• Liberian police use deadly force on protesters in Monrovia

    By Jonathan Woods, msnbc.com

    At least one person was killed during a rally that turned violent on the eve of a disputed presidential election run-off in Monrovia, Liberia.

    Photojournalists reported seeing the body of a young man with a gunshot wound to the head in the offices of the opposition CDC headquarters, while protestors clashed with police outside.

    Liberian police firing tear gas and live rounds later stormed the CDC headquarters before they were repelled by U.N. peacekeepers, who have set up a cordon around the building, according to Reuters.

    This post contains graphic images which some viewers may find disturbing.

    Finbarr O'Reilly / Reuters

    Nigerian United Nations peacekeepers try to disarm a Liberian riot policeman who fired live rounds while storming the compound of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change headquarters in the capital Monrovia, Nov. 7.

    Rebecca Blackwell / AP

    A woman mourns over the body of a young man reportedly killed during clashes between Liberian police and opposition party supporters, at opposition party headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia, on Monday, Nov. 7.

    Luc Gnago / Reuters

    Liberian riot police clash with supporters of presidential challenger Winston Tubman in Monrovia on Nov. 7.

    Issouf Sanogo / AFP - Getty Images

    Liberian riot police and UN forces face opposition Congress for Democratic Change party supporters rallying in Monrovia on Nov. 7.

    Issouf Sanogo / AFP - Getty Images

    Liberian opposition Congress for Democratic Change party supporters rally in Monrovia on Nov. 7.

     

  • Palestinians in Ramallah cheer as President Abbas asks the United Nations for statehood

    Bernat Armangue / AP

    Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah cheer moments before their President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations on Sept. 23, 2011.

    Msnbc.com wire services report:

    To a round of applause, Abbas held up a copy of the formal membership application and said he had asked U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to expedite deliberation of his request to have the United Nations recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

    His appeal to the council reflects a loss of faith after 20 years of failed peace talks sponsored by the United States, Israel's main ally, and alarm at relentless Israeli settlement expansion eating into the land Palestinians want for a state.

    It also exposed Washington's dwindling influence in a region shaken by Arab uprisings and shifting alliances that have pushed Israel deeper into isolation.  Read more…

    Justin Lane / EPA

    Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas gestures to the crowd as he is applauded after addressing the general debate of the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York.

    Related PhotoBlog posts:

    As Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pushes for statehood, the United States is hoping to avoid a dramatic showdown. Meanwhile, tensions have escalated in the West Bank. NBC's Ron Allen reports.

     

  • Barack Obama joins Open Government Partnership for group photo

    Allan Tannenbaum-Pool / Getty Images

    U.S. President Barack Obama waves while standing with other leaders during the Open Government Partnership event at the United Nations September 20 in New York City. The United Nations General Assembly kicks off September 21, with leaders from around the world attending.

    By Rich Shulman

    I don't know much about diplomatic protocols, but I would guess that waving during the group photo is something to avoid.

    President Obama's hand accidentally blocked the face of the President of Mongolia, when Obama waved while a photo was being taken at the United Nations. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

  • John Minchillo / AP

    A security officer scans the streets through binoculars atop the UN General Assembly building ahead of the UNGA, Monday, Sept. 19. The NYPD stepped up security measures throughout the city, shutting down streets and redirecting traffic away from the UN headquarters.

    Abbas defiant as 'all hell' breaks out over UN plan

    AP reports:

    NEW YORK — President Mahmoud Abbas told U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday that he would push ahead with plans to seek full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state, a move the United States and Israel say could lead to disaster.

    Abbas met Ban at the U.N. headquarters and reaffirmed that he planned to ask this week for a Security Council vote on Palestinian membership despite the certainty of a U.S. veto, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rdaineh said. Full story.

    Related: At UN, Obama's diplomatic skills put to the test

  • Don Emmert / AFP - Getty Images

    United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon enters the General Assembly to take his oath for his appointment as the Secretary-General of the United Nations June 21 at the United Nations in New York. The UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected Ban Ki-moon for a second term as the global body's secretary general.

    Ban Ki-moon gets second term as UN chief

    By Rich Shulman

    It's pretty impressive that Ban Ki-moon was elected unanimously for a second term. Compared to American presidential politics, this looks pretty civilized.

  • Ivory Coast: Laurent Gbagbo under fire

    AFP - Getty Images

    A pro-Ouattara fighter of the FRCI (Republican Force of Ivory Coast), wearing a gas mask, prepares for the so-called "final assault" in front of the Golf Hotel in Abidjan on April 5. Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo is hunkered down in a bunker at his residence in Abidjan, after calling for a ceasefire as rival forces cornered him, the UN mission said.

     

    Emmanuel Braun / Reuters

    A soldier loyal to Alassane Ouattara moves along a road as fighting flares across Abidjan on April 4. Forces loyal to Ouattara streamed into the city from the north on Monday.

    Luc Gnago / Reuters

    Explosions are seen at a camp of soldiers loyal to Laurent Gbagbo during an attack by U.N. and French armed forces in Treichville in Abidjan on April 4.

    Jane Hahn / AP

    In this photo taken on Sunday, April 3, and made available on April 5, a UN peacekeeper from Jordan looks up as he and others return fire on troops supporting Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo during a patrol in the streets of Abidjan.

    Follow the latest developments in Ivory Coast, take a look at a timeline of the country's turbulent history and see more images on PhotoBlog.

  • Pro-Ouattara troops mass for "final assault" in Ivory Coast

    Emmanuel Braun / Reuters

    Forces loyal to Ivorian presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara gather outside the capital Abidjan, April 3. Fighters loyal to Ivory Coast presidential rivals Laurent Gbagbo and Ouattara held onto positions around the main city Abidjan on Sunday, a day that saw less fighting than the previous three. Soldiers of Ivory Coast's rival leaders battled for the presidential palace, military bases and state TV in the main city Abidjan on Saturday, in a conflict becoming so brutal that it killed 800 people in one town alone. Advancing soldiers backing Alassane Ouattara, who U.N.-certified results show won a Nov. 28 presidential election, met stiff resistance from fighters remaining loyal to incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to step down.

    Fighters backing democratically elected leader Alassane Ouattara entered Abidjan by the truckload Monday afternoon as part of a final offensive to take the last piece of the West African country still largely controlled by Gbagbo.

    Emmanuel Braun / Reuters

    A fighter loyal to Ivorian presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara displays traditional hunters' charms as forces gather outside the capital Abidjan, April 3.

    A convoy of several dozen vehicles containing heavily armed pro-Ouattara troops and outfitted with mounted machine guns entered Ivory Coast's main city at midday, the first elements of a large force that had massed on the northern outskirts for what they called a "final assault," according to a Reuters eyewitness.

    Emmanuel Braun / Reuters

    Forces loyal to Ivorian presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara prepare to head to the frontline in the capital Abidjan, April 2.

     Heavy machine gun fire and a few explosions could be heard minutes after they entered the city limits.  Read full story here.

  • Jim Hollander / EPA

    Migrant workers from Bangladesh who fled from Libya line up in the UN refugee camp in Ras Jdir, Tunisia, on March 12 as they wait to board buses to transport them to the airport in Djerba for repatriation flights back home. According to media sources, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that over 200,000 workers have fled Libya, but there are over 1-million left in the country. The UNHCR has called on the international community to urgently help with a massive evacuation to their home countries of tens of thousands of foreigners stuck at Tunisia's border with Libya.

    Many migrant workers still stuck in Libya

    By Katie Cannon, Senior Multimedia Editor

    Before reading the caption, this picture caught my eye, as it looked like a fictional scene of people walking through the gates of either heaven or hell. For more on the situation in Libya, read here.

  • Bolivians petition the U.N. to end cocoa leaf-chewing ban

    Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports: Steeped, chewed, or set alight in a ritual: the coca leaf has been used for millennia in the Andes for medicinal and sacred purposes. The rest of the world, however, sees it as the source plant for the illegal narcotic cocaine.

    Which explains why (as reported by the AP) the U.S. will file a formal objection today to Bolivia’s proposal, according to a senior U.S. government official.

    Juan Karita / AP

    An indigenous woman chews coca leaves outside the U.S. embassy inaugurating the national day of coca leaf-chewing in La Paz, Bolivia, on Jan. 26. Bolivia has petitioned the U.N. to end an international ban on coca leaf-chewing. A mild stimulant, the leaves have deep cultural and religious value in the region. The U.S. will file a formal objection today to Bolivia?s proposal, according to a senior U.S. government official.

    Gaston Brito / Reuters

    A coca grower dries coca leaves during a "Dia Nacional del Pijcheo de hoja de Coca" (National Coca Leaf Chewing Day) rally to promote the chewing of coca leaves and its industrialization in front of the U.S. embassy in La Paz January 26, 2011. Bolivia is the third largest producer of coca leaves in the world, local media reported.

    Juan Karita / AP

    Indigenous gather in front of the U.S. embassy to inaugurate the national day of coca leaf-chewing in La Paz, Bolivia, on Jan. 26.

    Read RNW's full report here.

  • Issouf Sanogo / AFP - Getty Images

    A woman crosses the street in front of a burnt-out United Nations peacekeeper car on Dec. 30 in the Yopougon neighborhood of Abidjan, home to supporters of Laurent Gbagbo. A mob attacked a UN convoy in Abidjan on Tuesday, injuring one peacekeeper with a machete and setting a vehicle alight, the UN said. Gbagbo, who is under heavy pressure to step aside after refusing to cede power in the wake of Nov. 28 elections, has demanded UN troops pull out of the country, saying they are supporting former rebels loyal to his rival Alassane Ouattara.

    Ivory Coast crisis: Burnt U.N. peackeeper car in Abidjan

    By Elena Grothe

    See here for the latest Ivory Coast news.

    AP reports:

    ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Witnesses said dozens of bodies had been dumped near a large forest on the city's outskirts, as reports grew of political opponents being abducted by security forces loyal to incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo after the disputed election.

    Now the United Nations believes up to 80 bodies may have been moved to a building nestled among shacks in a pro-Gbagbo neighborhood. Investigators have tried to go there several times, and even made it as far as the building's front door before truckloads of men with guns showed up and forced them to leave.

  • Allison Shelley / Reuters

    A woman crosses a polluted gutter in the main outdoor food market in the Petionville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Nov. 21. The United Nations-led international response to Haiti's deadly cholera epidemic is "inadequate" and woefully short of funding, aid groups, including the U.N. humanitarian agency, said on Friday.

    Suffering continues in Haiti

    See more images from Haiti here.

  • Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah / Reuters

    A police peacekeeper works near children during U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos' visit to Al Salam IDPs camp at Al-Fasher in North Darfur on Nov. 7.

    Seeking shade

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