporting the Kimberley Process, which aims to eliminate the trade in “blood diamonds” that helped fuel devastating conflicts in...