INTERNATIONAL

GENEVA: The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar human rights said Thursday he had received reports of “state involvement” in some of the recent violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the former army-ruled nation. At least 40 people have been killed and mosques burned in several towns in central Myanmar since fresh sectarian strife erupted on March 20, prompting the …

  NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel, under the auspices of the NSW Jewish Board Of Deputies, hosted a delegation of New South Wales Parliamentarians, on a study mission to Israel from 6 January 2013 to 10 January 2013. The Nationals Whip in the NSW Legislative Council Rick Colless moved a motion in parliament following what he described as “a successful trip” to …

  Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was appointed last week as the secretary-general's Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa. Credit: UN Photo/Ky Chung UNITED NATIONS, Mar 20 2013 (IPS) – A potential ad from the United Nations to be placed in a weekly London newsmagazine could possibly read: Vacancy …

  U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice speaks to journalists following the Mar. 7 adoption of a Security Council resolution condemning the Feb.12 nuclear test by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and imposing new sanctions on that country. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON, Mar 8 2013 (IPS) – North Korea, which has survived three rounds of diplomatic and economic sanctions …

The West, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia all have their own angles in the conflict—but Salafism and anarchy may be the big winners. "The American Conservative" —  The tale of what is going on in Syria reads something like this: an insurgency active since March 2011 has been funded and armed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and allowed to operate out …