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Friday, 3 September 2004
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UN Secretary-General is Horrified at Death of Children in Beslan, Russia

The Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he was horrified to learn that a large number of children and others have lost their lives or were injured during the last few hours at a school in Beslan, Russia. His spokesperson says the Secretary-General has been following closely the tragic developments since armed people stormed the school three days ago and held over 300 people, including over one hundred children hostage. He reiterated his condemnation of all terrorist acts.

Sudanese Families Returning to Darfur Say Militia Attacks Continue

Sudanese families who have returned to Darfur from the border area of Chad say they are still afraid to go outside of settlements because of ongoing attacks. A team sent by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to Darfur last weekend has confirmed that there are more than 500 families who returned in July. UNHCR spokesperson, Jennifer Pagonis says despite a slight improvement in security, the displaced people in three villages are afraid to travel more than a few kilometers outside of the settlements.

"They reported ongoing incidents such as livestock theft, physical assault, rape, killings and attacks on villages by the Janjaweed militia. Some of the community leaders reported that because of continued incidents, even those who have been recently returned from Chad are considering fleeing again across the border".

However, the UN refugee agency also points out that the Sudanese authorities have recently increased security in the area by deploying additional police and vehicles.

European Commission Funds Repatriation of Angolan Refugees

The European Commission has decided to give three million Euros to the International Organization for Migration, IOM, to repatriate Angolan refugees in Namibia and Zambia. IOM says major beneficiaries will be children who make up more than half of the population at refugee camps. IOM spokesperson Niurka Pineiro.

"This is with UNHCR and we hope to assist up to 45,000 with this money, 7,000 from Namibia and another 30,000 from Zambia."

According to the migration agency, over 400,000 Angolan refugees who fled to neighbouring states during the civil war still remain outside their country.

Bird Flu infects Cats

The bird flu virus, known as H5N1, can infect cats, according to a report in Science Magazine published today. The reports shows also that cats can pass on the infection to other cats. The spokesman for the World Health Organization, Dick Thompson, says this is an extraordinary finding because it had been thought that cats were immune to this virus.

"So now as we go by the epidemiological investigations in these areas, we are going to be looking at cats to see if they play any role in human disease. There is no indication now that they do, but it is something that we are going to have to take a harder look at."

The UN Nuclear Agency Sends Team to South Korea

International Atomic Energy Agency has sent a team to South Korea to investigate the country's declaration that it has enriched nuclear material. The Republic of Korea informed the UN nuclear watchdog on August 23rd that it had enriched nuclear material in experiments that had not been declared to the agency. South Korea also told the nuclear agency that the experiments had been on a laboratory scale and involved the production of only small quantities of enriched uranium. According to the Korean authorities these activities, which have been terminated, were carried out without the government's knowledge at a nuclear site in 2003. The IAEA are expected to return to Vienna early next week.

UNICEF Stresses Importance of Vitamins and Minerals for Chinese Children

China's massive drive to reduce the damage done particularly to children by deficiency in vitamins and minerals is paying rich dividends for the economy. This according to the UN Children's Fund and the Chinese Ministry of Health.