Imagine a world in which Emma Watson didn’t say “feminism” during her iconic U.N. speech. Damn. I can’t.
Less Than One-Fourth of People Featured in the Media Are (Still) Women
Women appear in mainstream media just one-fourth of the time—a stat that hasn’t changed at all in half a decade.
The Migrant Crisis Just Reached A New Zenith At 60 Million People
As of this week, there are approximately 60 million people that have been displaced by conflict and mistreatment, a number that is far higher than that of a decade ago.
Bed Bugs Demand Recognition from the United Nations
The greatest threat to world security is currently bed bugs, which reportedly stormed the United Nations this week.
Leaked Report: French Troops Raped Starving Children in Central Africa
According to a report leaked by a (now suspended) United Nations aid worker, French peacekeeping troops in the Central African Republic have been accused of raping and sodomizing the same “starving and homeless young boys” they were supposed to have been protecting.
U.N. Climate Negotiators Reach Compromise, Barely
Negotiators at the U.N. climate talks in Lima, Peru managed to agree on a compromise deal early Sunday morning, the Associated Press reports, more than 30 hours behind schedule after 10 days of negotiations.
UN Security Council Unanimously Calls for Israel-Hamas Ceasefire
The 15-member U.N. Security Council announced in a press release on Friday that it's unanimously calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Over 130 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli offensive began on Tuesday.
The Best Restaurant in New York Is The United Nations Dining Room
Rich: I realized I had a knife in my bag on the way to the United Nations. It's a pocket knife—a nice one—and while I've never used it (I've never had to), I did not want to give it up. But I knew we'd be searched. I also worried about leaving it in the cab and having someone pick it up and kill someone with it. That…
Antiviral: Here's What's Bullshit on the Internet This Week
Here's a fun fact: 60 percent of all stories on the internet are created in a Hollywood studio by Jimmy Kimmel. Sorry, no, that's a lie—just like the little boy crossing the desert, the the sad Putin hockey photo, and the wolf in the Sochi hotel room. All of these stories took over the internet this week, and all of…
American Diplomat Caught On Tape Saying "Fuck the EU"
Two top diplomats were caught discussing less-than-diplomatic thoughts about the EU this week, a leak the State Department is blaming on the Russians.
U.N. Withdraws Iran's Invite to Syrian Peace Talks
Less than 24 hours after he surprised many in the international community with the initial invitation, U.N. Secretary general Ban Ki-moon disinvited Iran on Tuesday from this week's peace conference on the Syrian civil war.
Snipers Attack U.N. Team Investigating Syria Chemical Strike
Someone would prefer the U.N. stay out: U.N. inspectors sent to investigate the alleged chemical-weapons attack that hit a Damascus suburb last week apparently came under sniper fire and were forced to turn back.
U.N. Panel on Syria: Chemical Weapons, Other War Crimes on Both Sides
"It’s an illusion that more weapons will tip the balance between the two parties," the chair of a U.N. panel on the Syrian conflict said on Monday. "No one is winning."
Kim Jong-Un Is a Dictator, According to His 'Hipster' Nephew
In a recent interview with Finnish journalist (and former United Nations undersecretary general) Elisabeth Rehn, Kim Han-sol, the grandson of deceased North Korean looker-at-things Kim Jong Il, called his Uncle Kim Jong-un a "dictator." Despite the obviousness of the statement, this is big news because, well, there…
Afghan U.N. Workers Killed During Protest Of Pastors' Quran Burning
Several U.N. workers were killed Friday in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Reports indicate that a demonstration against the burning of a Quran by American pastors turned violent. There are conflicting reports about the number of people killed, and a U.N. spokesperson has issued a statement confirming the…
Foreign Minister Reads Wrong Speech at U.N.
Poor Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna! He gave a speech to the U.N. on Saturday about poverty and social unrest—only it was actually the Portuguese Foreign Minister's speech. Luis Amado, Portugal's Foreign Minister, had spoken before Krishna but ditched the prepared remarks; Krishna, apparently, picked up one of…
U.S. Embassy Sorry for Hanging Philippines' Flag Upside Down
The U.S. Embassy has issued an apology to Filipino President Benigno Aquino III for staging his meet-and-greet with President Obama in front of an upside flag of the Philippines on Friday. "This was an honest mistake," said an American spokesperson.
U.S. Walks Out on Ahmadinejad's U.N. Speech After 9/11 Allegation
The U.S. delegation to the United Nations summit walked out during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech today, as they seem to do every year. Today's reason? Ahmadinejad started talking about 9/11 being an inside job. God, he's annoying. [Image: Getty]
Ahmadinejad in New York, Food Stinks Up Hotel
Page six reports that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brought his own personal chef to New York for this week's UN General Assembly. Apparently not a good chef: His meals "make the whole hotel stink like hell," according to a source.
The UN Building: New York City's Last Bastion of Indoor Smoking
From an article about lax security at the UN building: "Smoking... is permitted in corridors yet banned in most other office buildings." Soon it will be the only place —indoors or out—you can smoke in New York. [Gothamist]
