UN health agency takes steps to help improve data on stillbirths, maternal and neonatal deaths
New York, Aug 17 (Just Earth News): Most stillbirths and neonatal deaths are preventable with quality health care during pregnancy and childbirth, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Tuesday as it launched three new publications to help countries address and strengthen their classification, review, and investigation processes on these deaths, which are unrecorded or underreported.
Yellow fever: UN coordinating effort to vaccinate 14 million people in two African countries
New York, Aug 17 (Just Earth News): Working with health ministries in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations health agency is coordinating one of the largest emergency vaccination campaigns ever attempted in Africa to protect more than 14 million people against yellow fever in an outbreak that has killed more than 400 people and sickened thousands of others.
UN chief congratulates Zambia on peaceful elections
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the people of Zambia for the peaceful and orderly presidential, parliamentary and local elections, as well as the referendum on the Bill of Rights, held on 11 August.
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): The situation of civilians in Aleppo is “critical and demands immediate attention and response,†a United Nations-mandated human rights panel warned on Tuesday, expressing grave for the safety of the war-raved city’s people, including some 100,000 children, and urging countries with influence to pressure the parties to the conflict in Syria to return to political negotiations.
Bahrain authorities must end ‘systematic harassment’ of Shia population – UN rights experts
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): A group of United Nations independent human rights experts on Tuesday expressed deep concerns at what they see as “systematic harassment†of the Shia population and religious leaders, including stripping the citizenship of many, by authorities in Bahrain.
Yemen: Ban condemns reported coalition airstrike on rural hospital that leaves 11 dead
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): Reiterating his call on all warring parties in Yemen to immediately implement the cessation of hostilities, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the reported coalition airstrike yesterday on a hospital in the rural town of Hajjah that killed 11 people.
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): The United Nations in Iraq has strongly condemned the death of a journalist who was seized by armed men in Dohuk city on 13 August and has called on the government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to implement urgent measures to guarantee the safety of all journalists and media professionals.
UN condemns 'appalling' deadly attack on civilians in eastern DR Congo
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon joined his envoys from the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Monday in strongly condemning the killing of dozens of civilians during an overnight attack in Beni, located in restive eastern part of the country, where the UN mission and national authorities have now deployed forces in the wake if the incident.
Central African Republic: After standoff, UN force detains 10 armed men, recovers weapons cache
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has reported that after a standoff with a convoy of heavily-armed men near Sibut, the capital of Kémo Prefecture, UN forces detained 10 of the suspects and recovered a “significant quantity†of weapons and munitions.
Central African Republic: After standoff, UN force detains 10 armed men, recovers weapons cache
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has reported that after a standoff with a convoy of heavily-armed men near Sibut, the capital of Kémo Prefecture, UN forces detained 10 of the suspects and recovered a “significant quantity†of weapons and munitions.
‘Innovation divide’ persists; investment crucial to vibrant competitive economy, says UN agency
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): A new report published by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has shown that for the first time, a middle-income country, China, has joined highly developed economies among global leaders in innovation.
Teenage blogger trial ‘deeply worrying’ sign of Singapore’s attempts to curb free expression
New York, Aug 16 (Just Earth News): Concerned over increased criminalization of expression , a United Nations human rights expert on Monday expressed serious concern about the upcoming trial of a 17-year old Singaporean for Facebook posts and blog comments that wounded the religious feelings of Muslims and Christians.
UN combats spread of cattle disease in Europe through early-detection training
New York, Aug 15 (Just Earth News):The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today started a programme to train European laboratory staff on how to use nuclear-derived techniques to detect lumpy skin disease – a highly infectious cowpox virus spreading across the continent.
Ethiopia will need urgent global support in race to prepare for main agricultural season – UN
New York, Aug 15 (Just Earth News): Seasonal floods, resulting in crop damage and inundation of pastures, following a severe El Niño-induced drought in Ethiopia may be further exacerbated by its cool weather counterpart, La Niña, expected from October onwards, the United Nations agricultural agency has warned.
Yemen: UN chief condemns attack on school that killed at least 10 children
New York, Aug 15 (Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the attack, reportedly an airstrike, on a school in northern Yemen that killed at least 10 children and injured many more over the weekend.