PENTAGON— American soldiers have begun training units of Niger's army at the edge of the Sahara Desert, in what a U.S. official calls a “new wave” of military support for African states battling Boko Haram militants. More training will follow for national armies in Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad, the...

Burma’s premier national-level body for disabled rights is soon to be formed, following a national conference on disability held in Rangoon on 12 June. The 21-member Myanmar [Burma] Council of People with Disabilities will work towards implementing nationwide policies to protect the disabled. ...

Myanmar’s government and the Karenni National Progressive Party have joined forces to commence the construction of a village that will act as a model for a wider resettlement programme for internally displaced persons affected by the long-term civil war in Kayah State, reports the Kantarawaddy Times...

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be opening Migrant Resource Centers in Yangon, Magway and Mawlamyaing in June to help educate workers and provide essential skills. The IOM is cooperating on this project with Western Union, according to IMO head Kieran Gorman Best. The cent...

Hundreds of civilians who were taken by opposition forces in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria region during an uptick in fighting are still missing, the UN’s top rights official said on Thursday, in a call for their immediate release.

Japan is preparing to offer more than US$885 million in loans and grants to Myanmar after a request from the incoming government, according to a report in the Japan Times. Monday’s report quoted a government source who said the Abe government hoped to compile a detailed plan by the middle of the...

Several days a week, Kelly, a shy 35-year-old Venezuelan musician from El Tigre Anzoátegui State, meets a band of 50 young kids and teenagers for their two-hour music lesson. As they quickly fill the air with the sounds of classical and other modern music, Kelly closes his eyes and listens carefully...

Pensions for people 90 years old and above will be transferred through local authorities starting Friday. All people at least 90 years old as well as monks and nuns will receive payments. To apply for the pension one needs to submit a national registration card and household member list. The pens...

UNHCR, the UN Agency for Refugees, and IOM, the United Nations Migration Organization, welcome the adoption, recognized by 8 Latin American countries, of a declaration and a work plan to coordinate the response to protection needs and assistance of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in their territori...