Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today offered his deep condolences to the people of Cambodia, the Government and its royal family on the death of the country’s former monarch, King Norodom Sihanouk, according to the UN chief’s spokesperson.

With nearly five million Pakistanis hit by floods that have already claimed some 400 lives, ruined tens of thousands of houses and vast swathes of crops, and left hundreds of thousands living in camps or simply under tarpaulins, the United Nations today appealed for more donations to bolster relief efforts.

The United Nations is to help Afghanistan combat the effects of climate change, teaming up with the country’s Government to implement a $6 million initiative that aims to operate in vulnerable communities and shore up the ability of Afghan institutions to independently address risks posed by changes to the climate, the world body’s environmental agency announced today.

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the murder of Indian journalist Chaitali Santra and called for an investigation into her killing.