| SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ARMENIAN-TURKISH ACCORD
October 10, 2009 at 8:10 pm
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| SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ARMENIAN-TURKISH ACCORD
New York, Oct 10 2009 8:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed today's signing of two protocols paving the way towards normalizing ties between Armenia and Turkey, voicing hope that the move will contribute to peace, security and stability in the South Caucasus region. "This historic decision constitutes a milestone toward the establishment of good neighbourly relations and the development of bilateral cooperation between both countries," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4148">statement issued by his spokesperson. He also expressed hope that both protocols will be ratified quickly by the parliaments of Armenia and Turkey to "ensure full normalization of their bilateral relations. Oct 10 2009 8:10PM
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| HAITI: SECURITY COUNCIL EXPRESSES SHOCK AT DEADLY UN PLANE CRASH
October 10, 2009 at 8:10 pm
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| HAITI: SECURITY COUNCIL EXPRESSES SHOCK AT DEADLY UN PLANE CRASH
New York, Oct 10 2009 8:10PM
The Security Council today expressed its "deep distress and shock" over yesterday's deadly crash in Haiti of a plane, affiliated with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Caribbean nation, which killed all 11 people on board. Echoing a statement issued last night by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon through his spokesperson, the 15-member Council expressed its sympathy and condolences to the families of those who died in the accident. In a communiqué, the mission, known as <"http://minustah.org/">MINUSTAH, said the plane was on a regular reconnaissance flight in south-eastern Haiti when it crashed around noon into the side of a mountain in the Fonds-Verrettes area, about 45 kilometres from the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The bodies of the 11 passengers and crew have been recovered from the crash site and transported back to Port-au-Prince, where the headquarters of MINUSTAH is locat
ed. The names of the people killed have not yet been released but the UN confirmed that the victims include Uruguayan and Jordanian military officers serving with the mission.
MINUSTAH reported that an investigation is already under way into the cause of the crash of the Uruguayan CASA-212 military aircraft, which had departed from Port-au-Prince on a surveillance flight over an area near the Haitian border with the Dominican Republic.
The mission has been in place in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, since mid-2004 after the then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide went into exile amid violent unrest. Currently there are more than 9,000 military and police personnel deployed and nearly 2,000 civilian staff. Oct 10 2009 8:10PM
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| BAN CALLS FOR DONOR SUPPORT TO TREAT MENTAL DISORDERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
October 10, 2009 at 1:10 pm
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| BAN CALLS FOR DONOR SUPPORT TO TREAT MENTAL DISORDERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
New York, Oct 10 2009 1:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used World Mental Health Day today to appeal for donor support to care for such disorders in developing countries and among lower income groups. "Mental disorders contribute more to disease burden and disability in developing countries than any other category of non-communicable disease, yet only a small minority of people with mental disorders in these countries have access to mental health services. The need is high, and care is inadequate," he said in a message marking the occasion. "Governments and public health organizations, civil society, multilateral agencies and donors must join hands to make this happen," he added, noting that effective treatments exist for a wide variety of mental disorders. Due to limited available human and financial resources, community-based primary care facilities must be involved in delivering these services
Moreover, providing effective services in primary care settings would help to reduce the stigma associated with mental disorders and could prevent unnecessary hospitalization and human rights violations of people with mental health problems. "Such a strategy makes good economic sense," Mr. Ban said. "Mental disorders impair the ability of children to learn and the ability of adults to function in families, at work and in society at large. It is also a pro-poor strategy. Research shows that mental disorders are overwhelmingly concentrated in lower income groups. Poverty and its associated stresses, which include unemployment, violence, social exclusion and constant insecurity, are closely linked to the onset of mental disorders." Oct 10 2009 1:10PM
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| Today's News from TheEagle.com
October 10, 2009 at 10:15 am
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| Rollover injures one in CS Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:05 PM PDT College Station police officer Blaine Krauter walks away from a Jeep involved in a Friday morning accident that shut down part of Earl Rudder Freeway for hours. Coleman Rayburn, 18, of College Station was about to enter Earl Rudder Freeway South bet ... | | Morehead announces run Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:31 PM PDT A Bryan business owner on Friday became the first person to announce a candidacy for mayor in the spring municipal election.Mitch Morehead, a Bryan native and former City Council member, filed paperwork to run. The 49-year-old is the co-owner and pre ... | | Bryan police set up alert system Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:29 PM PDT Residents can now receive updates from the Bryan Police Department about traffic snarls, road closures and community events through a service launched recently.It takes about two minutes to complete the registration process and, once it's done, users ... | | Vets voice concerns to Edwards Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:23 PM PDT Jason Sapp served two tours in Iraq as a reconnaissance scout. When he returned home, he was not the same, his wife said. The Sapps tried to get support from the Department of Veterans Affairs, they said, but were turned away."They come away [from du ... | | Residents mixed on president's worthiness Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:31 PM PDT Bryan residents Justin Rains and Harold Elkins, hanging out downtown on Friday, illustrated the national divide over President Barack Obama's receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. "He deserves it -- I'm very enthusiastic about it," said Elkins, 23. "He is ... | | A&M opens Big 12 play against OSU Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:29 PM PDT -- Eagle Staff ReportTexas A&M's Big 12 opener will kick off at 11:40 a.m. today at Kyle Field, where the Aggies (3-1) will face injury-plagued Oklahoma State (3-1).A&M finished nonconference play last week with a 47-19 loss to Arkansas State ... | | Amnesty is chance to clear up warrants Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:23 PM PDT Those with outstanding warrants who would rather not spend time in jail will have an opportunity to take care of fines and fees without being arrested, beginning Monday."Anybody who has outstanding fines or court costs, sooner or later there will com ... | | Store owner robbed in Jewett Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:23 PM PDT Jewett police are looking for at least two men who robbed a check-cashing store in the town's Windmill Plaza on Friday.Police Chief Marty Navarro said the store's owner, John Lucas, tried to resist when a man pulled a gun on him around 10:40 a.m., an ... | | West Corp. accuses employee of theft Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:23 PM PDT -- Eagle Staff ReportA 29-year-old College Station man was released from jail Friday after being charged with stealing more than $11,000 from West Corp. Company employees noticed the money missing in late January and filed a report with the Bryan Pol ... | | CS Rotary poised for annual fundraiser Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:36 PM PDT -- Eagle Staff ReportCollege Station Rotary will have annual its steak- and-egg breakfast from 6:30 to 9 a.m. Oct. 20 at Outback Steakhouse.Proceeds go toward the purchase of clothing for children at Christmas, continuing efforts to eradicate polio a ... | | Obama: Nobel 'a call to action' Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:29 PM PDT WASHINGTON -- A beaming President Barack Obama said Friday that he was both honored and humbled to win the Nobel Peace Prize and would accept it as a "call to action" to work with other nations to solve the world's most pressing problems.Obama told r ... | | Hutchison campaigns for gun rights Posted: 09 Oct 2009 06:32 AM PDT PFLUGERVILLE, Texas -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison went to a shooting range and firearms shop near Austin to say she plans to file a brief in an upcoming Supreme Court case urging individual gun rights.Hutchison said Friday she will lead a bipartisan g ... | | Nuclear plant a hot topic Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:24 PM PDT SAN ANTONIO -- Sunshine and wind may be plentiful in Texas, but they aren't enough to power the city of San Antonio, according to officials backing a $13 billion effort to expand a South Texas nuclear plant into the largest in the nation.Months of es ... | | Moon crashes no dud for scientists Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:34 PM PDT WASHINGTON -- NASA's great lunar fireworks finale fizzled.After gearing up for the space agency's much-hyped mission to hurl two spacecraft into the moon, the public turned away from the sky Friday anything but dazzled. Photos and video of the impact ... | | Hummer line sold to Chinese firm Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:34 PM PDT DETROIT -- Hummer, the off-road vehicle that once epitomized America's love for hulking trucks, is now in the hands of a Chinese heavy equipment maker.General Motors Co. and Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Corp. finally signed the much-a ... | | Recession spurs job competition Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:32 PM PDT WASHINGTON -- The number of job seekers competing for each opening has reached the highest point since the recession began, according to government data released Friday.The employment crisis is expected to worsen as companies stay reluctant to hire. ... | | Afghanistan troop levels debated Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:28 PM PDT WASHINGTON -- Hours after winning a Nobel Peace Prize, President Barack Obama assembled his war council in the White House basement to talk about how many troops might be needed to right the 8-year-old Afghanistan conflict that military commanders ar ... | | Deadly blast fuels Pakistan ire Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:34 PM PDT PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Eight-year-old Amna Bibi was dressed in festive orange and headed to a wedding with her family when the car bomb exploded Friday near a crowded market in the northwestern city of Peshawar.A man scooped up the girl and dashed fro ... | | USA Today to post 17 percent drop in circulation Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:58 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) -- USA Today expects to report the largest decline in circulation in its 27-year history, threatening its No. 1 position among U.S. dailies as the growth of online news and the slump in travel pummel the newspaper.While most large daili ... | | Citigroup dumps Phibro, avoids showdown with US Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:56 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) -- Citigroup Inc. is removing one of the irritants in its relationship with the government, its Phibro commodities trading division that is paying one trader an estimated $100 million this year.The deal announced Friday carries a tradeo ... | | U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly down to $30.7B Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:34 PM PDT WASHINGTON -- The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly narrowed in August as exports posted a small gain, while imports fell on a big drop in demand for foreign oil.The fourth straight rise in exports was an encouraging sign that the global economy has st ... | | Source: Blago to be on TV Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:31 PM PDT CHICAGO -- Out of work since he was impeached by Illinois lawmakers, Rod Blagojevich is taking his job search to TV's toughest boss -- Donald Trump.The ousted Illinois governor will make an appearance on Trump's The Celebrity Apprentice reality telev ... | | Religion notes Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:32 PM PDT Sunday* First Christian Church, 900 S. Ennis St. in Bryan, will hold worship at 10:45 a.m. with the Rev. Jesse Myers preaching on "First Things First," based on Mark 10:17-31 and Genesis 4:1-2, 8:13-22. Sunday school classes for all ages begin at 9:3 ... | | Artist reimages Muslim holy text Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:32 PM PDT CULVER CITY, Calif. -- The scene is seared into the American psyche: the residents of New Orleans engulfed by floodwaters, perched on rooftops and desperate for help as corpses float past and helicopters whirl overhead.The depiction of Hurricane Katr ... | | Dead Sea Scrolls fill translation gap for Hebrew Bible Posted: 09 Oct 2009 05:31 PM PDT In July, Ruth and I had the good fortune to be in Toronto when a great exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls was featured at the Royal Ontario Museum. The exhibit was extremely well-done, with videos of the area where the scrolls were found, the ensuing ar ... |  |
| 10/10 Arizona Cardinals : News
October 10, 2009 at 12:00 am
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| 10/10 KPHO.com - Video
October 10, 2009 at 12:00 am
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| 1 Dead In Small Plane Crash
October 9, 2009 at 6:24 pm
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| | Authorities say the plane may have been trying to land at Deer Valley Airport. |
| 91-Year-Old Woman Dies In Fire
October 9, 2009 at 3:54 pm
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| | An early-morning blaze claims the life of a 91-year-old Peoria resident. |
| Crash Victims' Families Sue Bus Manufacturer
October 9, 2009 at 3:46 pm
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| | The families of people killed in a horrific bus crash two years ago say the bus manufacturer was negligent when it designed the coach. |
| Police Search For Water-Station Robbers
October 9, 2009 at 1:47 pm
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| | Police say two men are robbing victims at water stations in mall parking lots. |
| NASA Smashes Probes Into Moon
October 9, 2009 at 1:10 pm
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| | NASA smashes two probes into the moon. |
| Cards Insider Dishes On Sunday's Game
October 9, 2009 at 1:07 pm
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| | CBS 5 Morning News' Cardinals insider gives the latest scoop on Arizona's football team. |
| Clerk Gives Kidney To Customer's Daughter
October 9, 2009 at 12:49 pm
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| | Pam Schultz donates one of her kidneys to Manon Rainbolt's daughter Risa, leading the family to pay it forward to Schultz. |
| Vandals Scribble Death Threats On Signs
October 9, 2009 at 12:32 pm
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| | Vandals target political signs. |
| Hospital: John Doe Might Have Fallen Off Bike
October 9, 2009 at 12:31 pm
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| | Update: Police say they have identified the John Doe in critical condition at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. |
| Postal Worker Delivers Blow
October 9, 2009 at 12:30 pm
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| | Postal worker Penny Vasquez says she snapped under pressure and shoved her bosses. |
| Valley Sees Increase In Scorpion Population
October 9, 2009 at 12:25 pm
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| | Scorpions are invading the Valley, and they're not leaving any time soon. |
| 21 Hospitalized In Sweat Lodge Incident
October 9, 2009 at 12:17 pm
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| | Authorities say two people are dead after an incident in a sweat lodge at Angel Valley Resort. | 
| 10/10 NBA.com - Dunk of the Night
October 10, 2009 at 12:00 am
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| 10/10 NBA.com - Assist of the Night
October 10, 2009 at 12:00 am
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| Assist of the Night
October 8, 2009 at 3:06 pm
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| | Carmelo Anthony sneaks one down low to Renaldo Balkman. | | |  |
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| 10/10 Phoenix Local News
October 10, 2009 at 12:00 am
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| UN UNRIVALLED FOR ITS ABILITY TO BRING NATIONS TOGETHER TO SOLVE KEY ISSUES, OFFICIAL SAYS
October 9, 2009 at 7:10 pm
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| UN UNRIVALLED FOR ITS ABILITY TO BRING NATIONS TOGETHER TO SOLVE KEY ISSUES, OFFICIAL SAYS
New York, Oct 9 2009 7:10PM
The recent series of high-level events at United Nations Headquarters on issues including climate change, disarmament and food security shows that no other multilateral organization has the same capacity as the UN to bring together countries to resolve key issues, a top official with the world body said today.Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, said "the United Nations was the talk of the town everywhere in the world" during the week of the high-level segment of the General Assembly's annual debate. In an interview with the UN News Centre, he said the climate change summit hosted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Security Council meeting on disarmament and the high-level gathering on food security all led to "outcomes that will have important implications for the work of the UN and the world. "Those high-level events attracted the attention of the media and the world public, and I believe that a whole range of issues and priorities of the United Nations received the needed attention of the world." Mr. Akasaka said "this year showed the important convening power of the United Nations, because you saw Mr. [Barack] Obama [of the United States] come to the UN for the first time, Mr. Hu Jintao of China come to the UN for the first time, Mr. [Dmitri] Medvedev from Russia for the first time, and [Yukio] Hatoyama [of Japan]. All the important leaders were here in New York to attend the high-level events. There is no other organization like the UN to be able to do that." The Under-Secretary-General singled out the climate change summit, which attracted more than 100 heads of State or government, making it the largest ever high-level gathering on the issue, as an extraordinary example of the UN's pulling power. He said the summit had played a critical role in both raising awareness about climate change issues and in bringing world leaders together to spur negotiations ahead of the global talks scheduled for Copenhagen in December. "One example of the momentum on the issue is the announcement by the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Hatoyama, to announce his country's proposal to reduce, by 2020, its greenhouse gases by 25 per cent. "That is a very big step forward to promote the negotiations and it is expected that that sort of bold initiative will encourage other major emitters or economies to do the same. As the negotiations are coming to the very final stage, that high-level event surely has played an important part in pushing forward the negotiations." Mr. Akasaka said the Security Council meeting on disarmament, chaired by Mr. Obama, helped build growing momentum on non-proliferation issues. "There was general agreement on the need to ratify the <"http://www.ctbto.org/">CTBT – the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty – and also to make important progress before the review of the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty], due to take place in May next year. But he warned that, despite the remarks from some world leaders during the General Assembly's high-level segment that "green shoots" of economic recovery are appearing, millions of people worldwide are slipping further as the financial crisis continues to retard development. "We need more concerted efforts on the part of the international community in fulfilling its commitments on official development assistance (ODA), as well as other important areas to promote the flow of resources from developed countries into developing countries, including trade, foreign direct investment and remittances. "The developing countries are currently finding it more difficult to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs) because of the financial and economic crisis, particularly in sub-Saharan countries," he added. "We need to do more in addressing the goals of reducing maternal mortality, ensuring the universal education for children, further progress in addressing the public health problems, including malaria control."
Oct 9 2009 7:10PM
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| NO SURVIVORS AFTER UN PLANE CARRYING 11 PEOPLE CRASHES IN HAITI
October 9, 2009 at 7:10 pm
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| NO SURVIVORS AFTER UN PLANE CARRYING 11 PEOPLE CRASHES IN HAITI
New York, Oct 9 2009 7:10PM
All 11 people aboard a United Nations plane that crashed today in a mountainous area of south-eastern Haiti have been killed, the UN peacekeeping mission to the Caribbean country has confirmed.The mission, known as <"http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/minustah/">MINUSTAH, issued a communiqué that said the plane was on a reconnaissance flight in south-eastern Haiti when it crashed around noon into the side of a mountain near the town of Ganthier. The bodies of the 11 passengers and crew have been recovered from the crash site and transported back to Port-au-Prince, the national capital and the headquarters of MINUSTAH. The names of the people killed have not yet been released but a UN spokesperson confirmed that the victims include Uruguayan and Jordanian military officers serving with the mission. MINUSTAH reported that an investigation is already under way into the cause of the crash of the Casa C-212 aircraft, which had departed from Port-au-Prince on a routine surveillance flight near the border with the Dominican Republic. In its communiqué the mission offered its condolences to the families, colleagues and friends of the peacekeepers who died. MINUSTAH has been in place in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, since mid-2004 after the then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide went into exile amid violent unrest. Currently there are more than 9,000 military and police personnel deployed and nearly 2,000 civilian staff. <B>MORE TO FOLLOW</B>
Oct 9 2009 7:10PM
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| UN EXPERT HAILS MONGOLIA FOR SUCCESSES IN CAMPAIGN TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL EDUCATION
October 9, 2009 at 6:10 pm
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| UN EXPERT HAILS MONGOLIA FOR SUCCESSES IN CAMPAIGN TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL EDUCATION
New York, Oct 9 2009 6:10PM
Mongolia has made great strides towards providing universal education for its children, a United Nations independent expert said toy, praising the Asian nation for emphasizing the need for young people from both rural and urban areas to complete their educations.Enrolment rates have reached over 93 per cent at the primary level and 95 per cent at the secondary level in "such a vast territory with so little population density," <"http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/A2D4C3837036F48DC125764A0057B655?opendocument">said Vernor Muñoz, Special Rapporteur on the right to education. He wrapped up an eight-day visit to Mongolia yesterday, marking the first mission by an independent expert on the right to schooling to the country. The country, Mr. Muñoz said, "has shown innovation and creativity in order to provide education to such diverse groups such as nomadic communities and ethnic minorities." While in Mongolia, he met with Government officials, civil society groups, academics, students, parents and trade unions. He also witnessed first-hand the state of education in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, as well as the remote Khovd province in the country's west. Despite the current global economic crisis, the education budget has remained steady at around 20 per cent, but the rising population and inflation have made it difficult to provide a quality education to all children, the expert, who serves in his individual capacity and reports to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, noted. Urban areas have seen frequent school overcrowding, while access to water and proper sanitation is a problem in rural communities. "This lack of adequate facilities has resulted in many parents not registering their children at the start of compulsory schooling and should be addressed properly by the education authorities," he stressed. The Government, Mr. Muñoz said, should also consider the situation of children with disabilities, since little is provided from them. Mongolia has ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. That treaty, which entered into force in May last year, asserts the rights to education, health, work, adequate living conditions, freedom of movement, freedom from exploitation and equal recognition before the law for persons with disabilities.
Oct 9 2009 6:10PM
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| THREE-MONTH PLAN LAUNCHED TO HELP INDONESIAN QUAKE VICTIMS, UN SAYS
October 9, 2009 at 5:10 pm
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| THREE-MONTH PLAN LAUNCHED TO HELP INDONESIAN QUAKE VICTIMS, UN SAYS
New York, Oct 9 2009 5:10PM
The international humanitarian community launched a $38-million response plan today to complement the Indonesian Government's efforts to aid communities in West Sumatra hit by last month's earthquake, United Nations officials reported.The three-month plan targets some of the most affected areas including Padang City and Pariaman City, with 11 UN agencies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and 18 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) requesting funds for 74 projects, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) said. As international search and rescue teams continued to depart and an increasing number of humanitarian teams arrived in Padang, the focus of the UN Disaster and Assessment Coordination (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1414">UNDAC) team has shifted to humanitarian coordination. As of 8 October, Indonesian authorities have confirmed 739 deaths, 296 people missing, and 2,219 people injured, OCHA said. The reported number of damaged houses has increased to 234,395 and helicopters have carried out at least 13 trips to remote areas where people had not yet received aid. The UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) said 70,000 children, or 40 per cent of the town's school population, had returned to school in Padang. "Many children had expressed their fears for the future – of more earthquakes, more building collapses, the inability to rebuild their lives," spokesperson Veronique Taveau told a news briefing in Geneva. UNICEF is supporting efforts to reassure and comfort these children by protecting their health and assisting the early reopening of schools. Safeguarding water supplies and ensuring proper sanitation and hygiene in affected communities is of paramount importance, she added. According to the latest figures, 1,138 classrooms had been severely damaged, 580 moderately damaged, and 548 slightly damaged, leaving an estimated 90,000 children in need of education support. UNICEF has asked for $3 million in funding to help in the fields of water and sanitation, health, nutrition, education, child protection, communication and advocacy, and emergency cooperation, Ms. Taveau noted.
Oct 9 2009 5:10PM
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| YEMEN: UN AID CHIEF WARNS OF CRITICAL SITUATION FOR THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED
October 9, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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| YEMEN: UN AID CHIEF WARNS OF CRITICAL SITUATION FOR THOUSANDS OF DISPLACED
New York, Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
The top United Nations humanitarian official today warned of the increasingly dire circumstances facing a growing number of people in northern Yemen forced from their homes by the ongoing conflict between the Government and the Al Houthi rebels.Since fighting erupted between the two groups in 2004, an estimated 150,000 Yemenis have been uprooted and the number is swelling by the day, with the latest clashes spilling out of Sa'ada city into neighbouring areas. The UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) reported that around 200 people flood out of Sa'ada daily into surrounding areas, with some travelling by food through mountainous regions for four or five days. On the second day of a four-day tour of northern Yemen, Under-Secretary-General John Holmes visited a makeshift camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mazrak, where over 6,000 people are taking shelter, and some uprooted families have taken refuge on open land. "I came to Mazrak camp and to this district today to see first-hand the circumstances that the displaced people are living in, so that I could better understand how the international community can assist," said Mr. Holmes, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator. "This part of the country has been experiencing instability for some time now, and for some of these people this is the second or third time that they have been displaced," he added. The majority of IDPs are living amongst host communities or in open spaces in areas without clean water sources, and the most vulnerable have fled to camps with scant means of supporting themselves, making them largely dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival. "The people who have fled to the camps have few or no safety nets or coping mechanisms," Mr. Holmes said. "Many came from conditions of great poverty, and have now lost the little that they had, so we need to help them with everything from shelter to food to clean water." He noted that the thousands of IDPs who have chosen to live out of the camps also need help. "There are still many we cannot reach as well as we would like, and our resources are finite." Aid agencies will not be able to cope with the increasing caseload without strengthened international support, OCHA said, stressing that their $23.7 million flash appeal to fund immediate, life-saving efforts has only received only 16 per cent of the amount requested since it was launched on 2 September. Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/">UNHCR), told reporters in Geneva today that the civilian population "continues to bear the brunt of the ongoing conflict." He noted that the agency's own $5 million emergency appeal – to organize, manage and expand camps; provide protection for IDPs; and provide tents and other humanitarian assistance – is still $2.6 million short of its target.
Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
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| GUINEA: UN OFFICIAL FEARS FOR WITNESSES' SAFETY IN PROBE INTO KILLING OF PROTESTERS
October 9, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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| GUINEA: UN OFFICIAL FEARS FOR WITNESSES' SAFETY IN PROBE INTO KILLING OF PROTESTERS
New York, Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
The top United Nations human rights official voiced concern today over the risks to Guineans if the world body launches an investigation into the killing of at least 150 people last month when security forces opened fire on an opposition rally in the West African nation and raped some of the women protesters. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay is considering how to assist with an investigation, and make sure that it is credible, in view of the security and political situation on the ground, her spokesperson Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva. He said Ms. Pillay is concerned about the harm that Guineans may suffer without the necessary security guarantees for witnesses and those who provide information about the violent suppression of the 28 September demonstration in the capital, Conakry, which she has characterized as a "blood bath." The timing and format of an investigation mandated from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx">OHCHR) would largely depend on the cooperation of the Guinean authorities, which have announced their own Commission of Inquiry, he added. For now, Ms. Pillay is gathering information from various sources on the incidents, including the looting of homes of opposition leaders who had been arbitrarily arrested, and considering various models for a possible probe. Army Captain Moussa Dadis Camara seized power of the West African nation in a coup in December 2008 after the death of Guinea's long-time president Lansana Conté.
Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
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| SAVE THE FORESTS, HELP SAVE THE PLANET – UN AGRICULTURAL OFFICIAL
October 9, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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| SAVE THE FORESTS, HELP SAVE THE PLANET – UN AGRICULTURAL OFFICIAL
New York, Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
With deforestation accounting for over 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, a senior United Nations agricultural official today called for preservation of an ecosystem that can play a major role in fighting global warming. "Damage to forest ecosystems is affecting everyone in the world through climate change, water scarcity and the loss of biological diversity," UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/36150/icode/">FAO) Assistant Director General of Forestry Jan Heino said ahead of a meeting later this month of World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He called on the 4,500 participants, including delegates of governments, the private sector and environmental organizations from more than 120 countries, expected to attend the 18-23 October meeting to adopt more effective land, crop and livestock management practices. "Given that agriculture and land use changes such as deforestation contribute about one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, the potential role of these sectors in meeting the climate change challenge is great," he said in a news release. The World Forestry Congress, held every six years since 1926 and organized by the government of the host country under FAO auspices, is the most important meeting on the global calendar with regard to the forestry sector. It comes less than two months before the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, where it is hoped to forge a new pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol with even steeper reductions of greenhouse gases. UN agencies have repeatedly pointed to the vital role that forests play in the health of Planet earth. Last month, a campaign backed by the UN Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/">UNEP) to plant 7 billion new trees in a bid to push governments into reaching agreement in Copenhagen achieved its goal. The milestone was reached on 22 September with the news that China had planted 2.6 billion trees as part of the campaign, bringing the total to 7.3 billion trees planted in 167 countries. Tree planting remains one of the most cost-effective ways to address climate change, according to UNEP. Trees and forests play a vital role in regulating the climate since they absorb carbon dioxide. Deforestation, in turn, accounts for over 20 per cent of the carbon dioxide humans generate, rivalling the emissions from other sources. In a related development, efforts to set up a global body to address the loss and degradation of nature-based assets have gathered pace at a UNEP-backed gathering of representatives of nearly 100 governments. At the Nairobi meeting, there was strong support to establish the Intergovernmental Panel or Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which would catalyze political action as the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (<"http://www.ipcc.ch/">IPCC) has. "This is the year the world had hoped to have turned the tide on the loss of biodiversity," said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. "This, however, is unlikely to be achieved which does not undermine the goal but speaks volumes of the need for an effective mechanism which IPBES could represent." The gathering revealed that "there is a clear recognition that the status quo is not an option," he added.
Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
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| FOOD AID FROM UN AGENCY REACHES 1.3 MILLION SOMALIS
October 9, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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| FOOD AID FROM UN AGENCY REACHES 1.3 MILLION SOMALIS
New York, Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
Aid from the United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) reached 1.3 million Somalis in the war-wracked Horn of Africa nation last month, but funding shortfalls prevented the agency from assisting millions more in need, it was announced today.Over 22,000 metric tons of food were distributed, but with less than half of funds needed received, WFP was forced to scale back its operations, making it unable to reach all 3 million Somalis with 48,000 metric tons of food than the agency had hoped to. WFP urgently needs a nearly $200 million influx to allow it to feed 3.3 million Somalis through next April. Over the past week, the UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/">UNFPA) partnered with a local organization to distribute hundreds of hygiene kits, including soap and towels, to people living in a settlement for internally displaced persons (IDPs) outside of the war-battered capital, Mogadishu, which has experienced escalated fighting in recent months. UNFPA is also supporting a campaign to treat victims of fistula, the debilitating injury of the reproductive system, at a hospital in the capital run by the African Union's peacekeeping operation in Somalia, known as AMISOM. In Waajid, an area of the Bakool region in western Somalia, the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) and the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) are assisting with efforts to rebuild classrooms, separate latrines for boys and girls and a water tank that is set to benefit 400 children. The top UN political official told the Security Council yesterday that while there has been slow but notable progress towards stability in the country, international financial support for the transitional government is vital, with speed being the most critical element. "Money received today in Somalia will have far greater impact on stability than that which arrives in three months' time," Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe said, adding that the "extremely generous pledges" of $200 million made earlier this year need to be fulfilled immediately. At the same time, he said, the humanitarian situation has "worsened dramatically" over the past three months due to intensified fighting in Mogadishu, growing insecurity in much of southern and central Somalia, and deepening drought. Some 3.7 million people – or nearly half of the population – are now in need of livelihood and humanitarian aid, up from 3.2 million in January.
Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
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| TOURISM CAN PLAY VITAL ROLE IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY, GREEN ECONOMY – UN BODY
October 9, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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| TOURISM CAN PLAY VITAL ROLE IN ECONOMIC RECOVERY, GREEN ECONOMY – UN BODY
New York, Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
A United Nations assembly on tourism, bringing together some 360 delegates from 112 countries, has unanimously called on the world's leaders to place travel and tourism at the core of stimulus packages and the long-term transformation to a 'green' economy.It also urged governments to remove "burdensome taxes" targeting tourism and simplify border control regulations and visa policies. Underscoring the sector's enormous importance for job creation, trade, infrastructure and development, the 18th session of the UN World Tourism Organization (<"http://www.unwto.org/index.php">UNWTO) General Assembly, meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, stressed the essential role travel and tourism can play in post-crisis recovery from the global economic crisis. Wrapping up the four-day session, it called for special support for developing States in capacity building, technology transfer and financing. Calling for a moratorium on taxes on the sector at a time of economic uncertainty, it cited in particular the United Kingdom's Airport Passenger Duty. "These taxes place a serious burden on poor countries, undermine universal efforts to promote fair tourism trade and distort markets," it said, urging countries to reconsider them. Border control regulations and visa policies should also be reviewed and simplified wherever possible to boost travel and increase its economic impacts. The Assembly adopted the Astana Declaration underscoring the relevance of the Silk Road Initiative, which highlights the exceptional value and diversity of the tourism potential of the countries traversed by the ancient Silk Roads from China to Europe, many of them former Soviet states in Central Asia. As expected, UNWTO Secretary-General ad interim Taleb Rifai was elected Secretary-General for 2010-2013. The Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu became a new full member and UNWTO now has 161 Member States and regions and a record 409 private and public affiliate members. Global tourism is starting to show stronger prospects for recovery from the economic crisis in 2010, with preliminary figures indicating that the slide in tourist numbers may be lessening. International arrivals declined by 4 per cent in July, compared to decreases of 10 per cent in May and 7 per cent in June. In absolute terms, international tourist arrivals worldwide reached 500 million in the first seven months, down from 540 million in the same period of 2008. Arrivals in 2009 are currently between the levels of 2007 and 2006. The first seven months of the year generally account for roughly 57 per cent of the total annual number.
Oct 9 2009 4:10PM
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