United Nations

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Elon Musk, AI Experts Warn of 'Pandora's Box' of Weapons

Open letter asks for ban of autonomous 'killer robots'

(Newser) - Elon Musk's wariness on artificial intelligence is well documented, and he just stepped up his anti-robot efforts with a note to the United Nations. The Guardian reports that the Tesla CEO and Alphabet's Mustafa Suleyman, along with nearly 120 robotics and AI specialists from more than two dozen... More »

China Warns North Korea on Missile Tests: Be 'Smart'

Beijing's warning comes a day after the UN imposed new sanctions on North Korea

(Newser) - China appeared to give a boost to US efforts to curtail North Korea's nuclear program on Sunday, one day after the United Nations voted to impose new sanctions on the country. After meeting North Korea's top diplomat, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged North Korea to make the... More »

UN Security Council Passes New Sanctions on North Korea

They could cut North Korea's yearly export revenue by a third

(Newser) - The UN Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions against North Korea on Saturday in response to recent ballistic missile tests, CNN reports. According to Reuters , the new sanctions ban North Korean exports of coal, iron, lead, seafood, and more. It also bans countries from bringing in more North Korean laborers... More »

US Tells UN We Intend to Get Out of Paris Climate Deal

But the process hasn't formally begun

(Newser) - The Trump administration on Friday officially told the United Nations that the US intends to pull out of the 2015 Paris climate pact. But the State Department's announcement doesn't formally start the process of the US getting out of the voluntary agreement. That's still to come. Still,... More »

UN Ineffective? Not According to New Study

Researchers finds UN successfully reduces chance of war breaking out

(Newser) - There are some that would accuse the United Nations of being ineffective or—as researcher Scott Pauls puts it—simply "a witness of changing policy preferences" in the world. But that's far from the case, according to a study of 65 years of UN voting records published in... More »

For First Time, World Has Treaty to Ban Nukes

But the nations that already have them boycotted

(Newser) - Those who want to rid the world of nuclear weapons can celebrate a milestone at the UN Friday—122 nations backed the first global treaty to ban them. The big caveat? The nine nations known to have a nuclear arsenal, including the US, boycotted the negotiations, reports the Guardian . So... More »

Secret UN Holocaust Files Contain 'New Evidence'

UN War Crimes Commission archive will be made public

(Newser) - In late 1944, the UN War Crimes Commission indicted Adolf Hitler in secret, and it's far from the only clandestine thing related to the commission, which was commissioned before the actual United Nations was in 1945. As the Guardian reports, the secret material held in the UNWCC's archive... More »

US: No More Funding for UN Population Fund

Group's supposed support of 'coercive abortion' in China cost it: State Dept.

(Newser) - Just days after he took office in January, President Trump put back in place the "Mexico City policy" that keeps federal funds from being funneled to international aid organizations that provide abortions, or even info about them. Now the United States has officially yanked US donations from the United... More »

Subway's 'Penis Seat' Is Getting Some Attention

Mexico City takes on sexual harassment with eye-popping commuter prop

(Newser) - Shaking heads. Disgusted looks. Giggles. These are all reactions you'll spot in a YouTube video documenting a Mexico City subway experiment that definitely caught commuters' attention. In what's described as an empathy-building campaign, the city's government teamed up with UN Women to create the #NoEsDeHombres campaign (per... More »

2 UN Experts Who Vanished in Congo Found in Grave

Michael Sharp, Zaida Catalan went missing on March 12

(Newser) - Since 2004, the UN has named six experts to compose the UN Group of Experts on Congo; on Monday, the bodies of two of them were discovered in a shallow grave. American Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan, a Swede, went missing March 12 while in the central Kasai province, where... More »

As the World Starts Talks on Banning Nukes, US Boycotts

And it's not alone

(Newser) - Monday saw the start of UN talks focused on a noble goal: banning nuclear weapons across our planet. It was the result of a 2016 vote that saw more than 100 countries in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution to kick off such talks, which are aimed at ultimately... More »

American Abducted in Democratic Republic of Congo

Michael Sharp was working for the UN when he was taken Sunday

(Newser) - A 34-year-old American UN worker was abducted Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is currently missing, Al Jazeera reports. According to NBC News , Michael Sharp was traveling through the African nation on motorcycle with a group that included another UN worker, three local drivers, and a translator. All... More »

UN: North Korea Tried to Sell Nuclear Weapon Material

State-owned corporation offered lithium-6 online

(Newser) - Another alarming North Korea development: The country tried to sell a key material for fueling nuclear weapons to unidentified international buyers last year, according to a United Nations report. UN investigators say the material a state-owned company tried to sell online was lithium-6, which experts say can be used to... More »

Nearly 1.4M Children Face 'Imminent Death': UN

Famine in South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen endangers children

(Newser) - The UN children's agency is warning that almost 1.4 million children are at "imminent risk of death" as famine threatens parts of South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen, the AP reports. The UNICEF announcement comes a day after famine was declared in parts of Unity state in... More »

National Zoo Says Last Goodbye to Bao Bao

Panda cub leaves DC to take part in breeding program in China

(Newser) - The National Zoo in Washington is saying a final goodbye to its panda cub Bao Bao. The zoo is packing up the US-born panda for a one-way flight Tuesday to China, where the 3-year-old will eventually join a breeding program, the AP reports. Bao Bao is scheduled to leave the... More »

Russia's Ambassador to UN Dies in NYC

Vitaly Churkin was 64; cause of death unknown

(Newser) - Russian officials say its ambassador to the United Nations has died suddenly in New York City. Vitaly Churkin was 64. Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, told the AP that Churkin became ill in his office at Russia's UN mission and was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where... More »

Nikki Haley: US Is 'Taking Names' at the UN

She says Trump administration plans UN overhaul

(Newser) - Looks like Nikki Haley has been instructed to make the United Nations great again. America's new ambassador to the UN presented her credentials to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York yesterday and told reporters that the Trump administration plans to overhaul the body and is "taking names" of... More »

Senate Confirms Trump Pick for UN Ambassador

Nikki Haley approved by 96-4 vote

(Newser) - The Senate confirmed President Trump's pick for US ambassador to the United Nations by a decisive margin Tuesday as GOP-led committees paved the way for three more of his Cabinet nominees to be approved just days into the new administration, the AP reports. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won... More »

UN Backs Russian-Turkish Efforts for Peace in Syria

Meanwhile on the ground, the cease-fire is wavering

(Newser) - The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations, the AP reports. The resolution approved Saturday afternoon also calls for the "rapid, safe, and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria. And... More »

Israel: We've Got Proof Obama Set Up UN Resolution

Says it's ready to hand 'evidence' right over to President-elect Trump

(Newser) - Israel has been voicing its displeasure about the United States' abstention from a UN Security Council vote Friday that called for an end to illegal Israeli settlements. So has Donald Trump, who's vowed "things will be different after Jan. 20th." Now Israel is offering the president-elect what... More »

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