Civilian casualty numbers in Afghanistan rise again, UN reports

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The number of civilian casualties resulting from the conflict in Afghanistan has risen for a fifth consecutive year, the United Nations reported today, blaming a change in tactics by the Taliban and other anti-Government forces for the higher death toll.

Syria: Ban voices deep regret after Security Council fails to agree on resolution

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced deep regret after Security Council members were today unable to agree on a resolution backing an Arab League plan to resolve the crisis in Syria, where thousands of people have been killed over the past year since authorities crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising.

Mozambique: UN agency begins food distribution to flood victims

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distributing rations in Mozambique, where an estimated 70,000 people are in urgent need of assistance after the country was pounded by two tropical storms.

UN backs vaccination campaign after yellow fever outbreaks hit Cameroon and Ghana

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The United Nations is backing a mass vaccination campaign under way in northern Cameroon, where a new outbreak of yellow fever has killed at least seven people.

UN court rules against Italy in case over Nazi compensation claims

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled today that Italy has violated its obligation to respect Germany’s immunity under international law by allowing civil claims seeking reparations for Nazi war crimes to be brought against it in Italian courts.

UN voices concern over fresh round of killings in South Sudan

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The United Nations human rights office today voiced concern over a cattle raid in a northern state of South Sudan earlier this week, which has led to 78 deaths and numerous injuries among civilians, most of whom were women and children.

As floods continue in Fiji, UN stresses need to boost preventive measures

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The United Nations disaster risk reduction agency stressed today the need to boost preventive measures in Fiji, as heavy rains are predicted to occur more frequently in the archipelago nation, which has been ravaged by severe floods over the past week.

Philippines: UN and partners seek more funding to help tropical storm survivors

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The United Nations and humanitarian partners today revised upwards an appeal for funding to continue relief work for six months among the more than 300,000 people in the Philippines island of Mindanao who were affected by last year’s tropical storm Washi.

UN says Somali famine over, but warns action needed to forestall new crisis

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The UN declared an end to famine conditions in Somalia today, but warned that the crisis in the Horn of Africa is not over and requires continued efforts to restore food security and help people resume normal lives.

UN-backed court sentences key Khmer Rouge figure to life in prison on appeal

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The appeals chamber of the United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia trying cases of mass murder and other crimes committed under the Khmer Rouge regime today sentenced the former head of a notorious detention camp to life in prison, upholding an earlier conviction and extending the existing jail term.

For World Cancer Day, UN stresses early diagnosis to reduce mounting deaths

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Early diagnosis is the key to reducing the nearly eight million deaths caused by cancer across the globe annually, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today, stressing the importance of screening programmes for healthy people to detect the disease promptly for easier treatment.

UN political team to visit Maldives for talks on democratic transition

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

A United Nations political team heads to the Maldives next week for talks on how to help support the Indian Ocean archipelago in its transition to democracy.