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New York: The United Nations special envoy on maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia today proposed the setting up of two special courts inside the country and one in Tanzania to try suspected pirates, saying the problem in the Indian Ocean was getting out of hand and required “strong and decisive action.”

New York: A fresh round of intense fighting has broken out in Sudan’s Darfur region between Government forces and rebels even as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate ceasefire in a conflict that has killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes.

New York: Army soldiers allegedly raped at least 67 women over the New Year period in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more than double the number originally thought, United Nations human rights investigators have found.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the main United Nations body tasked with addressing human rights challenges worldwide to be impartial, objective and constructive as it carries out its vital work.

New York: Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to eliminating the disease during a meeting on Monday with Anthony Lake, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Global Health Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, Assistant Regional Director for Africa for the World Health Organization (WHO).

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for increased funding of global humanitarian operations this year, noting that aid requirements are rising and that it is vital to have resources ready to help those affected by both natural and man-made disasters.

New York: Despite a sharp rebound in economic growth for many countries, global unemployment in 2011 is likely to continue at the record highs of the past three years, highlighting the need for long-term policies that prioritize quality job creation, according to the United Nations labour agency.

New Delhi: Finance Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee made a statement today on 'Black Money in India and its outflow' which says that there are no reliable estimates of black money so far, both inside and outside the country. However, the interim recommendations of BJP Task Force 2009 have estimated the amount of black money to be between USD 500 billion to USD 1,400 billion. A current study by Global Financial Integrity has estimated the present value of illicit money outflow to be USD 462 billion. All these estimates are based on various unverifiable assumptions and approximations. Government has been seized of the matter and has constituted a multidisciplinary committee to get studies conducted to estimate the quantum of illicit fund generated by Indian citizens.

New Delhi: The President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil has emphasized the need to curb the influence of money power in the elections besides looking at the criteria for contesting candidates so that criminals are debarred from contesting elections. Electoral practices and procedures should be constantly be improved to further strengthening our democracy. Good electoral practices and high conduct will attract the youth as well as talented and capable people to politics.

New York: Callixte Mbarushimana, a Rwandan rebel leader accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was surrendered and transferred today to the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move welcomed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.