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Security
Council
discusses
Georgia
- Ban
calls
for end
to
violence
 The
United
Nations
Security
Council
met
for
the
fifth
time to
discuss
the crisis
in
Georgia,
where
large
numbers of
casualties
have been
reported
as a
result of
fierce
fighting
between
Georgian
and
Russian
forces and
thousands
of
civilians
have been
displaced
from their
homes.
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
has
repeatedly called
for an
immediate
end to the
violence,
voicing
fears that
the
conflict
was
spreading
beyond the
South
Ossetia
region.
The number
of
internally
displaced
persons is
expected
to rise to
as many as
20,000,
according
to UNHCR,
while
about
5,000
South
Ossetians
have
already
fled to
the
neighboring
North
Ossetia-Alania
region of
Russia.
Read
more....
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UN
humanitarian
airlifts
arrive
in
Georgia
|
 Two
United
Nations
airlifts
are
carrying
humanitarian
aid to
civilians
affected
by the
South
Ossetia
conflict
in
Georgia,
which
has
uprooted
nearly
100,000
people.
The
first
humanitarian
flight,
a Boeing
707
cargo
plane
chartered
by the
UN High
Commissioner
for
Refugees
(UNHCR),
brought 34
tons of
tents,
jerry
cans,
blankets
and
kitchen
sets from
the
agency's
central
emergency
stockpile
in Dubai.
A second
UNHCR
flight is
scheduled
from
Copenhagen
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Shots
fired at
UN-AU
mission
helicopter
in
Darfur
|
 The
joint
United
Nations-African
Union
peacekeeping
mission
in
Darfur ( UNAMID)
reported
that one
of its
helicopters
came under
fire in
West
Darfur.
UNAMID
said that
its
helicopter
took off
from El
Geneina
and that
the pilot
heard
shots
being
fired at
the
helicopter
about 30
minutes
after
take-off.
UNAMID
reported
that there
had been
no
casualties,
and that
the
helicopter
was being
examined
to assess
any
damage.
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UN
mission
in Iraq
'regrets'
failure
of
parliament
to pass
electoral
law
|
 The
United
Nations
Mission
in Iraq
(UNAMI)
says it
regrets
that an
opportunity
was missed
when the
country's
parliament
adjourned
without
reaching
agreement
on a new
provincial
elections
law.
UN
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
warned in
his quarterly
report
on Iraq
that,
unless a
new
electoral
law was
passed in
time,
Iraqis
would be
deprived
of the
chance to
vote this
year,
which he
said could
alienate
various
communities
in the
country.
UNAMI said
it hopes
that the
Iraqi
leaders
will reach
an
agreement
on
outstanding
issues
through
dialogue
as soon as
possible
to enable
elections,
adding
that this
was the
wish of
the vast
majority
of the
Iraqi
people.
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American
to lead
UN
Peacebuilding
Operations
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NBA
Star Yao
Ming
becomes
first UN
Environmental
Champion
|
 Olympic
athlete
and NBA
star Yao
Ming has
become
the
United
Nations
Environment
Programme's
(UNEP)
first-ever
Environment
Champion.
Mr. Yao
will work
with young
people
around the
world to
raise
awareness
about
green
issues and
to try to
inspire
them to
plant
trees, use
energy-efficient
light
bulbs,
harvest
rain water
and
personally
advocate
for a
healthier
environment,
UNEP said
in a press
release.
Mr. Yao
has become
a national
icon in
his
homeland
and
carried
the
Chinese
flag
during the
opening
ceremony
of the
Beijing
Olympics.
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About
the
United
Nations
in
Washington
As
the UN
Secretary-General's
office
in
Washington,
D.C,
the
United
Nations
Information
Center
serves
as the
focal
point
for UN
news
and
information
to
advance
understanding
of the
UN and
its
work,
and to
serve
as a
resource
for
United
States government
officials,
NGOs,
civil-society
organizations
and
the
American
people.
For
more
information
about
the
Center or
any of
the
UN-affiliated
agencies,
please
call
202-331-8670,
email unicdc@unicwash.org or
visit
us
online
at www.unicwash.org.
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Dr.
Jane
Holl
Lute