50,000 Iraqi civilians affected by fresh offensive against ISIL in Iraq: OCHA An estimated 50,000 Iraqi civilians are likely to be affected by the Iraqi army's latest offensive against remaining fighters from the ISIL, or Daesh, terrorist group in Anbar province. That's according to the UN office which coordinates humanitarian affairs, OCHA. Civilians also continue [...]

The "epidemic" of violence against women in the Solomon Islands can be stopped and the whole Pacific region is already taking "proactive steps". That's the view of Yannick Glemarec, deputy chief of UN Women, the world body's gender agency. The Deputy Executive Director for policy recently returned from a visit to the remote Pacific island [...]

Online media outlets face "significant threats" from some governments around the world which are trying to quash dissent by accusing journalists of peddling "fake news". That's one of the concerns voiced on Wednesday by David Kaye, who is the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and [...]

WHO strengthens health services in Raqqa, Syria The UN health agency, WHO, and its partners continue to strengthen efforts to provide health care services for thousands of people in newly accessible areas of Raqqa governorate in Syria. This week WHO delivered some five tonnes of medicines and medical supplies to a hospital in the region [...]

Listen to our daily bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, presented by Matt Wells and Dianne Penn. In today's programme:  Accusations of "fake news" show how online media's coming increasingly under attack by governments trying to discredit journalists a UN expert tells us; and: The story of how families of American prisoners [...]

UN chief appeals for solidarity with CAR The international community has been urged by the UN Secretary-General to show solidarity with the Central African Republic (CAR) in order to rebuild the country and reduce the suffering of its people. António Guterres made the appeal while speaking to reporters in the capital, Bangui, following a meeting [...]

The atomic bombs dropped by the United States in August 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing tens-of-thousands instantly, were a watershed event in human history. One little-known fact is that 12 American Prisoners of War, were being held close to the centre of the blast in Hiroshima at the time. A documentary about them and [...]

Fewer cases of polio in 2016 "than any other year in history": WHO There were fewer cases of polio last year than "any other year in history," said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, adding that total eradication of the deadly disease was "in sight". Only 12 cases occurred in three countries during 2016, [...]

"Unjust" to focus blame on teachers over student performance: UNESCO Governments bear the main responsibility for ensuring quality education, while blaming teachers for students' poor performance is often "unjust and unconstructive." That's according to the latest Global Education Monitoring report (GEM) from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published on Tuesday. UNESCO Director-General [...]

Urban demand could be "a lever" for industrialization across Africa. That's according to Giovanie Biha, Deputy Executive Secretary at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), which has launched a report on industrial development on the continent. With an increasing fraction of the population living in cities, Africa faces growing challenges in terms of services [...]