United Nations

The UN has warned that millions of Yemenis face a severe famine as Saudi Arabia continue their relentless bombing campaign against Yemen.  According to a report issued by the UN food agency, 60% of people in Yemen, around 17 million people, will die unless a food crisis can be averted. “If humanitarian actors do not access all the people in need by the coming months, the situation may deteriorate dramatically,” a report by the World Food Programme (WFP) said.

The White House has announced a major retreat from the U.N. after Trump ordered a massive 50 percent cut in U.S. funding for United Nations programs.  The White House is scheduled to release its 2018 budget on Thursday which is expected to include cuts of up to 37 percent for spending on the State Department, the USAID, and other foreign assistance programs, including the U.N. (which amounts to around $10 billion a year). The Trump administration has repeatedly vowed to distance the U.S. from participating in the “corrupt” United Nations, signalling that it may leave the U.N. altogether.

The Trump administration's early attempts to change, and restore, ties with Russia may be fading fast, but at least when it comes to relations between Russia and its western counterparts at the United Nations, absolutely nothing has changed.

Russia has vowed to veto a draft U.N. resolution calling for sanctions against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians. The UN Security Council resolution was drafted by the US, Britain and France. Following a closed-door council session, Russian Deputy U.N. Envoy Vladimir Safronkov told reporters: “I just explained our position very clearly to our partners.

Over the weekend, following reports that China has banned all North Korean coal imports - in the aftermath of last week's North Korean ballistic missile launch- which marked a troubling escalation in relations between the two formerly "amicable" nations, we discussed how China was tipping its hand that not only was Kim Jong-Un potentially losing a "very big ally", but that it could also lead to "jeopady" for his regime, and a potential political coup in the generally unstable dictatorship.