Rahm Israel Emanuel to be Obama’s White House Chief of Staff
President-Elect Barack Obama announced yesterday that Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) has accepted his offer to join the White House as Chief of Staff. "I announce this appointment first because the Chief of Staff is central to the ability of a President and Administration to accomplish an agenda. And no one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel,” President-Elect Obam..
Yahoo! looking to recapture the web with Yahoo! Open Strategy (Y!OS)
Yahoo! has long been associated with bringing the Internet to the masses, first making history with the Yahoo! search engine and portal in 1994. Now, with the introduction of the Yahoo! Open Strategy (Y!OS), we're ready to make history again. Through Y!OS, we're rewiring Yahoo! so that developers can tap into benefits once only available within Yahoo!. Namely, you can leverage the con..
IMF in Talks on Loans to Countries Hit by Financial Crisis
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has announced its readiness to lend billions of dollars to support nations hit by fallout from the global financial turmoil, is holding talks with several countries about possible new lending programs. "I have been on the phone with leaders in several capitals who have asked the Fund for assistance. We now have mission teams in some of these countr..
IMF and Iceland Outline $2.1 Billion Loan Plan
The IMF announced an initial agreement with Iceland on a $2.1 billion two-year loan to support an economic recovery program to help the island restore confidence in its banking system and stabilize its currency. Following review by the IMF's management, the agreement could be presented to the IMF Executive Board for approval in early November. Iceland would be able to draw $833 million immed..
UN officials stress need to protect world’s poorest amid financial crisis
The poorest of the world’s poor deserve immediate support to help them endure the global financial crisis, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other top United Nations officials said today, warning that recent hard-won progress on poverty could be lost unless concerted action is taken. At a meeting of the Chief Executives Board (CEB), which brings together the heads of various UN agencies and entit..
UN Day marked around the globe with array of events and festivities
From a concert in New York by world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma to a tree-planting ceremony in strife-torn Darfur to a blood donation drive in Namibia, celebrations were held across the globe today to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. To mark United Nations Day, virtuoso cellist and UN Messenger of Peace Yo-Yo Ma performed tonight with the Silk Road Ensemble in..
UN Ambassador Angelina Jolie urges greater support for Afghan returnees
International film star and Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency Angelina Jolie has appealed for greater support for Afghan returnees, particularly as the harsh winter approaches, as she wrapped up her first visit to the strife-torn nation. Ms. Jolie’s three-day visit, which ended yesterday, was aimed at raising awareness of the refugee issue ahead of an international confer..
UN food convey successfully reaches conflict zone in Sri Lanka
A major United Nations food convoy arrived today in northern Sri Lanka to assist over 200,000 displaced persons after being forced to turn back yesterday due to fresh fighting in the area between Government forces and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The 50-truck World Food Programme (WFP) fleet re-entered the region known as the Vanni following the UN receiving renewed assuranc..
Ongoing violence uproots another 5,500 people from Somali capital, says UN
An additional 5,500 people have been displaced this week from the capital of strife-torn Somalia, the United Nations reported today, bringing the total number of those uprooted by fighting between Government forces and Islamic insurgents since 21 September to over 61,000. The clashes that erupted last month in Mogadishu have been some of the worst violence to hit the city in over a year and a hal..
UN stands up with millions across the world to take action against poverty
There is no time to waste in the fight against poverty, the Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro warned as she led a gathering at the United Nations to symbolically stand up against poverty today, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. “We join millions around the world today standing up against hunger and malnutrition; Standing up against deaths from preventable diseases; St..
UN donates satellite system to produce border map in Sudan
The head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has handed over a satellite imagery system to the team tasked with producing a border map, one of the key elements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the long-running north-south civil war in the vast African nation. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi presented the equipment, worth $600,000, to the Ad hoc Technical Border ..
Ban, French leader call for urgent action on financial crisis
Meeting today in Canada, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and French President Nicolas Sarkozy underscored the need for swift and decisive measures to be taken on the current financial crisis. They agreed in talks on the sidelines of the 12th Francophonie Summit in Québec City that a global initiative should be undertaken urgently to address the impact of the turmoil on all nations, especial..
G8 Leaders Statement on the Global Economy
We, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the President of the European Commission, are united in our commitment to fulfill our shared responsibility to resolve the current crisis, strengthen our financial institutions, restore confidence in the financial system, and provide a sound economic footing for our citizens a..
Sri Lanka: UN food convoy to war-wracked north forced to turn back
A major United Nations food convoy headed for northern Sri Lanka was today forced to turn back because of fresh fighting in the area between Government forces and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The UN will seek renewed security assurances from both sides before attempting to make the route tomorrow morning, the world body’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, N..
World Food Day reminder of daily crisis borne by millions, say UN officials
As the eyes of the world continue to watch the ups and downs of global markets amid the current financial turmoil, United Nations officials are calling attention today to another global crisis – hunger – which affects millions daily and kills a child every six seconds. “This year’s World Food Day comes at a time of crisis,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon states in his message for the occasion. “Gl..
Financial turmoil could usher in new ‘green’ era, says top UN climate official
The current global market crisis could provide an opportunity for the world financial system to reconstruct itself to promote “green” growth, the top United Nations climate change official said today in New York. “Governments now have an opportunity to create and enforce policy which stimulates competition to fund clean industry,” Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on..
Urgent aid needed as Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis worsens – UN relief chief
The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating and will continue to worsen into next year, according to the top United Nations humanitarian official, who has called for urgent aid to avert increased human suffering in the Southern African nation. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said that an estimated 3.8 million people would be classed as food insecure betw..
UN helicopters respond to rebel attack in eastern DR Congo
United Nations attack helicopters firing rockets went into action in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today after rebels attempting to advance against the Government opened fire on UN reconnaissance planes. The UN action was the latest in a series of strikes against the rebel Ituri Patriotic Resistance Front (FRPI) in Ituri province, and comes less than two weeks after peaceke..
Iraqi election law must provide for rights of minorities, says UN envoy
The top United Nations official in Iraq has called on the country’s legislature to reinstate a provision regarding the rights of minority communities into the provincial election law passed last week, stressing that protecting those rights is fundamental to a democratic Iraq. “Article 50 is a strong indication Iraq is a nation ready to protect the political rights of minorities as founded in th..
UN human rights chief spotlights plight of millions of detainees worldwide
The top United Nations human rights official today called for increased attention to the plight of those worldwide – including some one million children – who are deprived of their liberty and are being held in prisons and other places of detention, often illegally. “Every day, around the world, there are hundreds of new cases of men, women and children being placed in detention, when they shou..
Ban calls for more aid to landlocked developing countries
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the international community to show the same generosity in helping the world’s 31 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) overcome their trade-hobbling isolation as it did last week when it pledged significant new funding to help poor States in general achieve development goals. “Today we are sounding alarm bells for the Almaty Programme of Action,”..
Jamia Millia Islamia Using Indian Taxpayers Money to Defend Terrorists in Court
By announcing that it would provide legal aid to its students who have been arrested on terror charges, Jamia Millia Islamia has affronted the nation and the taxpayer. Mohammad Shakeel, a second-year MA student, and Zia-Ur-Rehman (third year BA) were arrested by Delhi Police for their alleged involvement in serial blasts in the national capital. Jamia’s media coordinator Rakhshanda Jalil said, ..
Greater accountability needed to boost women’s rights, UN agency says
Stronger accountability measures are needed to track progress governments and multilateral organizations have made in implementing their commitments to enhancing women’s rights, according to a new report by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The publication – “Progress of the World’s Women 2008/2009, Who Answers to Women? Gender and Accountability” – says that there is a lo..
Djibouti-Eritrea border tension could escalate, warns UN team
The situation on the Djibouti-Eritrean border remains volatile after a flaring of tensions on the border in June left over 35 dead and dozens wounded, a United Nations fact-finding mission reported today. The mission concluded that Djibouti is being drawn into a crippling and expensive military mobilization to deal with a situation that may threaten national, regional and international peace. ..
Israeli attack on Beit Hanoun a possible war crime – head of UN-backed probe
Israel’s shelling of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip in November 2006, which killed 19 Palestinian civilians, may constitute a war crime, the head of the United Nations-backed investigation into the incident said today. The attack “took lives, inflicted horrendous physical and mental injuries, tore families apart, destroyed homes, took away livelihoods and traumatized a population,” Arch..
Two new UN envoys chosen to spearhead progress on climate change
The former leader of Botswana and the immediate outgoing president of the United Nations General Assembly have been appointed as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s new Special Envoys on climate change, an issue that has been one of his top priorities since taking office last year. Festus Mogae, who was president of Botswana from 1998 until earlier this year, has extensive experience in economics a..
Top UN legal official urges stepped-up implementation of international pacts
Nearly three dozen Member States have indicated that they intend to sign, ratify or accede to at least one international treaty as part of the annual campaign to promote such conventions during the opening of the General Assembly session next week, the top United Nations legal official said today. “In a globalized world, where people, commerce and ideas cross borders with ever-increasing freque..
Civilian Government Faces Threat by Army in Highly Unstable Pakistan
Pakistan's new President Asif Ali Zardari may face threat from his country's army, which remains unwilling to counter a resurgent Taliban effectively, a leading think tank claimed on Thursday. "The Pakistani army remains unable or unwilling to counter effectively the resurgent Taliban and Zardari's major challenge is to gain the trust of the army, which in turn may pose a th..
Congress Minority Appeasement, Will Not Celebrate Hyderabad Liberaton Day Alleges BJP
Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of Hyderabad Liberation Day. I pay my respectful homage to all the martyrs and patriots who struggled for the liberation of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, which was under the oppressive rule of the Nizam. 17 September 1948 is indeed a watershed in the history of India’s Freedom Struggle. The collective will of the people of the Hyderabad State not merely repulse..
Delhi Terror Aftermath: Sonia Gandhi Can't Face Delhi, Cancels Rally Scheduled for Wednesday
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's rally at the Ramlila Maidan here Wednesday has been cancelled following the Saturday evening blasts. The party Sunday decided to cancel the rally at which Gandhi was to distribute provisional certificates to unauthorized colonies. 'The party has decided to cancel the rally to show solidarity with the blast victims. The new date will be announced later,&#..
