Search Results for: united nations

BY KEITH NUTHALL
AS the diplomatic impasse crystallised at Cancun recedes into memory, the World Trade Organisation is facing what may be the sternest test of its eight year existence: can a body of 146 members actually agree comprehensive trade deals by consensus?…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A DETAILED and global draft code of practice on reducing violence and stress suffered by service industry employees has been released by the International Labour Organisation, which says the problems are a “threat to productivity and decent work”.…

BY MONICA DOBIE
THE CANADIAN government has welcomed what it says is the imminent ratification of the United Nations Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks by the European Union, which should help Ottawa conserve its hard-pressed fishing reserves.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A UNITED Nations fact-finding mission sent to investigate the growth in organised crime in Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein has concluded that cigarette smuggling is a key problem facing the occupation authorities. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said that the illicit trafficking of cigarettes had grown, with the trade being underpinned by past custom, especially on the Iran-Iraq border.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
UNITED Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has banned smoking in any UN premises within its New York headquarters. The ban applies to all buildings and grounds, except an outdoor area on the public plaza at the visitors’ entrance. Annan said he wanted to combat passive smoking.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
ONCE again significant recovery of coal mining in Kosovo has been frustrated by unforeseen natural disasters – in this case the collapse last November of the coal face in the Bardh coal mine after very heavy rain, causing serious damage to equipment.…

Keith Nuthall
THE UNITED Nations body established to settle claims made against Iraq because of its illegal occupation of Kuwait in 1991 has awarded a further US$315 million in compensation, bringing the total amount of money paid out under its authority to US$46.6 billion.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed Canada’s push to enact legislation allowing makers of generic medicines to export cheaper versions of patented HIV/AIDS drugs to poor countries. The UN agency says that Canada is the first developed country to take advantage of the recent World Trade Organisation deal over generic medicine exports.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE WORLD Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have released a set of educational materials on protecting children from ultra-violet radiation, as young people today are, they say, “most vulnerable and most exposed. The information packs point out that annually, there are 2-3 million new cases of non-malignant melanomas and more than 130,000 melanoma skin cancer cases worldwide, causing 66,000 deaths; “children are disproportionately affected,” it warns.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL in Paris, ALAN OSBORN in London, MARK ROWE in Singapore, ED PETERS and DON GASPER in Hong Kong, RICHARD HURST in Johannesburg, MONICA DOBIE and PHILIP FINE in Montreal, MATTHEW BRACE in Brisbane and ALEX SMAILES in Port of Spain.…