WTO to be led by woman from Nigeria or S. Korea
The final phase of a race to become WTO's next director-general began with two well-qualified women from Nigeria and South Korea vying for the top post.
Global Issues
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U.N. lets Iran arms ban lapse despite U.S. dissent
The signatories to the Iran nuclear deal allowed a U.N.-imposed embargo on arms trade with the nation and some travel bans to expire as planned.
Trump dismisses Putin's New START offer
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to extend the New START treaty as is, but U.S. President Donald Trump's administration called it a "non-starter."
Experts urge G-20 to outdo debt suspensions
Experts cautioned a move by the world's richest countries to give the poorest ones more time to pay off debts will not do enough to alleviate massive suffering.
IMF sees global economy shrinking 4.4% in 2020
The pandemic-hit global economy is expected to contract by as much as 4.4% this year, the International Monetary Fund forecast.
China, Russia join U.N. Human Rights Council
Despite criticism from the U.S. and human rights groups, China, Cuba and Russia were among 15 nations that won seats on the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Eight nations agree on rules to develop Moon
Seven nations joined the U.S. in signing agreements to reinforce and use international rules for peacefully cooperating on and around the Moon's surface.
Report cites climate-linked rise in disasters
A new report found disasters due to weather may force nearly 162 million people to seek humanitarian aid by 2030, almost 50% more than in 2018.
WFP wins Nobel Prize to focus world on hunger
The Nobel Peace Prize went to the World Food Program for its efforts to alleviate hunger amid the pandemic and to urge more international cooperation.
Trump pushes New START before election
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to be pushing for a foreign policy win before Election Day, seeking to renew a nuclear arms control deal with Russia.
Report finds pandemic erodes 80 democracies
Democracy and human rights deteriorated in 80 nations since the coronavirus pandemic began early this year, Freedom House reported.
Mixed progress cited with 1995 gender goals
Leaders at a high-level U.N. meeting lamented the world's slow progress over the past quarter-century for advancing the rights of women and girls.
U.N. virus tracker shows deficit of gender policies
Just 25 nations, or 12% of the world, have comprehensive measures in place to protect women against the pandemic, a new U.N. data tracker found.
U.N. panel decries 'rampant' corruption
Governments lose trillions of dollars a year to corruption, money laundering and tax avoidance that could aid people in poverty, a U.N. panel reported.
UNGA converts into global stage of virtual diplomacy
The U.N. General Assembly opened its first virtual meeting of world leaders, forced by the pandemic to turn its global stage for diplomacy into a ghost village.
Coronavirus cases top 30 million worldwide
Global coronavirus cases topped 30 million with 944,000 deaths, with the U.S., India, Brazil and Russia accounting for about half of the pandemic.