Mexican specialist wins UNESCO award for popularizing science A Mexican physiologist and neurobiologist renowned for his work on sleep has won a United Nations award honouring those who have helped to promote science, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced today. René Raúl Drucker Colín will officially receive the 2011 UNESCO Kalinga Prize […]

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UN agency warns of danger of bird flu research and urges safety measures The United Nations health agency has voiced deep concern that scientific research undertaken on a strain of highly pathogenic influenza could have negative consequences but also acknowledged that tightly-controlled studies needed to continue to limit the possibility of future risks to the […]

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Cholera outbreak in DR Congo near end in one area but ongoing in two others Cholera beds The cholera outbreak that has infected thousands of people across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is almost over in the worst-affected province, but fresh cases are being recorded in two other areas, the United Nations humanitarian […]

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UN refugee agency commends Georgian step to protect stateless people A stateless mother and child in Kyrgyzstan The United Nations refugee agency today welcomed Georgia’s accession to a landmark global treaty that aims to protect the estimated 12 million people worldwide who are stateless – displaced persons with no citizenship status with any country. After […]

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Disaster risk awareness key to preventing casualties, says UN ambassador Senator Loren Legarda of the Philippines, UNISDR champion on disaster risk reduction for Asia-Pacific Better disaster risk preparations may have helped avert casualties when tropical storm Washi slammed into the Philippines this month, a United Nations champion for disaster risk reduction said today. Senator Loren […]

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Philippines: UN grant enables agencies to give help to storm survivors A group of children displaced by floods, following the passage of tropical storm Washi, living in an evacuation centre in Iligan City, Philippines A $3 million allocation from the United Nations relief fund has enabled agencies to provide initial assistance to survivors of the […]

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Donors give nearly $375 million to UN emergency relief fund Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos at the annual high-level conference on the Central Emergency Response Fund Donors pledged nearly $375 million today to the United Nations fund that ensures that humanitarian workers can quickly begin saving lives when a crisis strikes. The […]

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New UN initiative to boost Mozambican crop yields FAO has assisted Mozambique in stepping up quality seed production to increase crop yields A new United Nations initiative in Mozambique aimed at increasing the quality of seeds will help the African country capitalize on its arable land and unlock its potential, the Organization’s agricultural agency announced […]

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Philippines: UN targets children’s needs in areas hit by deadly tropical storm A child rests inside one of the evacuation sites in Datu Piang, Maguindanao in the Philippines As the death toll in the Philippines from the impact of tropical storm Washi passes 1,100, the United Nations continues to both rush aid to storm-affected areas […]

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UN refugee agency distributes winter supplies to needy Afghan families Vulnerable Afghan families line up to receive winter supplies in Dahsabz, a suburb of Kabul The United Nations refugee agency today began distributing urgently needed winter supplies to more than 200,000 displaced people in Afghanistan as night-time temperatures have plummeted to below freezing across the Asian country. […]

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