Britain today welcomed the appointment of a new top United Nations envoy to Iraq.

FOUR UN peacekeepers in southern Sudan have been sent home in the past year following investigations of alleged sexual abuse and the organisation is looking into reports that more than 20 children were raped and abused, a UN spokeswoman has said.

Four peacekeepers from Bangladesh have been sent home and 13 other UN personnel serving in southern Sudan are under investigation for alleged serious misconduct, including sexual exploitation and abuse, the United Nations said tonight.

United Nations peacekeepers in southern Sudan reportedly face several allegations of raping and sexually abusing children, some as young as 12.