Deadly explosions kill 40 in Syria Concern is mounting over on-going violence in Qamishly City in northern Syria, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Wednesday. This follows the deaths of at least 40 people, including children, after explosions were detonated in a populated area that morning. Several residential buildings have collapsed while others [...]

Middle East heatwave "could be a regional record" A blistering heatwave that's been making life uncomfortable for millions of people in the Middle East could be a new temperature record, UN weather experts said Tuesday. The announcement by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) comes after thermometers in Kuwait peaked at 54 degrees Centigrade on Thursday [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from United Nations Radio, with Matthew Wells and Dianne Penn. In today's programme: In her first full interview, the Special Coordinator on improving the UN's response to sexual exploitation and abuse makes a plea to end "re-victimization"… And, the prospect of a return to proximity talks over [...]

Women who have been sexually abused should not be "revictimized" through the need to constantly describe the crimes they have suffered; that's the view of the UN's recently appointed Special Coordinator on Improving the United Nations Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. UN peacekeepers and other people working for the United Nations as well as [...]

More funds needed to repatriate Somali refugees from Kenya The international community is being urged to provide an additional US$115 million to support the voluntary return of Somali refugees from Kenya. The appeal has been made by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) which had earlier asked for nearly US$370 million for the operation. The Kenyan [...]

Policies of economic austerity around the world are putting the human right to social security at risk, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Isabel Ortiz, the ILO's Director of Social Protection, argues that as government budgets continue to be squeezed, social security programmes are being cut, which is depressing economic activity still further. The [...]

Listen to a bulletin of news and features from United Nations Radio, with Matthew Wells and Dianne Penn. In today's programme: A plea for a weekly "humanitarian pause" in fighting around Eastern Aleppo to safe tens of thousands of Syrian lives… And, we'll hear from inside the UN protection of civilian sites in South Sudan [...]

Raising human rights awareness among a new generation of youngsters from all corners of the world is vitally important if discrimination is to be beaten. That's the view of top UN rights investigator Christof Heyns, speaking on the sidelines of a special legal debate, which is known as a moot, at the Human Rights Council [...]

Lethal violence in Afghanistan is getting worse and has claimed a record number of casualties so far in 2016, the UN said Monday. More than 5,100 civilians have been killed or maimed in the first six months of the year, according to new data from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN [...]

An urgent call has been made for a weekly two-day "humanitarian pause" in fighting around Aleppo, to save thousands of lives in the east of the Syrian city. The UN's Humanitarian and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, said that with the last access road into the area cut off, 250,000 were now trapped. He warned [...]