Listen to a bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, with Dianne Penn and Matt Wells. In today's programme: blueprint unveiled to eradicate arsenic-contaminated rice; and women and children plead for peace in South Sudan 'ghost town'.

  Shock and sadness over "at least 20 deaths" reported in Yemen: UNHCR The deaths of "at least 20" internally displaced Yemenis following an air strike on Tuesday, highlights the urgent need for a peaceful political solution to the on-going conflict there, said the UN Refuge Agency (UNHCR) on Wednesday. UNHCR's William Spindler said the [...]

Women and children are urging authorities in South Sudan to restore peace in the town of Yei. Violence between Government and opposition forces which erupted last year has forced thousands to flee. Dianne Penn reports. Duration: 3’11″

Horrific and deadly acts of violence against babies and children have been reported in the Central African Republic (CAR), where fighting has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes in recent months. The warning  from UN Children’s Fund UNICEF and UN Refugee Agency UNHCR follows months of renewed conflict involving armed groups in [...]

Libya "executions" should face investigation, says UN rights office Reports indicating that suspected terrorists have been executed by forces aligned with the Libyan National Army (LNA) should face an independent investigation, the UN said on Tuesday. OHCHR, the UN human rights office, made the appeal after videos appeared on social media showing detainees being shot [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from the United Nations, with Dianne Penn and Jocelyne Sambira. In today's programme: Children "increasingly targeted" in CAR violence; and we hear how Arab States are faring in the global push to eliminate hunger and other challenges.

  International community urged to avert repeat of CAR crisis The international community is being urged by the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator to "sustain support" for the Central African Republic or CAR. Stephen O'Brien was speaking at a press conference in the capital Bangui as he concluded a visit to the country on Tuesday. By [...]

Helping migrants integrate into host communities is crucial to everyone's wellbeing, but it's something that's frequently misunderstood by authorities, the UN has said. The issue is one of many on the agenda at the International Dialogue on Migration in Geneva beginning on Tuesday, hosted by the UN migration agency, IOM. The recommendations that emerge from [...]

More than 12 million babies worldwide were not vaccinated in 2016 More than 12 million babies worldwide, nearly one in ten, did not receive any vaccinations in 2016, the UN says. Every year, the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund UNICEF jointly produce national immunization coverage estimates for each of the 194 WHO [...]

A bid to protect global consumers from naturally occurring arsenic-contaminated rice has been given the go-ahead by Member States, the UN said on Monday. The initiative is one of many food safety measures covered by an international body known as the Codex Alimentarius Commission. It was set up in 1963 by the World Health Organization [...]