United Nations

14 August 2007 -- North Korea is seeking the help of the United Nations' food relief agency in the wake of massive flooding there that has reportedly killed hundreds of people.

According to its state-run news agency, 30,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed since heavy rains began falling last week. The rains also have washed away tens of thousands of hectares of farmland, raising concerns about a possible food shortage.    » read more »

10 August 2007 -- United Nations Disaster Reduction officials say the effects of climate change are having a dangerous impact now and governments must urgently take action to protect their communities from floods and other hazards provoked by extreme weather. They say steps must be taken to reduce current risks and to prepare for a worsening future under a changed climate. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.    » read more »

Georgia was calling for a high-level investigation by the United Nations Security Council of Monday’s violation of Georgia’s airspace by two Russian aircraft, and inviting the European Union and other partners to verify that unprovoked use of force, that country’s Charge d’Affairs, Irakli Chikovani, said at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.    » read more »

08 August 2007 -- Georgia is urging the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to address Russia's alleged missile firing and violation of Georgian airspace.

Georgia's deputy representative, Irakli Chikovani, says his nation has proof that two Russian fighter jets entered more than 75 kilometers into Georgian territory and launched a guided missile. Georgian officials say that weapon landed by a house near the rebel Georgian province of South Ossetia, but did not explode.    » read more »

07 August 2007 -- The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says climate change may hurt food production in tropical areas.

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf told an audience in India Tuesday that crop yields will probably fall in the seasonally dry tropics as global average temperatures rise. He said agriculture dependent on rain in semi-arid regions is particularly at risk.

He also said India might lose nearly one-fifth of its rain-fed cereal production.    » read more »

August 1, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Last night, just hours after the U.N. Security Council announced its decision to authorize the deployment of peacekeeping troops to Darfur, the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution (S. Res. 276) sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) and Ranking Member Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) which calls for the immediate deployment of a peacekeeping mission to Darfur and lays out benchmarks for that mission.    » read more »

Manila, 01 August 2007 (By Nancy-Amelia Collins) -- Foreign ministers from around the world have begun discussions in Manila on establishing a nuclear safety watchdog for the Asian region. The discussions are taking place in advance of the annual ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, where VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins compiled this report.

The ASEAN Regional Forum groups the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with 17 others, including the European Union, the United States, China and Russia.    » read more »

New York, 31 July 2007 (By Victoria Cavaliere) -- The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved sending an expanded peacekeeping force to Sudan's Darfur region. From VOA's New York Bureau, Victoria Cavaliere reports that the resolution follows eight months of negotiations over the make-up and mandate of the force.

The Security Council adopted the resolution Tuesday, just 24 hours after co-sponsors Britain and France circulated a finalized draft - the fourth revision this month.    » read more »

28 July 2007 (By VOA News) -- A spokesman for Steven Spielberg says the film director may quit his involvement with the 2008 Beijing Olympics unless China does more to stop the violence in Darfur.

Andy Spahn told the ABC news network in an article on its web site that the director will decide in the next few weeks whether to resign from his position as artistic adviser to the games.    » read more »

Washington, 29 July 2007 (By Stephanie Ho) -- Washington's envoy to the United Nations, , says he expects the world body to agree this week on a resolution to send a combined U.N.-African Union force to the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur. VOA's Stephanie Ho has more on the story.    » read more »

July 17, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. –United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon today told U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that it would mean a great deal to the fight against global warming if President Bush would attend a special high-level meeting on the topic at United Nations headquarters in New York on September 24, 2007.    » read more »

09 July 2007 -- The World Health Organization reports there are at least 130,000 new cases every year of malignant melanoma, the most fatal type of skin cancer, and more than two million cases of other types of skin cancer. Because most skin cancers are traced to too much exposure to the sun, many people have begun using sunscreen creams when they go outdoors. But do those lotions really work?

A relaxing day at the beach. But while the sun feels good, ultraviolet light is damaging the skin's elasticity.    » read more »

06 July 2007 -- The World Health Organization and its partners say up to half a million African infants die the day they are born. Health experts say nearly a million babies could be saved in sub-Saharan Africa with a few low-cost interventions.

Among the devices that can save lives are kits that help provide a clean environment for childbirth, a dose of the AIDS drug nevirapine to an infant within three days of birth and resuscitators to help clear a newborn’s lungs and promote breathing.    » read more »

06 July 2007 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees -- or UNHCR -- estimates there are now 1.2 million Iraqi refugees in Syria, 750,000 in Jordan, 100,000 in Egypt, 54,000 in Iran, 40,000 in Lebanon, and 10,000 in Turkey. That does not include an estimated 1.9 million Iraqis who are internally displaced inside Iraq.    » read more »

07 July 2007 -- The U.N. food program says Kenya has allowed about 60 of its trucks to cross into Somalia after a wait of several weeks.

The World Food Program said Friday the trucks were allowed to cross the border this week following appeals from the international community.

The agency says there are still about 80 food trucks on the border and it hopes they will be allowed to cross soon.

Kenya closed its border with Somalia in January during fighting that pitted Islamic militia against Somali government troops and their Ethiopian allies.    » read more »