Applications for international patents worldwide in 2010 have increased over the previous year, according to a report issued on Tuesday. The report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) says fillings in 2010 rebounded strongly after a considerable decline in 2009. Patents are often considered as one indication of economic recovery. WIPO Director-General Francis Gurry [...]
Eleven years after making a solemn pledge to end malaria deaths, African leaders are getting closer to their target. The 2011 World Malaria Report shows a significant decline of 33% in Africa in the past decade. The African Leaders Malaria Alliance or ALMA, was created three years ago at the UN General Assembly, to track [...]
Communities across Africa need to be more fully involved in efforts to prevent malaria among pregnant women. That's the conclusion of Mrs. Johannah-Joy Phumaphi the Executive Secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) ALMA is an alliance of African heads of state and government working to end malaria-related deaths. Mrs. Phumaphi says that lessons [...]
A three-member panel investigating allegations of human rights violations during the conflict in Libya has completed the first part of its work. The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on Libya was established by the UN Human Rights Council in February after government forces killed peaceful demonstrators demanding change. The protests escalated into a civil war [...]
European Union members of the Security Council have called for an immediate halt to the building of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem. In a joint statement on Tuesday, they said increased settlement construction and settler violence are damaging the prospects of a return to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The [...]
1. Palestinian flag raised at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France 2. Combating malaria: Progress being made, says WHO official 3. 2011 a catastrophic year for children in Yemen 4. Islamist insurgents on retreat in Somalia, says UN Secretary General 5. Ban Ki-moon : Civilizations can prevent conflict by dialogue 6. UNRWA says more refugees unemployed [...]
Patrols by UN peacekeepers have been stepped up in the troubled Jonglei state in South Sudan. It follows a renewed outbreak of inter-ethnic violence that led to the deaths of 40 people at the beginning of December. Rival tribes in the region are due to hold a peace conference in January in an attempt to [...]
A growing number of people in Djibouti are becoming addicted to chewing khat, an expensive and often dangerous habit, according to the UN. The leaves of the khat plant contain an amphetamine-like substance. Khat users can suffer from a range of diseases such as tuberculosis, anaemia and impotence. A bundle of the drug costs around [...]
Israelis and Palestinians need to enter into what has been described as "substantive" negotiations to resolve their conflict and find lasting peace. That's what Oscar Fernandez Taranco, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs told the Security Council on Tuesday. Mr. Taranco said that there are tensions on the ground, deep mistrust between the Israelis [...]
UN agencies are stepping up efforts to help thousands of people affected by a tropical storm and flash floods which hit the Philippines on Saturday. According to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, nearly one thousand people have died since Tropical Storm Washi struck Northern Mindanao causing widespread flooding and landslides. The World Food Programme is [...]
About 6,000 Ethiopian migrants, many of them women and children, have been stranded in Yemen for several months in desperate conditions, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM says the vulnerable people are amongst nearly 18,300 Ethiopian migrants registered in the northern town of Haradh on the border with Saudi Arabia. IOM spokesperson [...]
An airlift operation from Kenya to South Sudan has been launched to help about 50,000 refugees who have fled fighting in the Blue Nile State and Kordofan State in Sudan. According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) which is conducting the operation, many families left with few belongings and walked for weeks through the [...]
Russian authorities have been urged by the United Nations to investigate the murder of a Russian journalist and to bring the perpetrators to justice. Khadzhimurad Kamalov, the founder and editor of an independent weekly newspaper was shot dead in Dagestan last week. The UN human Rights Office has condemned the killing of the journalist which, [...]
Relief aid is being delivered by UN agencies to people affected by Tropical Storm Wash which hit the Philippines over the weekend leaving over 950 people dead. The World Food Programme is providing food and other logistical support to help the government's emergency relief efforts in Northern Mindanao. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is delivering [...]
The chewing of khat, a narcotic stimulant, is becoming a serious problem in Djibouti, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The narcotic plant, which is consumed by a large part of the adult population in Djibouti, is cultivated in certain areas of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. WHO's representative in Djibouti Dr. [...]
The international community is being urged to work together to build a safer, more prosperous future for all. In a message ahead of "International Human Solidarity Day" marked on Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underscored the importance of working together to tackle global problems. Charles Appel reports. In his message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [...]
