"U.N. satellite imagery experts have determined that material that could be used to make biological or chemical weapons and banned long-range missiles has been removed from 109 sites in Iraq, U.N. weapons inspectors said in a report obtained Thursday." More...
Selected summary of United Nations related news and events
AIDS Spreading Faster than Efforts to Stop It
Annan Calls for Collective Action, Strong Leadership to Turn Back HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Schwarzenegger Unveiling Global Warming Plan at U.N. Conference
It's Crunch Time at the United Nations
United Nations Game a Surprise Hit
"Iraq's environmental problems - among the world's worst - range from a looted nuclear site which needs cleaning up to sabotaged oil pipelines, a U.N. official said on Thursday.
"An improvement is almost impossible in these security conditions. Chemicals are seeping into groundwater and the situation is becoming worse and creating additional health problems," said Pekka Haavisto, Iraq task force chairman at the United Nations Environmental Programme." Full Story
A sampling of United Nations related blog commentary
LEFT COASTER: "Perhaps we know now why the White House is fighting so furiously to prevent the Senate Intelligence Committee from getting all of the documents wanted by committee Democrats to evaluate the fitness of John Bolton to be our UN ambassador. According to Wednesday's New York Times previewed in the International Herald Tribune, it has been leaked by administration sources that what the White House is refusing to release to the committee are reports that Bolton obtained from the NSA by way of a special request."
CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS: "Condoleezza Rice revealed in a speech yesterday that a consortium of nations, including the US, stopped nuclear material from reaching Iran as well as other rogue nations over the last nine months. The participating nations of the Proliferation Security Initiative have quietly cooperated on eleven interdictions during that time, at least one of those directly involving Teheran... UPDATE: Who was the man who made the diplomatic arrangements to get over 60 nations involved in PSI? Why ... none other than that hardass meanie, John Bolton. Go figure."
Selected summary of United Nations related news and events
UN Extends Iraq Force Mandate
Annan Fires Joseph Stephanides for 'Serious Misconduct' Linked to Oil-for-Food
U.N. Training Iraqis in Jordan to Measure Radiation from Depleted Uranium
UN intellectual property watchdog launches online forum on information society
From President Bush's press conference, 5/31/05:
"[T]he reason I picked Bolton is he's a no-nonsense kind of fellow who can get things done. And we need to get something done in the United Nations. This is an organization which is important. It can help a lot in terms of the democracy movement; it can help deal with conflict and civil war."
"UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has reiterated his call to world leaders to revisit the issue of nuclear non-proliferation following the failure of a conference to adopt new measures to stem the spread of nuclear weapons." Read more...