Rights experts concerned over intimidation around mega tourism project in Indonesia

Mar 07, 2023, at 09:21 pm

New York: Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have expressed concern over reports of increased militarization and intimidation surrounding a multi-billion-dollar urban development and tourism project in Indonesia.

South Sudan faces ‘make or break’ year on road to lasting peace

Mar 07, 2023, at 09:17 pm

New York: South Sudan sits at a critical crossroad, with swift action needed to quell chronic intercommunal clashes, ramp up assistance to ever more communities in need, and advance progress towards a durable peace, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Monday.

Eritrea: human rights situation remains dire amid complete impunity

Mar 07, 2023, at 09:10 pm

New York: The human rights situation in Eritrea remains dire against of backdrop of “complete” impunity for State security and defence forces, the UN’s deputy human rights chief said on Monday.

Peru: UN experts call for end to violence during demonstrations

Mar 07, 2023, at 08:52 pm

New York: Continuing violence against political protesters in Peru must stop, UN-appointed independent experts insisted on Monday, amid allegations of repression and arbitrary killings by State security forces.

Australian space industry warns about possible Chinese satellite surveillance

Mar 07, 2023, at 08:38 pm

Canberra: Australia's space industry has warned about China's increasing surveillance activities.

More than 850,000 Syrian, Turkish children displaced by earthquakes

Mar 07, 2023, at 02:54 pm

New York: One month on from the two catastrophic earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria, more than 850,000 children remain displaced after being forced from their damaged or destroyed homes amid millions in dire need of aid, UN agencies said.

No more excuses; Guterres calls for ‘revolution of support’ to aid world’s least developed countries

Mar 06, 2023, at 03:08 pm

New York: World leaders are gathered in Doha, Qatar, for a major UN conference seeking to accelerate sustainable development where international assistance is most needed to unlock the full potential of the world’s most vulnerable countries and help put them on the path towards prosperity.

Ground-breaking exhibit on slavery gives new generation 'hope for humanity'

Mar 06, 2023, at 02:37 pm

New York: A grain of rice, a golden collar, and a three-metre-long heavy wooden brace to trap ankles and necks shape part of a unique, interactive exhibit on slavery that just opened at UN Headquarters.

Britain's first female Sikh Member of Parliament receives threatening e-mail, security heightened

Mar 06, 2023, at 03:56 am

London: Britain's first female Sikh Member of Parliament, Preet Kaur Gill, said her security has been beefed up after receiving an e-mail warning.

Greece: Athens witnesses protest after deadly train crash

Mar 06, 2023, at 02:54 am

Athens: At least 10,000 people are protesting in the Greek capital Athens to demand a proper investigation into this week's deadly train crash, an RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Sunday.

Peru: Authorities say attacks on police station, military base leave 27 injured

Mar 06, 2023, at 12:32 am

Lima: Several hundred protesters have attacked a police station, a military base and a courthouse in southeast Peru, injuring at least 27 people, including seven civilians, the Peruvian Defense Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior said on Sunday.

Newly announced prison terms in Belarus signal ‘ongoing repression’

Mar 05, 2023, at 12:39 am

New York: A fresh round of prison sentences announced on Friday in Belarus signal "ongoing repression" in the country, where almost 1,500 people are detained on politically motivated charges, the UN human rights agency says.

Haiti: Surge in gun trafficking fuels spike in gang violence

Mar 04, 2023, at 11:03 pm

New York: Increasingly sophisticated and high-calibre firearms and ammunition are being trafficked into Haiti, fuelling an ongoing surge of gang violence that has plagued residents for months, according to a new UN assessment released on Thursday.

Myanmar: Tatmadaw army’s ‘scorched earth’ policy in spotlight

Mar 04, 2023, at 10:52 pm

New York: Two years since a military coup in Myanmar, the UN rights office, OHCHR, warned on Friday that the generals’ “scorched earth” policy had left thousands of civilians dead, 80 per cent of townships impacted by fighting and the army “stretched so thin” on the ground, that it resorts to airstrikes.

Indonesia: Fire breaks out at fuel storage station in Jakarta, 16 die

Mar 04, 2023, at 01:54 pm

Jakarta: A fire broke out at a fuel storage station in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta which left at least 16 people dead, media reports said on Saturday.

Crimes against humanity likely committed in Nicaragua, says independent rights probe

Mar 03, 2023, at 11:11 pm

New York: Crimes against humanity in Nicaragua that have held the population there “hostage”, have likely been committed by pro-Government groups and sanctioned at the highest level since 2018, UN-appointed independent rights investigators said on Thursday.

Niger joins crucial UN transboundary water-sharing accord

Mar 03, 2023, at 08:40 pm

New York: Niger announced on Thursday that it is to join a key UN water-sharing agreement with its Lake Chad neighbours in the increasingly drought-prone Sahel region.

Child Pornography charges: Maryland Mayor resigns following his arrest

Mar 03, 2023, at 08:32 pm

Patrick Wojahn, the mayor of College Park, Maryland, has resigned after he was arrested   on 56 counts of child pornography-related charges, media reports said.

Iraq: Repatriations from notorious Syria camp ‘an example for the world’

Mar 03, 2023, at 06:37 pm

New York: UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday praised Iraq for repatriating its citizens from camps in northeast Syria holding people suspected of having ties to ISIL extremists, urging other governments “to take responsibility and to act”.

WHO chief underscores need for ‘peace for health’ in landmark visit to northwest Syria

Mar 03, 2023, at 06:07 pm

New York: The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday visited earthquake-ravaged northwest Syria, becoming the first senior UN official to enter the region since war erupted in the country 12 years ago this month.

Governments urged to strengthen child social protection

Mar 03, 2023, at 05:22 pm

New York: The number of children worldwide without access to social protection continues to rise, putting them at risk of poverty, hunger and discrimination, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report published on Wednesday.

Kenya: Popular Chinese-owned store in Nairobi shuts doors

Mar 02, 2023, at 08:38 pm

Nairobi: A Chinese-owned supermarket named China Square in Kenya's Nairobi was shut down indefinitely amid uproar from competitors over low-priced goods.

Prince Harry, Meghan to be 'evicted' from their home on Windsor estate: Reports

Mar 02, 2023, at 06:45 am

London/IBNS: UK Royals Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are being evicted from their home on the British royal family's Windsor estate, reports said on Wednesday.

Death toll from Greece train collision rises to 36, three-day national mourning declared

Mar 02, 2023, at 06:01 am

Athens/UNI: The death toll from the collision of two trains in central Greece on late Tuesday night has increased to 36, while 66 injured people were still hospitalized, including six in serious condition in intensive care units, the Greek Fire Service said on Wednesday.

Repealing laws targeting people living with HIV/AIDS saves lives

Mar 01, 2023, at 11:05 pm

New York: Repealing discriminatory laws against people living with HIV/AIDS saves lives and helps advance the end of the pandemic, the chief of UNAIDS has said, marking Zero Discrimination Day on Wednesday.

UN officials call for Security Council’s support for post-quake Syria

Mar 01, 2023, at 08:28 pm

Ne York: Top UN officials on Tuesday called on the Security Council’s strong support for Syria following the 6 February earthquakes, which worsened an already dire situation in the wake of 12 years of brutal civil war.

UN human rights chief calls on all nations to abolish death penalty

Mar 01, 2023, at 08:23 pm

New York: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday asked all nations to work harder towards abolishing the death penalty, an ongoing practice in 79 countries.

Solidarity, leadership and commitment needed to reach 2030 development goals: Mohammed

Mar 01, 2023, at 07:14 pm

New York: Although cascading global crises are undermining hard fought development gains, “now is not the time for despair", UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told African ministers and policy makers meeting in Niamey, Niger, on Tuesday.

Refugee agency appeals for $137 million to help displaced in Horn of Africa

Mar 01, 2023, at 07:04 pm

New York: Lifesaving aid is needed urgently to help millions of people enduring one of the  longest and most severe droughts on record in the Horn of Africa, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday, as the region enters its sixth consecutive rainy season with no rain.

Peruvian delivery man kept mummy in his bag, described it as his 'spiritual girlfriend'

Mar 01, 2023, at 03:43 pm

Puno: Peruvian police recently were left surprised when they recovered pre-Hispanic mummy from a food delivery cooler bag.