Addition of Japan, Egypt, Ukraine to UN Security Council is boost for U.S.

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In its annual selection process, the full General Assembly has picked five countries to serve as non-permanent members on the UN Security Council. Importantly, Egypt, Japan and Ukraine as well as Senegal and Uruguay were chosen as the new members who will serve two year […]

Flood of undocumented migrants ‘a test of historic proportions’ for Europe

Flood of undocumented migrants ‘a test of historic proportions’ for Europe

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The almost Biblical scenes of mass humanity surging through Europe from the Balkans to the Baltic have created jarring images as we see a mass movement of displaced Syrians and Iraqis flooding into what they see as a Promised Land, the European Union. Thus as […]

‘Third World War’: Jordan’s king warns radical Islam thrives on ‘apathy of moderates’

‘Third World War’: Jordan’s king warns radical Islam thrives on ‘apathy of moderates’

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Among the 193 Presidential and Ministerial speeches being made during the UN General Assembly debate, most will present politically pedantic and often droning restatements of the obvious; that war, terrorism, poverty and the refugees crisis lapping at Europe’s shores and hinterland are among the absolute […]

Two shepherds with flocks of 1.2 billion each pay first visits to U.S., UN

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Both Pope Francis and China’s President are visiting the United States at the same time. Two men whose paths will nearly intersect, but not touch, in New York at the United Nations are each leaders of 1.2 billion people; the Pope of the Roman Catholic […]

UN session begins under clouds of war and crisis

UN session begins under clouds of war and crisis

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Dark war clouds swirl from the Middle East, humanitarian crises worsen in Sub-Saharan Africa, and as refugees pour fourth into the developed world, the UN General Assembly is set to open in New York. The 70th General Assembly will see an unprecedented gathering of Presidents, […]

Syrian migrant wave to Europe shames rich Arabs

Syrian migrant wave to Europe shames rich Arabs

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The scenes of Syrians fleeing their homeland and pouring on to the roads and rail links of Greece and the Balkans create an almost Biblical image. Exodus comes to mind. Not since WWII have such a large surge of refugees fleeing civil war and conflict, […]

China blues: CCP Chairman Xi hopes to change the subject

China blues: CCP Chairman Xi hopes to change the subject

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The reverberations of China’s economic jolt are being felt worldwide from New York, to London, Frankfurt and Tokyo. It’s the fear of a slowdown in the once-supercharged Chinese economy which has sent the country’s Shanghai Index market into a tailspin down over 20 percent in […]

Syrian circles of Hell: Is a political solution even possible?

Syrian circles of Hell: Is a political solution even possible?

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Syria continues to descend into the inferno while the international community stands transfixed. A political solution seems elusive as ever, the civil war grinds on having killed over 250,000 people, and more than twelve million people have fled their homeland. Alarmed by these developments, the […]

Moscow gets a cash settlement but not its promised Mistral carriers from France

Moscow gets a cash settlement but not its promised Mistral carriers from France

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler St. Nazaire, FRANCE — As the high-speed TGV train from Paris slowed down coming into St. Nazaire passing the sprawling shipyard alongside, a little boy in in the seat in front of us became animated and exclaimed,”Look, Mama, there are the big warships!” The child was pointing to […]

Russia says ‘nyet’ at UN to MH-17 downing tribunal

Russia says ‘nyet’ at UN to MH-17 downing tribunal

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In a callous but not unexpected move to block an international inquiry on the fate of Malaysian flight #17 which was shot down over Ukraine just a year ago, Russia has vetoed a resolution which would have set up a tribunal to investigate the disaster […]