Jun 20, 2020, at 05:36 pm
Washington: The World Bank today approved $1.05 billion for three projects to help Bangladesh create quality jobs and accelerate economic recovery from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic as well as build resilience to future crises.
Human Rights Council calls on top UN rights official to take action on racist violence
Jun 20, 2020, at 05:03 pm
New York/IBNS: The UN’s top rights official, Michelle Bachelet, is to spearhead efforts to address systemic racism against people of African descent by law enforcement agencies, the Human Rights Council decided on Friday. The resolution – decided unanimously without a vote - follows a rare Urgent Debate in the Council earlier in the week, requested by the African group of nations, following the death of George Floyd in the US state of Minnesota.
-1592652193.jpg "COVID-19 intensifies ‘brutal crime’ of sexual violence in conflict")
COVID-19 intensifies ‘brutal crime’ of sexual violence in conflict
Jun 20, 2020, at 04:53 pm
New York/IBNS: Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is “a brutal crime” that is being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN chief underscored on Friday, the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Hong Kong: Draft law on national security must comply with rights obligations
Jun 20, 2020, at 04:44 pm
New York/IBNS: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that her office was closely following developments as China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress, holds talks on a proposed national security law for Hong Kong.
Without funds, ‘no choice’ but to suspend most aid flights, warns WFP
Jun 20, 2020, at 04:40 pm
New York/IBNS: A critical warning was issued by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday, declaring that it may soon have “no choice” but to suspend “most” of its critical aid flights, because of a lack of funding.
New UN report offers blueprint for greener, more resilient world of work
Jun 20, 2020, at 04:33 pm
New York/IBNS: Jobs, livelihoods and the well-being of workers, families and businesses across the globe, continue to take a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic; with micro, small and medium enterprises in particular, suffering the dire economic consequences, according to a new policy brief released by the UN on Friday.
Pakistan: Gwadar port contract is ‘confidential’, tells federal secretary informs Senate panel
Jun 20, 2020, at 10:01 am
Islamabad: A Senate panel on Thursday was taken aback when a federal secretary in Pakistan declared that the contract governing affairs of the Gwadar port was “confidential”, media reports said.
Reconsider decision on imposing national security law on Hong Kong: G7 Foreign Ministers urge China
Jun 20, 2020, at 09:52 am
Hong Kong: Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) member countries have asked China to reconsider its decision to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong.
World Refugee Day: End conflict that drives ‘appalling’ displacement numbers
Jun 20, 2020, at 09:09 am
New York/IBNS: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has reminded countries of their fundamental obligation to protect the nearly 80 million people worldwide forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution and other crises.
Canada: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh gets expelled from House of Commons for calling Bloc MP a racist
Jun 19, 2020, at 10:44 pm
Ottawa/IBNS: Expulsion of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh from the House of Commons for the rest of the day by Speaker Anthony Rota on June 16 resulted when Singh called a Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien racist, breaking a parliamentary rule by refusing to apologize and withdraw his comments, media reports said.
Uyghur 'Imams' most vulnerable to persecution in China, claim victims
Jun 19, 2020, at 08:22 pm
Beijing: Uyghur victims’ families and scholars have claimed that religious leaders belonging to their community have become most vulnerable to persecution at the hands of the Chinese community in Xinjiang province of northwest China.
European Union chief diplomat calls for EU-US dialogue to counter Beijing
Jun 19, 2020, at 08:14 pm
Brussels: A key European Union diplomat this week called for talks between Europe and the US with an aim to forge a common transatlantic front against China.
China charges two Canadians with spying
Jun 19, 2020, at 05:22 pm
Beijing/UNI: Prosecutors in China on Friday have officially charged two Canadian nationals working as business executives in the country with spying.
Two police officers seriously injured in New Zealand's West Auckland gun shooting incident
Jun 19, 2020, at 05:04 pm
Auckland/New Zealand/Xinhua: Two officers were shot and seriously injured in a shooting incident in New Zealand's West Auckland, the police said on Friday.
Australia under sophisticated cyber attack, says PM Scott Morrison
Jun 19, 2020, at 05:00 pm
Canberra/UNI: Australia's PM Scott Morrison on Friday informed that the country was currently facing a sophisticated state based cyber attack.
Mass protests in US caused no new spike in COVID-19 cases: reports
Jun 19, 2020, at 04:55 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: The wave of mass protests against racism and police violence has not resulted in a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States, media reported, citing preliminary studies.
3 killed in gas blast in China's Liaoning
Jun 19, 2020, at 04:53 pm
Shenyang/Xinhua: Three people were killed and four others injured after a gas explosion in a residential building in Dandong City, northeast China's Liaoning Province early Friday.
Afghanistan: MSF withdraws from Dasht-e-Barchi hospital after terror attack
Jun 19, 2020, at 04:30 pm
Kabul/IBNS: The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has announced its decision to end activities and withdraw from Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, following the brutal May 12 attack in which 16 women were systematically shot dead in the maternity ward.
US reaches troops reduction target of 8,600 in Afghanistan: U.S. general
Jun 19, 2020, at 09:03 am
Washinton/Xinhua: The United States has reduced its troops level to 8,600 in Afghanistan, fulfilling its first phased pullout obligation under the U.S.-Taliban deal, a U.S. general said on Thursday.
Canada: Quebec orders public inquiry into COVID-19 related deaths in long-term care homes
Jun 18, 2020, at 11:46 pm
Quebec/IBNS: Quebec's chief coroner Pascale Descary ordered a wide-ranging public inquiry into the occurrence of deaths in the province's long-term care homes, private seniors' residences and other residential institutions for vulnerable people over the first six weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, media reports said.
Pakistan clerics continue dominance over state, religion
Jun 18, 2020, at 11:06 pm
Islamabad: Pakistan is emerging as one such nation where the clergy is enjoying uninterrupted power and hegemony over the State and religion.
Canada loses its four-year bid to secure a seat on UN Security Council
Jun 18, 2020, at 08:45 pm
Ottawa/IBNS: Canada's Liberal Government has lost a four-year bid for one of two available temporary UN Security Council seats by getting the third position, behind Norway and Ireland, media reports said.
China fumes, Uighurs rejoice after Trump passes law to punish Chinese crackdown on Uighur Muslims
Jun 18, 2020, at 08:35 pm
Beijing/Washington: Cornered worldwide over the Covid-19 fiasco, China is now fuming after yet another setback as the United States passed a legislation to punish the Chinese crackdown on Uighur Muslims, media reports said.
UN refugee chief laments nearly 80 million people forcibly displaced
Jun 18, 2020, at 08:05 pm
New York: Global displacement reached a staggering 79.5 million people last year - almost double the number of people in crisis registered a decade ago – owing to war, violence, persecution and other emergencies, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Thursday.
Turkish diplomat elected President of historic 75th UN General Assembly
Jun 18, 2020, at 07:51 pm
New York/IBNS: Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir was elected President of the forthcoming session of the UN General Assembly in a vote held on Wednesday that was emblematic of its time.
US Supreme Court ruling ‘extremely positive’ for LGBT community, says UN Rights Expert
Jun 18, 2020, at 07:12 pm
New York/IBNS: A UN expert on Wednesday hailed an historic judgement issued by the United States Supreme Court on 15 June that firing a person on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is unlawful.
Jun 17, 2020, at 11:41 pm
Ottawa/IBNS: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said in his daily news conference in Ottawa that his government is open to the suggestion of the National Hockey League (NHL) operating a hub city in Canada but the same is subjected to the approval by local health authorities, media reports said.
LGBTQ activist Sarah Hegazi death:#RaiseTheFlagForSarah storms Twitter
Jun 17, 2020, at 11:25 pm
Toronto/IBNS: The death of 30-year old Sarah Hegazi, an LGBTQ activist, due to apparent suicide on June 13 in her Toronto apartment, has sparked affluence of support on social media, with many people using the hashtag #RaiseTheFlagForSarah in her honour, media reports said.
Pakistan Politics: Baloch Party withdraws from PTI coalition
Jun 17, 2020, at 06:32 pm
Islamabad/UNI: Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) on Wednesday announced its decision to withdraw from the PTI-led federal government over the later's 'failure' to implement the points that were agreed upon by the two parties during the government formation.
Twelve Afghan security personnel killed in Taliban Attack in Jawzjan
Jun 17, 2020, at 05:08 pm
Kabul/UNI: At least 12 members of its security forces were killed in a violent confrontation with the Taliban, Afghan government confirmed on Wednesday.