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Amid growing fears that the irregular climatic activities of El Niño will result in severe weather events across the hazard-prone region of small islands and atolls in the Pacific, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today addressed a gathering in Suva, Fiji, of disaster reduction and humanitarian response partners from across the region at a joint programme of events around regional resilience to disasters and emergency management.

The cancer research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO) has determined that the consumption of processed meats like hotdogs, ham, sausages and meat-based sauces causes colorectal cancer, while eating red meat like beef, pork and lamb is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterating Israel’s commitment to uphold the status quo at the Haram al Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Stressing that a political solution is key to resolving the "terrible cocktail" of crises in Yemen, the United Nations Special Envoy for the country today announced that preparations have begun for talks between the conflict parties.

Condemning today's attack in Ramallah against a prominent Palestinian political figure, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov has called for a thorough investigation into the incident and has reiterated the call by top United Nations officials to reduce tensions in the region and avoid actions that would spark further violence.

Never before in the history of polio have so few children in so few countries contracted the crippling virus, but a senior United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) official has vowed “we cannot rest until the number of cases is zero.”

As worldwide celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations kicked into high gear, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a host of senior UN officials gathered this evening in New York's Central Park to unveil a new sculpture, Enlightened Universe, comprised of a sphere surrounded by a spiral of 70 human figures – one for each of the 70 years since the UN was created, which Mr. Ban said, “depicts the great hope that all of us have invested in the [Organization].”

The United Nations refugee agency and its partners are scaling up aid efforts after devastating floods widely damaged Sahrawi refugee camps in southwest Algeria, working to provide food and relief supplies, while urgently appealing for emergency funds to fill the 80 per cent gap in order to reach the most vulnerable.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) today strongly condemned the terrorist attack which targeted a peaceful demonstration in Benghazi, killing and injuring many civilians.

The most senior United Nations relief official today urged the international community to increase their support for the humanitarian response in Cameroon, which is hosting more than 310,000 people who have fled conflicts in neighbouring Central African Republic and Nigeria.