Europe

Rasim Delić, former Commander of the Main Staff of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina

UN war crimes tribunal ends case involving late Bosnian Muslim army chief

30 June 2010
The United Nations war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia terminated appellate proceedings today against the former head of Bosnian Muslim forces during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, who had died in April.

Sale of people is one of top illegal businesses in Europe, UN report says

29 June 2010
Human trafficking is one of the most lucrative illicit businesses in Europe, according to a United Nations report launched today at an event where Spain became the first country on the continent to join the UN Blue Heart Campaign against trafficking in people.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Dervis Eroglu, Turkish Cypriot leader

Ban calls on Turkish Cypriot leader to reach towards settlement

28 June 2010
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the Turkish Cypriot leader to “grasp the current political window of opportunity to reach a settlement” in the dispute over the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
International Criminal Court Headquarters in The Hague

No impunity for crimes committed during conflict in Georgia, ICC Prosecutor says

25 June 2010
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) stressed today that there must be no impunity for any serious crimes committed during the 2008 conflict in South Ossetia, Georgia, after they wrapped up an official visit to the Caucasus country.
UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Maria Sharapova

Tennis ace bound for Belarus to visit UN projects helping youth after Chernobyl

24 June 2010
The tennis star and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador Maria Sharapova will head from the Wimbledon tournament, where she is currently competing, to Belarus to visit an area in the southeast affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Roma musicians performing outside the national gallery, Cifte Amam, in Skopje

Senior UN official pays tribute to South-East European music at culture summit

23 June 2010
The head of the United Nations agency responsible for cultural issues is paying tribute today to music as a cornerstone of understanding in South-East Europe at a gathering of the leaders from nearly a dozen regional countries in Istanbul, the 2010 European Capital of Culture.
Alexander Downer, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus

In Cyprus, leaders hold another round of UN-backed reunification talks

23 June 2010
The Greek Cypriot leader and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart today held another round of talks aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, a United Nations official said, with discussions focused this time on property issues.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits the buffer zone in Cyprus and crossed to the north via Ledra Street in February 2010

Cyprus in the spotlight during talks between Ban and Greek premier

22 June 2010
The United Nations-backed efforts to reunify the island of Cyprus and the ongoing dispute over the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have topped the agenda during talks between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Photo: IRIN
IRIN

UN human rights chief praises Iceland for legalizing same-sex marriage

21 June 2010
Iceland deserves credit for eliminating barriers to same-sex marriage, which will become legal in the Nordic country this weekend, the United Nations human rights chief says.
Atlético de Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea signs FAO campaign known as “1 billion hungry”

Spanish soccer team joins forces with UN agency to score goal against hunger

21 June 2010
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced today that it is teaming up with the Spanish soccer club Atlético de Madrid to promote efforts to overcome hunger and extreme poverty.