UN sends Nicolas Cage to fight Somali piratesClearly the most qualified candidate for the roll, actor Nicolas has gone to Africa to meet with jailed Somali pirates in his capacity as a “Goodwill Ambassador on Drugs and Crime” for the UN.
United Nations
revealed 
UN secretly negotiating with Iran to lift nuclear sanctions
Documents leaked to the Times reveal the United Nations has been negotiating with Iranian officials to lift the country’s nuclear sanctions, allowing it to retain most of its nuclear program, in return for co-operation with UN inspectors.
Is the UN helping Iran launder money?
Iran may be using a UN agency, intended to facilitate financial payments between Asian countries, to route billions of dollars offshore and circumvent American sanctions, a former US Treasury official alleges.
An audience with Radovan Karadzic. Location: The Hague
The Hague has a long history of overseeing international law, the latest being the trial of Serbian Radovan Karadzic, accused of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. Too bad he was a no show, writes Grant Doyle.
A former UN officer: If they were white, we’d welcome them
Let’s be honest with Australia’a immigration policy, says Keane Shum. Being white and having money makes it far easier to get a visa to Australia than if you are black or brown and your life is at serious risk. People need to be aware of this.
Crikey Clarifier: Copenhagen. What’s it all about?
Apparently something pretty major is happening in Copenhagen in December. Some big climate change world meeting. Crikey intern Melanie Mahony clarifies what it’s all about.
Fired UN rep speaks out: what I saw in Afghanistan
Peter Galbraith was fired from his post as the UN’s deputy special representative in Afghanistan last week, after refusing to keep quiet about the massive fraud in the country’s elections. Now he’s spilled all in the Washington Post.
Is Iran hiding more secret nuclear sites?
In a promising step forward, Iran has pledged to let the UN in to inspect its newly disclosed nuclear facility. But if that one was kept secret for years, how many others are there we don’t know about?
The UN: a glorified global beauty pageant
The United Nations is nothing more than a “theatre for the absurd”, says Alex Castellanos, where “terrorists and madmen” stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the leader of the free world — and the US foots almost a quarter of the bill for the privilege.
How Iran sanction fears awakened the sleeping
giant
China has only recently come back into the UN’s good books. So why doesn’t it support sanctions against Iran in light of its secret nuclear facility? What is the nature of China and Iran’s relationship?
The 10 most cuckoo crazy UN speeches ever
Muammar Gaddafi may be copping it for his UN tirade last week, but he’s not the first world leader to get controversial at the UN General Assembly. Like, when Castro labelled JFK a “millionaire, illiterate, and ignorant”.
Crikey Says: The lingering absurdity of the UN
This week we’ve had the world powers of the G20 and the UN General Assembly hitting the headlines. Except, only one of these two institutions is making any sense.
G20: present at the Ruddation
It won’t get any better than this for Rudd: he may have inherited the G20 from his predecessor, but it will now forever be linked to his name in Australian foreign policy.
G20: decoding the leaders’ communiqué
The official G20 Leaders’ communiqué was released this morning, assessing the policies released in April to fix the world’s economy. Bernard Keane breaks it down for us mere mortals.
Mungo MacCallum: Make no mistake, this is a new world order
The acceptance of the G20 as a rule-maker for the conduct of the world’s financial systems quite literally ushers in a new world economic order: a genuine democratisation that directly includes two-thirds of the world’s population and indirectly gives a voice to the rest.
Iran vs. the world
Over the weekend, Obama and the UN called Iran out over a secret nuclear facility. Ahmedinejad came clean and invited the IAEA over for a look. But the US wants to come too. So Iran allayed everyone’s fears by firing off some missiles. Will Obama respond with tougher sanctions?
Brazil puts the heat on Honduras
The ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya has returned and is in hiding, while the coup continues and the world’s media misreports events. It’s no wonder free elections are impossible.
Why is Australia suddenly sucking up to Cape Verde?
What trade interests could Australia possibly have in the tiny African islands of Cape Verde? Bananas? Volcanic rock? Or maybe Australia has a more underhanded reason for making them our new BFFs, suggests Chris Uhlmann.
Face-to-face with Ahmadinejad
The world has walked out on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after his hate-filled, anti-Semitic speech to the UN. In an exclusive interview, Newsweek grills the embattled leader over his continued Holocaust denial and nuclear ambitions.
Why disarmament is a waste of time
Obama should not look to the “toothless” UN to address the threat of nuclear weapons, says Brett Schaefer. History tells us he’s wasting his time.
Rebuilding the world without nukes
The UN’s resolution to rid the world of nuclear weapons is nothing short of remarkable, says Joe Cirincione. It has brought the world together to rebuild a global society with a strong and enduring foundation.
Towards a nuclear-free world
The UN Security Council has unanimously backed a resolution to rid the world of nuclear weapons. It’s an historic move, but is it enough to head off a nuclear showdown with Iran?
Crikey Says: Rudd puts G20 front and centre
Rudd’s Foreign Policy Association speech – once you get past the obsequious praise of the United States – is an almost blunt demand that the G20 become the critical instrument of world economic regulation.
Rudd’s radical global reforms
Pals Kevin Rudd and Barack Obama may be due for their first rumble. Rudd’s major NY speech calls on the US for global leadership, while Obama tells the UN the US can’t fix the world’s problems.
