http://www.un.org/news A world of news from the world organization. en-us Copyright 2009, UN News Centre http://www.un.org/News/dh/latest/media/nslogo.gif http://www.un.org/news 140 Latest from the UN News Service http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33320&Cr=Cyprus&Cr1= Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders are intensifying their United Nations-backed talks aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island, scheduling two three-day series of discussions next month after a senior UN official said they had made good progress over the past year. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33319&Cr=darfur&Cr1= Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST The peace process in the war-wracked Darfur region of Sudan has reached a "critical point," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling on both the Government and rebel groups to accelerate efforts to reach a compromise. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33314&Cr=central+african&Cr1= Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST The Security Council today called on the Government of the Central African Republic (CAR) to ensure a speedy and inclusive political dialogue and swift security sector reform as the conflict-plagued country prepares for elections in 2010, urging the world community to provide necessary support. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33313&Cr=ivoire&Cr1= Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has announced that it is taking all possible measures to investigate allegations that have emerged of sexual abuse and exploitation among its military personnel, some dating back to 2006 and potentially involving minors. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33307&Cr=Chad&Cr1= Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST United Nations peacekeepers have helped secure an area of south-eastern Chad where a UN civilian logistics convoy came under attack from unidentified armed men earlier this morning. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33306&Cr=Conakry&Cr1= Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST The Government of Guinea must "break definitively with the violence" that marked its crackdown on unarmed protesters in late September, when at least 150 civilians were killed, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33299&Cr=timor&Cr1= Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST The United Nations handed over further policing responsibilities to Timor-Leste today as part of the gradual transfer of the security functions it assumed in 2006 after dozens of people were killed and 155,000 others - 15 per cent of the population - were driven from their homes in an eruption of violence in the newly independent country. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33293&Cr=western+sahara&Cr1= Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST UN chief relieved at activist's return to Western Sahara Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his great relief that an independence activist from Western Sahara has returned home, ending an impasse that led to her hunger strike lasting more than one month. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33291&Cr=liberia&Cr1= Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST While welcoming progress made by the Liberian Government in rebuilding the war-shattered country, the Security Council today demanded it "make all necessary efforts to fulfil its obligations" to freeze the assets of alleged war criminals and others, and urged it to tighten controls against so-called "blood diamonds" used to finance conflict. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33290&Cr=somalia&Cr1= Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST An international meeting on Somalia, chaired by the United Nations, today called on the world community to offer practical and, where possible, direct support to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) as it battles extremists in a country that has had no central government for almost two decades.