The sentencing of a gay couple in Malawi to 14 years in prison is “blatantly discriminatory,” the top United Nations human rights official said today, voicing concern over the precedent that this could set in the region.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived today in Turkey to take part in a major international conference in Istanbul on bolstering the fragile peace process in Somalia.

The protection and empowerment of people worldwide must form the basis of government actions, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed today as he called on Member States to accept a broadened understanding of the concept of human security.

The Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), today raised more than $175,000 for projects to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in China.

The ongoing renovation of the United Nations Secretariat building and the conference building at the UN’s New York headquarters will be completed in 2012 as scheduled, the official overseeing the project said today, adding that significant time-saving opportunities in the entire plan had been identified.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his concern about recent unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan, where at least two people were reportedly killed in ethnic clashes yesterday and a regional governor was attacked today.

Despite some progress in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, violent clashes between Government and rebel forces persist, civilians are still dying or being displaced and humanitarian workers are still coming under attack, the top United Nations official in the region said today.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for concerted efforts to accelerate efforts to reduce social inequalities in Western Asia through the boosting of decent job opportunities especially for the region’s youth.

Defending cultural diversity goes hand in hand with respect for the individual, a group of United Nations independent human rights experts said today as they also warned that cultural diversity should not be used to infringe on human rights.

The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today condemned the recent killings of journalists in Somalia and Pakistan, underscoring the necessity of press freedom.

Enhanced investment in protecting fragile agricultural biodiversity is vital to sustaining the livelihoods of the rural poor, the head of the United Nations rural development arm said today.

The United Nations is committed to having an active presence in the southern part of Afghanistan, despite the insecurity in the region, the top United Nations envoy to the country pledged today.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced serious concern over the results of the investigation into the sinking of a navy ship off the coast of the Republic of Korea, alleged by the country to have been carried out by its northern neighbour, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DRPK).

All drivers of United Nations vehicles are now prohibited from using their mobile telephones to send text messages while driving under a new measure unveiled today by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to try to promote road safety and save lives.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed concern over continued recent reports of a military build-up and violence between armed groups and Government forces in the war-wracked Sudanese region of Darfur.

United Nations peacekeepers today rushed in all-terrain vehicles and other relief after an overflowing river caused a landslide on the slopes of a major volcano in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), burying at least 46 people and washing away 200 homes.

The United Nations war crimes tribunal for the Balkan conflicts today affirmed the conviction of a former police officer and the acquittal of an ex-government minister in a case related to acts committed during a police operation in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in August 2001.

A “green revolution” led by Africa’s small farmers, and harnessing the latest technologies and innovations, is vital if the continent is to reduce extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, just two of the eight globally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to a new United Nations report.

The United Nations tribunal that is trying the leader of the Serb Radical Party for crimes against humanity and war crimes today upheld his conviction for contempt of court and 15-month jail sentence for disclosing information on 11 protected witnesses.

The global spotlight has largely been concentrated on the catastrophic Haiti earthquake so far this year, bleeding support from emergencies in other areas, the top United Nations humanitarian official has said, urging stepped-up funding for crises worldwide.