Russia and China continue to obstruct and criticize international attempts to address the situation in Syria. On Friday, Russian diplomats criticized a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Syria as an open appeal to military intervention. The UN rights body resolution passed by a 37-4 margin, with China, Russia, Cuba and Ecuador voting…

The world economy is on the brink of another recession and prospects for recovery will worsen unless the international community can strengthen cooperation, says the UN’s 2012 Report on World Economic Situation and Prospects. “We have a situation where we may well be at risk of a double dip. In…

With the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party likely to play an important role in the country’s next government, some observers are concerned the US Congress could cut funding to Egypt, one of America’s most important Arab partners and beneficiaries of foreign aid.  US foreign assistance to Egypt is set…

Calls came today for concerted and tough international action against the Assad regime in Syria on the heels of a fresh report on repression by the Syrian government against its population. A new UN-mandated report said the Syrian government of Bashar Al Assad and its security forces have coordinated a…

The Egyptian military’s crackdown on demonstrators is further destabilizing the country ahead of its landmark election scheduled for next week, says the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.  In a statement today, the UN rights chief called on Egypt’s military leaders to stop operations against demonstrators and…

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo was in Tripoli today to discuss how local officials intend to proceed with the detention of Saif Gaddafi,who faces charges before the ICC.  Gaddafi was captured by rebel fighter in Libya’s southern desert Saturday and is reportedly being held in an undisclosed…

While addressing an audience at the National Press Club (NPC) on Tuesday, Saudi Arabian Prince Turki Al Faisal called out President Obama for letting the Palestinians down at the UN General Assembly. “When you have a president in the United States who calls for a two-state solution…and says, ‘within a…

Indications are that Iran has been working on technologies specific to nuclear weaponry, says a long awaited report from the UN Nuclear energy agency. The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency outlines four activities allegedly carried out by Iranian regime it says are relevant to the development of a…

A French media organization says President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy both complained about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a private bilateral meeting that was mistakenly broadcast to a media conference room during last week’s G-20 summit in France.  Web-based news site Arret Sur Image reported that…

 The United States is pushing hard to avoid a showdown next Friday in New York, where the Security Council is scheduled to announce a decision on Palestine’s application for full UN membership. Although the United States has repeatedly said it would block any attempt to pass the resolution, the Obama…