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In Single Secret Ballot, General Assembly Elects 14 Member States to Three-Year Terms on Human Rights Council The General Assembly yesterday elected 14 States to serve on the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe. Those elected were Algeria, China, Cuba, France, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom and Viet Nam. All would serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2014. To read more about the election procedure click here. Notably and infamously, there are six…
staff: In a matter of hours on Friday, Typhoon Haiyan completely devastated parts of the central Philippines. It was one of the strongest storms ever recorded. The death toll is estimated up to 10,000 with hundreds of thousands more displaced. The country has declared a “state of calamity.” To all our friends and family in the Philippines, our hearts and thoughts are with you — and we want to make sure you’re aware of the online resources to find loved ones or request rescue. To everyone else, please help those desperate for clean water and food by donating to the…
I know it’s a cliché, but time really does fly! While our scary horror Halloween party is still yet to happen due to scheduling issues, Pinterest, as well as malls and supermarkets are already flooded with Christmas stuff. And for me it somehow feels like summer just ended. How about you all? Meanwhile, this was a really busy week in world affairs with a lot of great reads on my favorite blogs. On world affairs: 3 Reasons Why this Iran Breakthrough is a Very. Big. Deal We don’t know how big of a deal exactly it is yet, as talks…
Kerry Joins European Officials at Iran Nuclear Talks In Geneva, Secretary of State John Kerry sought to temper rising expectations of an imminent deal, saying, “There are important gaps that have to be closed.” (…) “Mr. Kerry will meet with Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, who oversees the multiparty negotiations, about 6 p.m. Before that, he will hold separate meetings with Ms. Ashton; the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius; and the British foreign secretary, William Hague, as the major powers coordinate their own bargaining positions. The German foreign minister, Guido…
breakingnews: Kerry arrives in Geneva for much-anticipated Iran nuclear talks NBC News: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry joined international representatives from the United Kingdom, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday to push toward the first phase of a nuclear deal with Iran. The dignitaries are all expected to meet with Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, NBC News reports. “I want to emphasize there are still some very important issues on the table that are unresolved. It is important for those to be properly, thoroughly addressed,” Kerry said upon arriving in Geneva. Follow updates at BreakingNews.com. Photo: Secretary of…
Happy Sunday, everyone! This past one turned out to be only a two day working week for me. I was not so politely asked by my not so polite superior to take some days off while she’s going to be in the office, so we are not gonna have to meet. At one point in my forced holiday (that I have spent out of town) I was even grateful for her, feeling that I really needed these days off. Nevertheless, I spent some time thinking about my future in this job where I mostly have to spend 10+ hours per…
From the archive: 20 years since the Maastricht treaty The Treaty of Maastricht that created the European Union out of the European Communities and introduced the co-decision procedure in order to strenghten the European Parliament and the people of Europe just turned 20. So much has happened in Europe in the past 20 years…
Syria Completes Destruction Activities to Render Inoperable Chemical Weapons Production Facilities and Mixing/Filling Plants “The Joint Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons – United Nations Mission confirmed today that the government of the Syrian Arab Republic has completed the functional destruction of critical equipment for all of its declared chemical weapons production facilities and mixing/filling plants, rendering them inoperable." The news came after yesterday UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi held talks with Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, where the Syrian leader kept insisting there is no need for international intervention in his country, the Syrian people will decide on peace…
Hope you all had a great week and an even better weekend! Here’s a few news stories to look back to: On world affairs: EU reaction to the NSA Affair Well, hacking world leaders’ cell phones is a serious issue. I would even double Lawfare’s Ingrid Wuerth calling it a diplomatic disaster. It is still unclear though how deep this will impact EU-US relations. UPR and Israel Israel has refused to atted its review session of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, being the first state ever to do so. The rescheduled review is about to take place…
united-nations: Marking UN Day on Thursday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reminds us of the millions of people depend on UN humanitarian personnel for life-saving assistance and says that in a world that is more connected, we must be more united. Read his full message at http://j.mp/OZ8tA8 Find out more about UN Day at http://j.mp/OZ8tA8
