Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced deep regret after Security Council members were today unable to agree on a resolution backing an Arab League plan to resolve the crisis in Syria, where thousands of people have been killed over the past year since authorities crackdown on a pro-democracy uprising.

The number of civilian casualties resulting from the conflict in Afghanistan has risen for a fifth consecutive year, the United Nations reported today, blaming a change in tactics by the Taliban and other anti-Government forces for the higher death toll.

Early diagnosis is the key to reducing the nearly eight million deaths caused by cancer across the globe annually, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today, stressing the importance of screening programmes for healthy people to detect the disease promptly for easier treatment.

The United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled today that Italy has violated its obligation to respect Germany’s immunity under international law by allowing civil claims seeking reparations for Nazi war crimes to be brought against it in Italian courts.

The head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) said today that he hopes to decide next week on the partial certification of parliamentary elections held in the West African country near the end of last year.

The United Nations and humanitarian partners today revised upwards an appeal for funding to continue relief work for six months among the more than 300,000 people in the Philippines island of Mindanao who were affected by last year’s tropical storm Washi.

The UN declared an end to famine conditions in Somalia today, but warned that the crisis in the Horn of Africa is not over and requires continued efforts to restore food security and help people resume normal lives.

The appeals chamber of the United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia trying cases of mass murder and other crimes committed under the Khmer Rouge regime today sentenced the former head of a notorious detention camp to life in prison, upholding an earlier conviction and extending the existing jail term.

The United Nations disaster risk reduction agency stressed today the need to boost preventive measures in Fiji, as heavy rains are predicted to occur more frequently in the archipelago nation, which has been ravaged by severe floods over the past week.

The United Nations is backing a mass vaccination campaign under way in northern Cameroon, where a new outbreak of yellow fever has killed at least seven people.

A United Nations political team heads to the Maldives next week for talks on how to help support the Indian Ocean archipelago in its transition to democracy.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distributing rations in Mozambique, where an estimated 70,000 people are in urgent need of assistance after the country was pounded by two tropical storms.

The United Nations human rights office today voiced concern over a cattle raid in a northern state of South Sudan earlier this week, which has led to 78 deaths and numerous injuries among civilians, most of whom were women and children.

The head of the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) today expressed deep sympathy to the victims of a ferry sinking off the coast of Papua New Guinea that may have claimed more than 100 lives.

The United Nations refugee agency said today it is alarmed by recent reports that displaced people have been tortured and killed in their camps by armed elements in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced his appreciation of the work of the outgoing United Nations envoy to Sierra Leone, Michael von der Schulenburg, including his initiatives to boost donor cooperation and efficient aid use in the West African country.

Sustainable development and the environment topped the agenda during talks today in Paris between General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser and senior French Government officials.

Businesses with innovative models that enhance commercial success as well as contribute to sustainable development have been invited by the United Nations to participate in the World Business and Development Awards (WBDA), which launched its nominations today.

The United Nations relief chief today visited areas in South Sudan hit by recent ethnic violence and met some of the victims of a vicious cycle of raids and reprisal attacks, describing what she had seen as "a terrible situation" with people having lost loved ones, property and livelihood.

The head of the United Nations entity mandated to promote gender equality today said that her priority this year is to enhance the economic empowerment and political participation of women and called for the support of the international community and the entire UN system to ensure success.