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UNITED NATIONS, May 11 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations and the Netherlands will co-host a pledging conference to help prevent an oil spill from the derelict tanker Safer anchored off Yemen, a UN spokesman said.

The conference in The Hague opens on Wednesday, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly elected the Czech Republic to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on Tuesday to replace Russia, which was suspended last month over its invasion of Ukraine and then immediately quit the 47-member body.

Russia had been in its second year of a three-year term. The Czech Republic will complete that term on the council, which cannot make legally binding decisions. Its decisions carry political weight, however, and it can authorize investigations.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks shed early gains and fell in afternoon trading on Wall Street Tuesday as the market remains shaky a day after a broad sell-off.

The S&P 500 fell 0.8% as of 12:31 p.m. Eastern. The benchmark index was up as much as 1.9% in early trading. It slumped 3.2% a day earlier, hitting its lowest level in more than a year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 328 points, or 1%, to 31,913 and the Nasdaq fell 0.3%.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. markets were poised to open sharply lower on Monday as interest rate hikes and a slowing Chinese economy weigh on investor sentiment.

Dow Jones Industrial futures declined 1.6% and the S&P 500 fell 2%. European shares dipped in midday trading and Asian benchmarks finished lower.

A turbulent week on Wall Street ended Friday with more losses and the stock market’s fifth straight weekly decline. The pullback came as investors balanced a strong U.S. jobs report against worries the Federal Reserve may cause a recession in its drive to halt inflation.

UNITED NATIONS, May 07 (APP): The United Nations Security Council has adopted its first unanimous statement expressing “deep concern” over the raging Ukrainian conflict and backed efforts by the U.N. chief to find a peaceful solution.

Security Council statements must be approved by all 15 of its members, and the one adopted on Friday appeared to have averted Russia’s veto by referring to the conflict as “disputes” rather than “war” — as Moscow insists that its Feb. 24 military offensive against Ukraine constitutes only a “special military operation.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Federal labor officials filed a sweeping complaint Friday accusing Starbucks of unfair labor practices at its stores in Buffalo, New York, including retaliation against pro-union employees.

The National Labor Relations Board’s Buffalo regional director outlined a host of labor law violations in a filing seeking reinstatement and backpay for the employees.

There’s been a wave of unionization drives at Starbucks stores nationwide, with the first union votes coming in December at three stores in Buffalo.

UNITED NATIONS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Thursday to end the "cycle of death and destruction" in Ukraine.

As he briefed the UN Security Council on his shuttle diplomacy last week in Russia and Ukraine, Guterres said that he "did not mince words" when he spoke with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine about ending the conflict.

NEW YORK, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices rose sharply on Wednesday after the European Union (EU) unveiled a plan to phase out Russian oil, triggering concerns over tight supplies.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for June delivery added 5.4 U.S. dollars, or 5.3 percent, to settle at 107.81 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for July delivery increased 5.17 dollars, or 4.9 percent, to close at 110.14 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid the push to get U.S. boardrooms to look more like companies’ customers and employees, advocates are finally seeing just how steep the task will be.

Boards of directors at publicly traded U.S. companies are much more white and much less diverse than the overall population, often starkly so. Just 2.7% of directors at the start of the year were Hispanic, for example. That would need to soar to 18.5% to mirror the U.S. population.

UNITED NATIONS, May 04 (APP): Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, has called on the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC) to fight the proliferating ‘fake news’ and disinformation on social media platforms, and pay greater attention to the promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development in the coronavirus and conflict-hit countries.