United Nations, United States | AFP | South Sudanese former rebels on Tuesday released 16 UN staff after holding them hostage for several hours in a camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a UN official said. About 530 former rebels from South Sudan are living in the Munigi camp, …
Read More »Canadian who was closing in on HIV cure, drowns
Canadian ‘giant’ of HIV research drowns Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Canadian scientist Mark Wainberg — described as a “giant” of HIV science and who had recently been working on finding a cure for the condition — has died at the age of 71, UNAIDS said on Thursday. The internationally renowned …
Read More »Trump cuts money to UN population fund
International family planning agency, which will lose all future US funding, says its mission was ‘to ensure every pregnancy is wanted and every child birth is safe’ By Liz Ford and Nadia Khomami The US state department said on April 03 it was ending funding for the UN population fund …
Read More »COMMENT: 60 years of the Rome Treaties
Europe looks back with pride and looks forward with hope By: EU envoys The European Union will on 25th March mark 60 years since the signing of the Rome Treaties, the first step towards a united Europe. Since the birth of the European Communities in 1957, the citizens of our …
Read More »US to end funding for UN Population Fund over abortion claims
Washington, United States | AFP | The US government plans to stop funding the United Nations Population Fund because of the organization’s “coercive” family planning practices, including providing abortions, officials in Washington said late Monday. According to a State Department official, President Donald Trump has instructed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson …
Read More »UN to scale back DR Congo peacekeeping force
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United Nations Security Council will vote Friday to cut the number of troops in its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. US ambassador Nikki Haley said the force’s currently authorized strength of 19,815 would be cut by 3,600 — but …
Read More »Bodies found of two UN experts in DRC amid spiralling violence
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Two foreign UN experts who were kidnapped in DR Congo have been found dead, one of them decapitated, the government said Tuesday, as spiralling violence in the vast country sparked international condemnation. The bodies of American Michael Sharp and Swedish national Zahida Catalan were …
Read More »Six aid workers killed in South Sudan ambush
OCHA: South Sudan ambush highest number of aid workers killed in a single incident Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Six aid workers have been killed in an ambush in South Sudan, the UN said Sunday, in another blow to humanitarian efforts a country suffering from war-induced famine. A humanitarian source …
Read More »US, China disagree on South Sudan
China has disagreed with the United States, its major economic rival on how to ensure peace in South Sudan. Whereas the US has persistently called for sanctions against Uganda’s northern neighbour in a way of preventing the intermittent fighting that breaks out in the country, China, has said placing sanctions …
Read More »UN regional force to arrive in South Sudan in a month
United Nations, United States | AFP | The first soldiers of a United Nations-mandated regional military force are set to be deployed to South Sudan within about a month, the outgoing UN official in charge of peacekeeping said Friday. “The vanguard element of the force will be deployed between end …
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