UN

The foreign ministers held their annual coordination meeting on the sidelines of the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The foreign ministers studied the problems facing Islamic states and called for solidarity of the Islamic nations to deal with the challenges.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the United Nations Security Council immediately condemned Iraq and imposed severe sanctions on it. Why was the UN response so prompt and so unprecedently firm? The US government-media alliance had a standard answer.

For a background history of Rwanda and neighbouring Buruni, we recommend reading our article Rwanda and Burundi – A History, 1894-1990.

Palestinian civil servants are demanding the payment of overdue wages from the Hamas government. Around 3,000 marched yesterday in Ramallah, while in Gaza City over 300 unemployed workers demanding jobs and unpaid welfare fought riot police and attempted to storm the parliamentary building, breaching the gates before police fired live warning shots.

The streets are almost deserted, the atmosphere tense, and UN armored personnel carriers patrol the streets.

After having assumed command of the UN military mission less then four months ago, the body of Brazilian officer Lt. Gen. Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar was found sprawled out on the balcony of the Hotel Montana, the apparent victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.