View Articles

New York: The United Nations refugee agency today voiced alarm at the growing number of deaths in the Gulf of Aden this year, noting that just this week 16 people have drowned and another five are missing – nearly all of them Somalis fleeing strife in their homeland – in two separate incidents.

New York: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today it urgently needs $257 million to continue providing food and assistance to over 7 million vulnerable Afghans, most of whom are women and children.

A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headed by Ms. Veronica Bacalu, Deputy Division Chief in the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, visited Yerevan from March 31-April 12, 2011. The team assessed developments and prospects, as well as performance under the authorities’ economic reform program supported by Extended Fund Facility (EFF)/Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangements. Performance continues to be positive, and the team reached staff-level agreement on targets and measures through the rest of 2011.

Staff teams from the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank (ECB), and International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Dublin during April 5-15 for the first quarterly review of the government’s economic program. The objectives of the program are to address financial sector weaknesses and to put Ireland’s economy on the path of sustainable growth, sound public finances, and job creation. Maintaining social fairness in shouldering the burden of adjustment is one of the program priorities.

New Delhi: ‘India Against Corruption’ the movement led by Anna Hazare and his group collected Rs.8287668 and spent Rs.3269900 so far.

It needed an Anna Hazare to force the government to take a final view on the Lokpal bill. The controversial bill has been eluding the Parliament for many decades. It was presented in the Lok Sabha in 1968 based on the recommendations of an Administrative Reforms Commission report and was passed in 1969. However, the Lower House was dissolved resulting in the death of that bill. Since then it has been revived many times in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2005 and 2008, but in vain. The First Administrative Reforms Commission of 1966, the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution of 2002 and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission of 2007 – all dealt with the subject.

New York: The interconnected risks that the modern world faces, from conflicts and natural disasters to deep poverty and disease, means a much broader definition of security is needed to ensure that individuals can live their lives with dignity and autonomy, the General Assembly heard today.

New York: The latest edition of the United Nations-backed handbook setting out universal standards for ensuring effective and accountable humanitarian work made its debut today with a new chapter on protection principles as well as information on emerging issues such as climate change and civil-military relations.

New York: The number of multiple States patents issued under a United Nations-backed treaty on intellectual property has hit the two million mark since the international innovations registration system was launched in 1978, the UN reported today.

New York: Although the political stand-off in Côte d’Ivoire ended earlier this week, the humanitarian crisis spawned by months of violence continues, United Nations agencies and their partners stressed today as they appeal for $160 million to scale up aid to affected populations inside the country.