See InnerCityPress.com and the three introductions below: On Ethiopia, UN Had No Response to ICP on Oromo, Answers Banned By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, January 13 -- Despite the UN having offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, it has had nothing to say about the crackdown that has led to the killing, reportedly, of over 140 people. Inner City Press on January 11 asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon' spokesman Stephane Dujarric about this - but Dujarric gave no answer. Video here. Now that Ethiopian authorities say they are canceling the underlying Oroma plan, the UN still has no comment. Inner City Press on the morning of January 13 asked Dujarric and two other UN spokespeople the following: “On “Ethiopia's government is set to abandon plans to expand the boundaries of the capital, Addis Ababa, which have caused months of deadly protests,” please now provide UN comment On Burundi, UN Won't Tell ICP What Media Go On UNSC Trip, How Picked By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, January 14 -- After UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's mere a one-line mention of Burundi in his long Priorities fo 2016 speech on January 14, when Ban took questions in front of the General Assembly Inner City Press five times began, "On Burundi." Inner City Press similarly requested to cover the UNSC's trip to Burundi. But of the five questions picked, fully four were on Syria; none on Yemen much less Burundi. So as Ban began walking away from his personal rostrum, Inner City Press asked him how his Under Secretary General Herve Ladsous could have written, here, that UN Peacekeeping is limited in its ability to address significant violence against civilians, even violence that amounts to genocide. The question was clearly audible, but Ban did not answer it, typically. Vine here. Moments later, Inner City Press got an answer about Ladsous' memo from an Ambassador of a Permanent Five member of the Security Council. Video here. UK Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson said the goal of the UNSC trip to to have a proper talk with Nkurunziza, for a proper dialogue and change of course. New Zealand's lead ambassador is also going -- but Inner City Press is not. Earlier in the week when the decision was made for a Security Council trip, Inner City Press immediately replied to Ban's spokesperson's office that it was very interesting in going, as it previously covered Ban's trip to Sri Lanka and Council trips to Sudan, DR Congo and Cote d'Ivoire. Even Nkurunziza's adviser, facetiously or not, told Inner City Press on Twitter that he hoped Inner City Press would be on the trip. At 3 pm on January 14, Reuters' correspondent bragged at the UNSC stakeout they are going. And at 4:30 pm, Inner City Press got this, from Ban's spokesman: "Due to space limitation in the UN flight accompanying the Security Council mission to Burundi, we regret to inform you that we will not be able to accommodate your request to travel. " So how / by whom is it decided which media can go? Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesman, Stephane Dujarrice, and another, this: "Please describe how / by whom the decision on which media can accompany this trip was made, and which media have been allowed to go. Also, please explain why not one of the six questions Inner City Press submitted on January 12 and 13, including about Burundi, were answered, or even acknowledged." And these are not answered. Dujarric's office called "lid" to end the day. Some transparency. We'll have more on this. In UN Scandal News, Heidi Piao Set to Cooperate, Ban's House of Cards to Fall? By Matthew Russell Lee UNITED NATIONS, January 14 -- Ban Ki-moon's tenure as UN Secretary General became embroiled in one scandal after another in 2015 -- but at his “year-end” press conference he refused to answer a Press question directly on it. Video here and embedded below. Vine here. On January 5, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman, below. On January 14, at Ban's stakeout, Inner City Press was again denied a question. Now one of those in the scandal, Heidi Piao, is said to be ready to cooperate. She was -- and is -- with the Global Sustainability Foundation which reportedly funneled bribes at the UN, and at the founding of which some very close to Ban were present. Is this why Ban won't take Press questions? Indicted businessman Ng Lap Seng, charged with paying bribes to buy a document from Ban's Secretariat for a UN conference center in Macau, has withdrawn his December 10 request for a speedy trial, and says he may ask to sever his trial from that of former UN President of the General Assembly John Ashe. Will this extend his UN corruption case past the tenure of Ban Ki-moon? Or impact the continue reports of Ban as a player in South Korea's upcoming Presidential race?

• published: 15 Jan 2016
• views: 2300