The Kimberley Process only addresses diamonds produced in areas controlled by rebel militias. It doesn’t take into consideration violence committed by government forces.
The focus now turns to Friday, when activists have called for the largest demonstrations against the continued rule of President Bashar al-Assad in a move set to test the regime's willingness to hold to the truce.
Sudan is now in a state of war after troops from South Sudan seized the disputed, oil-rich border town of Heglig. Negotiations between the two countries have been suspend as forces are mobilized.
Syria was due to observe a ceasefire from dawn Thursday, but its fierce attacks on opposition neighborhoods in the run up to the U.N. deadline fuelled widespread doubts it would comply.
Jim Yong Kim, the U.S. nominee to head the World Bank, on Wednesday told the bank's board of directors that he would not hesitate to question the status quo and do his best to help the world's poorest.
A naval standoff in the South China Sea is pitting the Philippines against China, and is highlighting how a growing Chinese military presence in the region may create tension in a resource-rich area.
Despite Kofi Annan's renewed confidence in his Syrian ceasefire plan during his visit to Tehran, many experts believe that the plan has already failed.
After ending exports to Spain and Greece, Iran continued with its counter-sanctions against the European Union on Wednesday by cutting oil exports to Germany.
Desperate to salvage the ceasefire agreement, Annan said peace was still a possibility and urged both sides to stop the violence.
Despite reports of fighting in at least two towns, President Bashar al-Assad's government claimed military forces had begun pulling out of some areas in compliance with the ceasefire agreement to withdraw forces from towns and villages by Tuesday.
President Obama will host Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff on Monday in an effort to strengthen ties between two of the world's largest economies.
Setting conditions before the meeting means drawing conclusions, which is completely meaningless, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said, referring to discussions set for Saturday in Turkey with the so-called P-5 Plus 1 group.
In its last-minute demand, just a day ahead of the implementation of the ceasefire, President Bashar al-Assad's government called for written guarantees from the rebels to end violence and also assurances from foreign states to stop funding and supplying the rebels.
At least 27 Syrian soldiers, rebels and civilians were killed in violence, opposition activists said, four days before a troop pullback agreed by President Bashar al-Assad as part of a UN-backed peace plan.
Bosnia-Herzegovina commemorated on Friday the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the longest siege in history: the siege of Sarajevo, which defined the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995.
The Russian government criticized the United States for it so-called unjustified decision to sentence alleged international arms dealer, Viktor Bout, to 25 years in prison. The Kremlin has vowed to bring the Russian national, known in the United States as the Merchant of Death, back to his home country.
Four days before a ceasefire is supposed to begin, Syrian forces have stepped up their campaign to crush dissidents, sending more tanks, troops and gunship helicopters into opposition towns and cities.
Russia will take all necessary efforts to get its citizen returned to his native country, the foreign ministry said. Bout, dubbed the Merchant of Death and basis for the movie Lord of War, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Syria's conflict is deepening and attacks on civilian areas show no sign of abating.
The 45-year-old Russian was busted in a 2008 sting in Thailand in which undercover informants working for U.S. authorities posed as members of the Colombian rebel group FARC. Bout insists he was a legitimate businessman just trying to sell airplanes, not weapons.
The underwater remains of the Titanic will soon be protected by a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) convention that works to safeguard wrecks, sites, decorated caves and other cultural relics in the ocean.
The ICC is worried that Libya's justice system is not able to try the son of Moammar Gadhafi, who has allegedly been kept in isolation for 139 days.
