Libya: UN condemns sectarian murder as 'alien' to country's tradition of tolerance
Dec 25, 2014, at 04:40 pm
New York, Dec 25 (IBNS) The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has strongly condemned the murder of an Egyptian Coptic doctor and his wife in the city of Sirte, as well as the abduction of the couple’s 18-year-old daughter, in the latest spate of sectarian violence in the North African country.
UN chief appoints Malian national as deputy envoy for South Sudan
Dec 25, 2014, at 04:38 pm
New York, Dec 25 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday announced the appointment of Moustapha Soumare of Mali as his Deputy Special Representative (Political) for the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS).
Somalia: UN chief hails appointment of new Prime Minister
Dec 25, 2014, at 04:36 pm
New York, Dec 25 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday welcomed the Parliamentary endorsement of Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke as the new Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia in a step towards resolving the country's current political crisis.
Despite Gaza clashes, Israelis and Palestinians must maintain ceasefire, says UN official
Dec 25, 2014, at 04:31 pm
New York, Dec 25 (IBNS) The United Nations Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, James Rawley, has said he is deeply concerned by reports of exchange of fire between Palestinian militants and the Israeli Defense Forces in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
'No sign of improvement' for human rights in Belarus, warns UN expert
Dec 25, 2014, at 04:31 pm
New York, Dec 25 (IBNS): Amid the continuing application of death sentences, the harassment of human rights defenders and independent journalists, and a new censorship law clamping down on internet freedom, the Government of Belarus shows no imminent sign of bettering its human rights record, a United Nations expert has declared.
-1419438915.jpg "Pakistan: 27injured in Quetta explosion")
Pakistan: 27injured in Quetta explosion
Dec 25, 2014, at 03:35 am
Quetta, Dec 24 (IBNS): An explosion in Quetta’s populated Liaquat Bazaar in has injured at least 27 people on Wednesday, media reports said.
As war continues, UN agency maps extensive destruction to Syria’s cultural heritage
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:42 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS) The extensive destruction and damage of Syria's historical and cultural heritage sites demands increased efforts to protect them from the violence of the country's continuing conflict, a new United Nations report based on exclusive satellite imagery has revealed.
Haiti: UN and partners welcome consensus on appointment of interim Prime Minister
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:41 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS) The United Nations and its international partners on Tuesday welcomed the designation of Florence Guillaume as Haiti’s interim Prime Minister.
Laos: UN experts appeal for help to probe two-year-old disappearance of rights defender
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:40 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS) International support is now needed to investigate the enforced disappearance of leading Laotian human rights defender Sombath Somphone, who was last seen in December 2012, a group of United Nations independent experts urged on Tuesday.
Tunisia's successful presidential elections 'critical step' in country's transition – Ban
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:34 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday commended the Tunisian people on the successful holding of the second round of presidential elections on 21 December and congratulated the winner, Beji Caid Essebsi.
As winter hits displaced Iraqis, UN appeals for boost in humanitarian funding
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:32 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS) The United Nations on Tuesday called for a surge in humanitarian funding to help cover the basic needs of close to one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Iraq’s Kurdistan region amid plummeting temperatures and wintry conditions.
UN rights experts alarmed at resumption of death penalty by States for terrorist acts
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:31 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS) As Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on use of the death penalty following the recent terrorist attack in Peshawar, United Nations human rights experts on Tuesday warned against rescinding such suspensions and stressed the risks of overusing capital punishment for terrorist acts.
Muslim group trapped by Central African Republic violence face dire situation, warns UN
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:30 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS) The United Nations refugee agency voiced concern on Tuesday over the “deteriorating situation†facing more than 400 members of a Muslim minority group trapped by the ongoing violence fracturing the Central African Republic (CAR).
Montagnards hiding in Cambodian forests since October now safe, UN reports
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:28 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS)After weeks of effort and engagement with authorities, the United Nations said on Tuesday that it has helped a group of Vietnamese Montagnards who had been hiding in the Cambodian forests since October with little protection and subsistence get to safety.
Libya: UN warns of human rights violations as factional fighting continues
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:28 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS) Libyan civilians have been subject to targeted killings, forced displacement and acute humanitarian conditions amid an escalation in fighting in the North African country, a new United Nations human rights report has warned.
UN officials hail entry into force of landmark global arms trade treaty
Dec 24, 2014, at 02:27 pm
New York, Dec 24 (IBNS United Nations officials are welcoming the entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), hailing it as a new chapter in collective efforts to bring responsibility, accountability and transparency to the global arms trade.
In Security Council, UN officials urge renewed engagement with DPR Korea on human rights
Dec 23, 2014, at 02:01 pm
New York, Dec 23 (IBNS) Despite a grim litany of human rights abuses committed against its own people and ongoing provocations to global peace and security, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has shown signs of compliance with human rights mechanisms prompting hopes that the Asian nation may one day yield to the call for full accountability and reform, two senior United Nations officials stated on Monday.
Central African Republic: rebels clash with UN peacekeepers during weekend fighting
Dec 23, 2014, at 02:01 pm
New York, Dec 23 (IBNS) The United Nations mission in the Central African Republic has said it is concerned about fighting that took place this weekend in several locations around the country, including between anti-Balaka members and peacekeepers.
UN rights chief urges return to moratorium as executions resume in Pakistan, Jordan
Dec 23, 2014, at 01:59 pm
New York, Dec 23 (IBNS) The top United Nations official on human rights issues voiced "deep regret" on Monday over the resumption of executions in Pakistan and Jordan at a time when the international community is increasingly turning away from the use of the death penalty.
2015 will be 'tough year' for humanitarian operations, senior UN official warns
Dec 23, 2014, at 01:58 pm
New York, Dec 23 (IBNS) The outlook for global humanitarian operations is "very, very bleak," a top United Nations humanitarian official warned on Monday saying that "it's been a rapid deterioration through 2014 and sadly, as we move forward we're expecting to face a tough year in 2015."
Maldives: UN expert concerned at 'unacceptable' dismissal of Supreme Court justices
Dec 23, 2014, at 01:57 pm
New York, Dec 23 (IBNS) The removal of two Supreme Court justices in the Maldives by local authorities threatens the independence of the country’s judiciary and further compromises the rule of law, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers has warned.
Dec 23, 2014, at 05:44 am
Abuja, Dec 22 (IBNS) A bomb blast at a bus station in Nigeria's Gombe city killed at least 20 people on Monday, media reports said.
Pakistan: 13 suspected militants killed in Karachi
Dec 23, 2014, at 05:43 am
Islamabad, Dec 22 (IBNS) At least 13 suspected terrorists were killed during a police operation in Pakistan's Karachi city on Monday, media reports said.
Dec 22, 2014, at 12:32 am
New York, Dec 21 (IBNS) Two New York police officers were shot dead at point-blank range by a man in the US Brooklyn area on Saturday, officials said on Sunday.
-1419165874.jpg "Pakistan: Four terrorists on death row executed")
Pakistan: Four terrorists on death row executed
Dec 21, 2014, at 11:44 pm
Faisalabad, Dec 21 (IBNS): Pakistan on Sunday executed four Pakistani terror convicts on death row at a district jail in Faisalabad.
Pakistan university shut following security threats
Dec 21, 2014, at 10:37 pm
Islamabad, Dec 21 (IBNS): A Pakistani university has been shut down following for an indefinite period after it faced threats, media reports said on Sunday.
Afghanistan: 7 killed in roadside blast
Dec 21, 2014, at 09:57 pm
Kabul, Dec 21 (IBNS) At least seven people were killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan's Kunar province on Sunday, media reports said.
Gunman kills two New York police officers in Brooklyn
Dec 21, 2014, at 04:46 pm
New York, Dec 21 (IBNS): In a tragic incident, two New York police officers were fatally shot on Saturday by a gunman in Brooklyn "without any provocation."
-1419093220.jpg "Arrest warrants issued against TTP chief, others")
Arrest warrants issued against TTP chief, others
Dec 21, 2014, at 03:33 am
Karachi, Dec 20 (IBNS): A Pakistani court on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah and other accused in Karachi airport attack case, media reports said on Saturday.
North Pole: Santa swamped by millions of letters
Dec 20, 2014, at 07:42 pm
New York, Dec 20 (IBNS): With Christmas less than a week away, Santa and his helpers have been busy receiving stacks of letters from children around the world, according to the United Nations postal agency, which estimates the total this year will climb above 7 million.