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New York: Efforts to combat malaria in Africa are bearing fruit with 11 countries where the disease is endemic reporting a 50 per cent decline in mortality as a result of a global initiative to combat the disease, United Nations envoy Ray Chambers said today, calling for sustained efforts to eradicate deaths from the illness.

New York: A new United Nations report voices serious concern about the continued recruitment of children by armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) and calls for measures to address the ongoing “protection crisis” in the country.

New York: Some 180 countries and territories are for the first time carrying out simultaneous United Nations-backed immunization campaigns this week, targeting diseases such as influenza, measles, polio and tetanus.

New York: The head of the United Nations agency tasked with preserving the world''s cultural heritage today called for debate to examine the changing trends in book publishing and copyrights, saying new technologies are transforming the industry and having an impact on publishers, authors and readers.

KOLKATA: External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna’s recent three-day visit to Kathmandu was more in the nature of an attempt at acquainting himself first hand with Nepal’s current political situation rather than an exercise at a serious engagement with the Nepali authorities on substantive bilateral issues. In fact no progress has been made after the discussions Krishna had on a number of issues during his last visit thirteen months ago. They remain exactly where they were. Meanwhile, officials of the two countries have got busy drawing up the agenda of Prime Minister Khanal’s visit to New Delhi next month.

Believe it or not, a strong American connection is about to bring destruction of the powerful Marxist party, CPM, in West Bengal in the on-going assembly election. The CPM ruled the country’s most populous eastern state uninterruptedly for 34 years, since 1977, with the support of a few other small Left parties. The CPM and its allies are facing defeat at the hands of Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its election allies, Congress Party and radical Socialist Unity Centre (SUC).

Even as the polls are peacefully completed in Tamil Nadu, the temperature in the Congress party is rising high in view of its internal squabbles. Hardly has the din in elections subsided, internal fights and groupism in the local Congress are assuming a feverish pitch.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for the deepening of ties between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to combat transnational crime, including the trafficking of drugs and human beings, as well as terrorism.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised the strong partnership between Russia and the United Nations at a meeting with the country''s President Dmitry Medvedev and called for even greater cooperation on global governance issues, including climate change and sustainable development.

New York: While most countries have managed to stamp out bird flu, eliminating the virus from poultry in the six countries where it remains endemic will take at least 10 years, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says in a new report.