UN News Centre - Top Stories

UNESCO chief backs G8 call on Iran to respect human rights

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with upholding freedom of expression and press freedom today voiced his strong support for the recent call issued by the foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) nations on Iran to respect fundamental human rights.

UN helping Timorese uprooted families return home peacefully

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

The United Nations is assisting families displaced by violence which shook Timor-Leste in 2006 return to their homes and preventing potential conflicts in their communities.

Financing tops discussion among administrative heads of UN-backed tribunals

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

The Registrars, or top administrative officials, of the International Criminal Court (ICC), United Nations tribunals and courts backed by the world body wrapped up a meeting today focusing on funding and resources.

Japanese official chosen to head UN atomic watchdog

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

A Japanese diplomat with a lengthy record of working on disarmament and non-proliferation issues will be the next chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog after winning a secret ballot today against two other candidates.

UNAIDS hails Indian court decision decriminalizing homosexuality

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

The United Nations Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has hailed today�s decision by an Indian court to overturn a 150-year-old law and decriminalize homosexuality, voicing hope that more countries that ban same-sex activity will follow suit.

New UN report spotlights challenges to rural development in Western Balkans

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

Economic development in the rural areas of several nations in the Western Balkans is being hindered by challenges related to agriculture, climate change and migration, according to a new report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank.

Progress in West Africa remains fragile, despite positive trends - UN report

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

While West Africa has witnessed some positive trends recently, including the holding of peaceful elections, progress in the region remains fragile and faces a number of threats, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a report published today.

Ban welcomes deal aimed at ending tensions between Ghana and the Gambia

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the agreement reached by the Gambia and Ghana to end tensions that emerged after the deaths and disappearances of Ghanaian nationals on Gambian territory in 2005.

Ban discusses Myanmar during talks with Singapore�s leaders

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

The situation in Myanmar and the global economic crisis topped the agenda today when Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks with Singapore�s leaders on the latest stop of his international trip.

UN tribunal finds former Rwandan investigator guilty of leaking information

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

A former Rwandan investigator for the United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the mass killings that engulfed the small African nation in 1994 was found guilty today by the same court of leaking protected information.

Fall in foreign tourism accelerates, UN agency reports

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

International tourism shrunk by 8 per cent in the first four months of the year as the global economic crisis continued to restrict the budgets of travellers, but the pace of the decline is expected to ease later this year, according to the latest figures released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Independent UN rights expert criticizes seizure of aid boat by Israeli forces

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

An independent United Nations human rights expert today denounced what he described as "the unlawful naval seizure" by an Israeli gunboat of a ship carrying medicine and reconstruction material for the people of Gaza.