site.news_by_theme Ban Ki-moon
Olympics: Russia plans glitzy ceremony to sway sceptical world
Russia on Friday officially opens in Sochi its first ever Winter Olympics with a lavish ceremony attended by dozens of heads of state and aimed at impressing a sceptical world with an unforgettable spectacle.
07 February 2014
Syria, UN in Homs aid deal as Aleppo fighting hots up
Aid operations were due to start in besieged areas of Homs Friday, a US official said, as Syria and the UN agreed to hold a "humanitarian pause" on fighting in the devastated city.
07 February 2014
US diplomat sorry for cursing EU in bugged Ukraine call
The United States tried Thursday to defuse a potential row with its European allies after the leak of an embarrassing phone call in which a top US diplomat cursed the EU response to the Ukraine crisis.
07 February 2014
Top US diplomat for Europe caught swearing about EU
Washington's new top diplomat for Europe, Victoria Nuland, has been apparently caught being decidedly undiplomatic about her EU allies in a phone call about Ukraine posted Thursday on YouTube.
07 February 2014
Google Doodle flies gay flag for Sochi Olympics
Google marked the Winter Games in Sochi by flying the gay flag in a search page Doodle that linked to a call for equality in the Olympic Charter.
07 February 2014
Syria, spying, Iran in focus at global security meet
Global leaders from politics, defence and diplomacy meet in Germany from Friday to discuss conflict hotspots and looming threats, from Syria and Afghanistan to East Asia and Africa.
29 January 2014
UN's Ban hails 'historic milestone' in Tunisia
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Tunisia's adoption of a new constitution on Sunday, declaring it a "historic milestone" and a model for other countries seeking reform.
27 January 2014
No hint of compromise as Syria peace talks enter day two
Syria's peace conference moved into a second day Thursday with the warring sides showing no willingness to compromise as global powers seek to engineer head-to-head talks on ending the bloodshed.
23 January 2014
Donors in major fundraising push for Syria
Donors gathered in Kuwait Wednesday in a major fundraising drive for 13 million Syrians affected by war following a record UN appeal for $6.5 billion.
15 January 2014
Iran's Zarif to visit Syria ahead of peace talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is due to travel to Tehran ally Damascus in the next few days, media reported Sunday, amid preparations for a Syria peace conference.
13 January 2014
Israel unveils 1,800 settler homes after Kerry visit
Israel unveiled plans Friday for more than 1,800 new settler homes in a move the Palestinians said was aimed at forcing Washington to abandon its Middle East peace drive.
12 January 2014
Deadlocked Bangladesh swears in contested parliament
Bangladesh's newly elected lawmakers took the parliamentary oath on Thursday after an election condemned as a farce by critics, with the country's battling political leaders still locked in a deadly confrontation
09 January 2014
Russia buries dead as bombings toll hits 33
Russia beefed up security and mourned its dead on Tuesday as the toll from jarring successive-day suicide strikes in the run-up to the Sochi Winter Olympic Games rose to 33.
31 December 2013
Putin to keep within the law in terror hunt: UN
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Monday to stay within international law in the hunt for the perpetrators of two bomb attacks in the city of Volgograd, the United Nations said.
31 December 2013
Syria views Saudi as number one enemy
Syria now views Saudi Arabia as its number one enemy and accuses it of trying to destroy the country by arming jihadists and other rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
22 December 2013
S. Sudan at 'precipice' amid growing violence: Obama
US President Barack Obama warned that South Sudan stands at the "precipice" of renewed civil war, amid spiralling violence including an attack on a UN base that killed three Indian peacekeepers.
20 December 2013
Up to 500 dead in South Sudan clashes: UN
Clashes between rival army factions in South Sudan have left up to 500 dead and 800 wounded, a top UN official told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
18 December 2013
UN chief says Syria chemical attackers should be sanctioned
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on the international community Friday to sanction those responsible for Syrian chemical weapons attacks documented in a newly released report.
15 December 2013
UN leader calls for speedy Maldives vote
UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Monday joined international opposition to the cancellation of a presidential election in the Maldives that has heightened tensions in the Indian Ocean nation.
21 October 2013
UN Council backs Ban's Syria disarmament plan
The UN Security Council on Thursday backed a plan by UN leader Ban Ki-moon for a joint mission with the global chemical arms watchdog to destroy Syria's weapons.
11 October 2013