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Three men who led a rebel movement during the most brutal phase of Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war have been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, a United Nations spokesperson said today.

Although progress has been made in addressing the humanitarian suffering in Colombia, particularly high levels of displacement due to conflict and natural disasters, the top United Nations relief official said that more needs to be done.

Recent peaceful and “remarkable” polls are a crucial step in Iraq’s recovery process, the top United Nations envoy to the strife-torn nation told the Security Council today, paying tribute to the Iraqi people for their commitment to democracy.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon began an official visit to Tanzania today, meeting with President Jakaya Kikwete with whom he discussed a range of issues, from the country’s upcoming elections and regional crises to the global economic meltdown.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has dispatched a senior United Nations political aide to Madagascar, following a request from the Government for a more active role by the world body in dealing with the political tensions in the Indian Ocean island nation.

The United Nations war crimes tribunal set up after the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s today convicted five former high-ranking Yugoslav and Serbian officials for crimes against humanity, while former Serbian president Milan Milutinović was acquitted of all charges.

During the world economic downtown, corporate engagement with ethics, trust and the fight against corruption is growing, the head of the United Nation’s alliance for responsible business said today.

The joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force Darfur (UNAMID) today reported that relative calm had returned to the war-ravaged western region of the Sudan although concern remained over continuing violence in some areas.

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today that the emergence of a drug-resistant form of malaria in South-East Asia could seriously undermine global successes in controlling the disease.

The consumer cost of rice, a staple for much of the world, could fall this year thanks to a bumper harvest in 2008, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today, but cautioned that the negative impact of the global economic downturn and the resulting loss of jobs and income could outweigh the benefits of lower prices for the poorest consumers.