Tag: Un

UN refugee agency signals more fighting in Myanmar

GENEVA: The UN refugee agency said on Friday that most of the 15,000 people who fled from Myanmar earlier this week have returned from Thailand despite renewed post-election fighting near the border.
A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Adrian Edwards said fighting reportedly erupted again overnight after the Thai army cleared their return, with the potential for more clashes around the Myanmar villages of Maekata and Halokani.
"As of today most of the

UN appeals for Haiti cholera aid to avoid being ‘overrun’

GENEVA: The United Nations on Friday appealed for nearly 164 million dollars in aid to tackle cholera in Haiti and avoid being "overrun" by the growing epidemic.
"We hope we can get this otherwise all our efforts will be overrrun by the epidemic," said Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Byrs said UN, other aid agencies and Haiti's health ministry needed 163.8 million dollars for a strategy to stifle the

UN raises winter funds alarm in flood-hit areas

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations on Wednesday expressed increasing alarm over sluggish funds for the country 21 million flood victims, appealing to donors to act swiftly to stave off a new winter emergency.
"We are getting more concerned that the funding is slowing down," UN spokeswoman Stacey Winston told a press conference in Islamabad.
Only 39 percent of a record appeal for nearly $2 billion - about $760 million - has been received and almost another $8 million pledged, UN

Lebanon braces for worst as Hezbollah snubs UN Hariri probe

BEIRUT: Lebanon braced on Friday for a fresh political crisis after Hezbollah urged a boycott of a UN-backed tribunal on the murder of former leader Rafiq Hariri and the United Nations warned of a "hyper-dangerous" situation.
Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the militant Shiite party, called on all Lebanese on Thursday to end cooperation with investigators probing the ex-premier's 2005 assassination, warning "citizens and politicians alike" that further collaboration was equivalent to

UN report warns of attacks on Eid-ul-Azha

ISLAMABAD: The recent terrorist attacks in Karachi and other parts of the country could be an indicator of more attacks on Eid-ul-Azha, warned a United Nations (UN) report on Friday.
The report said that, in Karachi, Lyari, Orangi and Korangi were no go areas for the UN staff, working in Pakistan. The report had advised the UN staff to avoid visiting well-known shrines and traveling alone at night as they might fall victim to terrorist attacks.
The report stated that an

UN, donors hold back flood aid commitments

KARACHI
The United Nations and major donor countries have not yet provided the committed amount of money to Pakistan to support flood relief and rehabilitation in the country, leaving millions of affected people in distress, sources told Pakistan Today on Sunday.
The major donor countries had committed 1.87 billion dollars in assistance, while the UN had raised about $500 million for Pakistan. But so far, neither the UN nor the donors have provided any significant amount to

Afghans say NATO killed 2 students as bomber attacks UN office

KABUL
Afghan officials accused NATO-led troops of killing two school boys in central Afghanistan on Saturday after a patrol came under fire by Taliban insurgents, as three suicide bombers wearing police uniforms and burqas attacked the UN office in western city of Herat on Saturday, senior police and UN officials said.
Civilian casualties caused by international troops while fighting insurgents are an emotive issue in Afghanistan, causing friction between President Hamid

US must rein in private security firms: UN experts

GENEVA: A UN expert group on mercenaries on Tuesday urged the United States to exercise stronger official control over private security contractors in Afghanistan.
The UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries welcomed a US Senate committee report this month which found that Washington had failed to manage those hired to provide security under contracts worth billions of dollars, with disastrous results.
However, the chairman of the UN body, Alexander Nikitin, said it was