UN
UN secretary-general warns of atrocities in Aleppo with rebels nearing collapse
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, has warned of atrocities against civilians in eastern Aleppo after the Syrian military said it had gained control of 99% of the area with rebels on the brink of defeat. Amid reports from one Syrian TV station that the battle was over, Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "the...
North Korea test-fires missiles in defiance of UN sanctions
North Korea has test-fired two mid-range ballistic missiles from its eastern coast, says South Korea. The first launch was considered to have failed, travelling about 150km (90 miles) before landing in the sea. The second, launched hours later, flew about 400km. Military officials in the South said both were intermediate-range...
Refugees at highest ever level, reaching 65m, says UN
The number of people displaced by conflict is at the highest level ever recorded, the UN refugee agency says. It estimates that 65.3m people were either refugees, asylum seekers or internally displaced at the end of 2015, an increase of 5m in a year. This represents one in every 113 people on the planet, the UN agency says....
UN whistleblower resigns over French peacekeeper ‘child abuse’
A UN whistleblower who alleged child sex abuse by French peacekeepers in the Central African Republic has resigned, citing the "complete impunity" of those responsible for the crimes. Anders Kompass told officials that the UN was failing to properly investigate allegations that French troops abused children as young...
Yemen conflict: UN takes Saudi coalition off child blacklist
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has been removed from a UN blacklist of states and groups that violate children's rights in conflict. Saudi Arabia protested after the UN released a report saying the coalition was responsible for 60% of the child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year. It said the...
‘More than 50’ IS mass graves found in Iraq, says UN envoy
A UN envoy has said more than 50 mass graves have so far been found in parts of Iraq that were previously controlled by so-called Islamic State (IS). Jan Kubis told the UN Security Council that it was "evidence of the heinous crimes" IS had committed. The graves have been discovered in recent months as territory has...
Smug Argentina boasts of ‘wealth we don’t even know about’ after UN hands over Falklands
ARGENTINA has boasted of “wealth we don’t even know about yet” after a controversial United Nations decision expanded the country’s waters to include the Falklands. The South American country has been celebrating after a UN commission boosted its maritime territory in the South Atlantic Ocean by 35 per...
UN says EU-Turkey refugee deal would violate law
Proposals to send back refugees en masse from the European Union to Turkey would contravene their right to protection under European and international law, agencies and rights groups say. The UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, has criticised the plans drawn up by Turkey and the EU, saying they would amount to a violation of human...
Syria conflict: UN steps up aid deliveries as truce holds
An aid convoy has reached one of several besieged towns in Syria, as the UN takes advantage of a partial truce brokered by the US and Russia. The UN and its partners are stepping up deliveries of food, water and medicine, and plan to reach more than 150,000 people over the next five days. They hope to help 1.7 million in...
Syrian war: UN to expand aid amid partial truce
The UN says it plans to deliver aid to about 150,000 Syrians in besieged areas over the next five days amid a partial truce in the country's civil war. It said it was ready to help an estimated 1.7 million people in hard-to-reach areas by the end of March. A cessation of hostilities began on Saturday and there have been...