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New York: The Security Council has welcomed “recent positive developments” in Guinea, which has been gripped by unrest since Government forces opened fire on unarmed protesters last year, killing at least 150 people, and urged the transitional authorities in the West African country to prevent any further violence pending elections.

The Colombian economy is showing signs of recovery. Economic activity improved in the second half of 2009 as countercyclical policies took effect and external conditions improved, despite the impact of lower trade with Venezuela. Inflation declined to 2 percent by end- 2009, as inflation pressures abated with the reversal of food price increases and weak aggregate demand. The external current account deficit declined as lower imports more than offset the drop in exports, and it was comfortably financed with official and private capital inflows.

New York: The United Nations is urging media practitioners in Liberia to play a major role in creating public awareness about gender-based violence, one of the most frequently committed serious crimes in the country, as part of a wider UN push in West Africa to increase media spotlight on sexual violence.

New York: Global health will be the focus of this year's annual United Nations conference with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the head of the UN's Department of Public Information (DPI) has announced.

New York: While there are still forces in Iraq trying to disrupt reconstruction with deadly violence, they cannot reverse the progress already taking place, with national elections slated for 7 March, but greater international engagement is needed, the top United Nations envoy in the country has said.

While the economy remains weak, there is evidence of a rebound in activity in the last several months of 2009 and it is estimated that real GDP grew 3.5 percent for the whole year. There is no evidence of price pressures in the economy. Inflation closed at 5.8 percent by the end of 2009 (below the lower end of the Central Bank's target), and core inflation (excluding food and fuels) closed at 3 percent. The exchange rate has remained stable. The international community's efforts to reconstruct Haiti—which is expected to count with the active participation of the Dominican Republic—may increase net exports going forward. The economy has enough unutilized capacity to deal with this potential increase in demand.

New York: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched an appeal for more than $23 million to assist the return of some 200,000 Sri Lankans uprooted by the recent conflict between Government forces and separatist Tamil rebels in the north of the Indian Ocean nation.

New York: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has started relocating hundreds of people fleeing an upsurge in fighting and tightened access to humanitarian aid in southern and central Somalia to a camp in neighbouring Ethiopia.

TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN - Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda on Tuesday praised Uzbekistan for its strong support for regional cooperation, saying that improved trade and transport links will help Central Asia reap the benefits of its strategic location.

New York: A landmark agreement to protect shark species threatened with extinction was reached today by over 100 countries signed up to a United Nations-supported wildlife treaty, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).