New York, Oct. 4 : An anti-blasphemy resolution passed by the United Nations has been criticized in certain quarters as attempting to curtail the right to freedom of speech.

Religious groups and free-speech advocates are banding together to fight the resolution, which they say is being used to spread Sharia law to the Western world and to intimidate anyone who criticizes Islam.

Islamabad, Oct 3 : Amid the volatile security situation in Pakistan, especially after the September 20 suicide attack on Hotel Marriott killing 60 people, the United Nations has reportedly declared Islamabad “unsafe” for children of its staff, and equated it (Islamabad) to Afghan Capital Kabul and Somalia.

The UN ordered that the kids of its staff should be withdrawn and put in their respective home countries.

Pakistan’s crumbling security situation was witnessed yesterday when a suicide bomber failed in his attempt to assassinate a prominent anti-Taliban politician. Meanwhile, troops killed around 
27 militants in the restive northwest.

Geneva - About one million children, many of them from minority or endangered groups, are imprisoned around the world, a UN agency Thursday.

Millions of other prisoners have been detained illegally or mistreated in incarceration, said UN Human Rights Commissioner and former South African judge Navanethem Pillay in an event to draw attention to "Dignity and Justice for Detainees Week," which runs from October 6-12.

Children are especially at risk of mistreatment, said Pillay.

New York - China on Wednesday assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council at a time when UN members are renewing demands to reform the body to make it more effective and representative.

Newly appointed Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui replaced the country's former envoy Wang Guangya, who was appointed a vice foreign minister in Beijing. But Zhang gave the council a holiday on Wednesday because October 1 is China's national day.

The council's monthly presidency rotates among the 15 members.

New York - The United Nations was seeking 20.2 million dollars to help Syria combat the worst drought in four decades, which has affected more than 1 million people there, the UN said Wednesday.

The money will go to help those affected for six months - predominantly herders and subsistence farmers who are at risk of losing their livelihoods and threatened by malnutrition, the UN humanitarian office said.

Tehran - The Iranian parliament speaker on Sunday warned of "new decisions" by Tehran following the latest United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the country, ISNA news agency reported.

"While the course of the talks in the recent weeks was going towards setting a new timetable for further negotiations, suddenly the 5+1 (Security Council permanent members plus Germany) came up with this new showpiece," Ali Larijani said.

The new resolution on Saturday called on Iran to "comply fully" with past UN demands to halt its uranium-enrichment programmes.