Beirut explosion: Death toll touches 78, country mourns
Aug 05, 2020, at 03:26 pm
Beirut: The death toll due to the explosion in Beirut city of Lebanon touched 78 as 4000 others suffered injuries on Tuesday, media reports said on Wednesday.
Massive explosion rocks Lebanon's capital Beirut, at least 50 dead
Aug 05, 2020, at 05:46 am
Beirut/IBNS: At least 50 people were killed and countless injured after a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, sending huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.
UN chief outlines ‘bold steps’ for education in the face of COVID-19 disruption
Aug 04, 2020, at 10:52 pm
New York: The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption to education in history and prolonged school closures could further entrench inequalities in access to learning, the UN Secretary-General said on Tuesday, underlining the need for “bold steps” to address the crisis.
Six years after genocide, international community must prioritize justice for Yazidi community
Aug 04, 2020, at 10:35 pm
New York: Six years after ISIL launched a genocidal campaign against the Yazidi religious minority in Iraq, the international community must live up to its promise to deliver justice, survivor and Nobel Peace Laureate Nadia Murad told a virtual event on Monday marking the anniversary.
Japanese Cybersecurity firm finds stolen data of over 7,600 Facebook accounts
Aug 04, 2020, at 10:34 pm
Tokyo/Sputnik: A Japanese cybersecurity firm said it found stolen login details for over 7,600 Facebook accounts stored on a server based in Russia, media reported Tuesday.
First Person: Turning ‘apathetic people into climate activists’; a young person’s view
Aug 04, 2020, at 10:14 pm
An 18-year-old environmental campaigner from the United States has told UN News how she wants to “turn apathetic people into climate activists”. Sophia Kianni, whose family originally comes from Iran, is one of seven young people from across the world who have been selected to participate in the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. The group which was launched at the end of the July aims to engage young people in “an open and transparent dialogue” about climate issues.
South Korea reports 34 more COVID-19 cases, 14,423 in total
Aug 04, 2020, at 05:47 pm
Seoul/Xinhua: South Korea reported 34 more cases of the COVID-19 as of Tuesday midnight compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 14,423.
Amid COVID-19 pandemic, some Japanese say they received mysterious seed parcels from China
Aug 04, 2020, at 05:28 pm
Tokyo: Some people in Japan have complained that they have received unsolicited mysterious seed parcels that appear to be coming from China, NHK reports.
Beijing ready to retaliate If all Chinese Journalists forced to leave US - Global Times
Aug 04, 2020, at 05:18 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: China has prepared for a worst-case scenario, in which all Chinese journalists will have to leave the United States amid the ongoing row, and is ready to take retaliatory measures concerning US journalists based in Hong Kong, Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Chinese official Global Times newspaper, said on Tuesday.
UK to roll out new 90-minute Covid-19 test
Aug 03, 2020, at 11:03 pm
London: The UK government plans to facilitate hospitals, care homes and laboratories with quick testing kits able to detect the novel coronavirus disease within 90 minutes, to help the country deal with the pandemic better in the coming months.
Hong Kong: China suspends extradition agreement with New Zealand week after latter's move
Aug 03, 2020, at 11:01 pm
Beijing: Just a week after New Zealand suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, in response to China passing a new National Security Law- a change that gives the mainland unprecedented power over the territory- Beijing has decided to reciprocate.
About 400 Japanese companies went bankrupt due to COVID-19 economic impact - Reports
Aug 03, 2020, at 09:28 pm
Tokyo/Sputnik: The number of companies that went bankrupt in Japan due to the situation with COVID-19 has reached 400, the NHK broadcaster reported on Monday, citing the data by Teikoku Databank consulting firm.
Mike Pompeo hits out at Hong Kong's decision to postpone Legislative Elections
Aug 03, 2020, at 01:26 am
Washington/UNI: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday criticized the Hong Kong administration for postponing the legislative elections by one-year, pondering whether Hong Kongers will ever be able to vote again.
Boko Haram attack in Cameroon leaves 18 dead, 11 injured
Aug 03, 2020, at 01:10 am
Yaounda/Sputnik: Eighteen people are killed and 11 others are seriously injured in an attack by the Boko Haram group in northern Cameroon, L'Oeil du Sahel reported on Sunday.
Kuwait resumes commercial flights after months of suspension
Aug 02, 2020, at 12:00 am
Kuwait City/Xinhua: Kuwait resumed on Saturday commercial flights at Kuwait International Airport, the country's civil aviation authorities said.
Media mogul Murdoch's son leaves News Corp board
Aug 01, 2020, at 10:47 pm
New York/Xinhua: James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has resigned from the board of directors of News Corporation, according to documents unveiled by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.
Hong Kong police hunt for the pro democracy activists
Aug 01, 2020, at 03:32 pm
Beijing/UNI: Hong Kong police are after the six pro-democracy activists living in exile in Western countries.
Keep Turkey’s Hagia Sophia ‘a space for meeting of cultures’, UN rights experts urge
Aug 01, 2020, at 02:18 pm
New York: The historic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, designated a mosque once again earlier this month by the Turkish Government, should be maintained as an inter-cultural space “reflecting the diversity and complexity of Turkey and its history”, said two independent human rights experts on Friday.
Jul 31, 2020, at 09:40 pm
New York: Web-based surveillance of the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) during the first 11 weeks of the outbreak (Dec 31, 2019, to March 10, 2020), reveals that three-quarters (75/99) of affected countries outside mainland China reported their first COVID-19 case in people who had recently travelled to an affected country—with almost two-thirds of these first cases linked to travel to Italy (27%), China (22%), or Iran (11%), according to new research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.
World Day against Human Trafficking spotlights essential role of first responders
Jul 31, 2020, at 03:51 pm
The UN commemorated World Day against Human Trafficking on Thursday spotlighting the essential – but often overlooked - role of first responders who identify the millions of victims worldwide, helping them secure justice, and rebuild their lives.
Ravages of acute hunger will likely hit six in 10 in Zimbabwe: WFP
Jul 31, 2020, at 03:41 pm
New York: The World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently seeking more international support to prevent millions of Zimbabweans plunging deeper into hunger. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated an already severe hunger crisis in Zimbabwe, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday.
COVID-19: UN chief outlines path to sustainable, inclusive recovery in Southeast Asia
Jul 31, 2020, at 03:36 pm
New York: Tackling inequality, bridging the digital divide, greening the economy, and upholding human rights and good governance will be critical for Southeast Asia to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday.
Baghdad: 2 rockets hit airport in Iraqi capital
Jul 31, 2020, at 03:33 pm
Baghdad/Xinhua: The Iraqi military said two Katyusha rockets landed at the edge of Baghdad International Airport on Thursday without causing casualties.
Record 212 land and environment activists killed in 2019, says independent watchdog Global Witness
Jul 29, 2020, at 11:48 pm
New York: Independent watchdog Global Witness on Wednesday revealed the highest number of land and environmental defenders were murdered on record in a single year.
French police evacuate refugee camps in Paris suburb
Jul 29, 2020, at 10:39 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Migrant camps in the Aubervilliers commune, located in the north-eastern suburb of Paris, are currently being dismantled, the French capital's police department announced on Wednesday Morning.
Turkish police detain 11 IS suspects in Istanbul
Jul 29, 2020, at 10:34 pm
Istanbul/Xinhua: Turkish police on Wednesday detained 11 people, including nine foreign nationals, in Istanbul over their suspected links to the Islamic State (IS), local media reported.
Forced labour, prostitution and child marriages: rescuing victims of trafficking in Malawi
Jul 29, 2020, at 06:17 pm
New York: Human trafficking is a problem in Malawi, with teenage boys forced to work as farm labourers, and young women to sexual exploitation in nightclubs or bars. The UN is supporting the Malawian governments to end the practice and protect vulnerable people.
Yemen: Crisis reaches new low, top UN officials tell Security Council
Jul 29, 2020, at 06:16 pm
New York: The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has never been worse, with conflict escalating, famine on the horizon, the economy in tatters and COVID-19 out of control, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Tuesday as they issued a fresh call for an immediate ceasefire.
UN-African Union mission condemns recent spate of deadly attacks in Darfur
Jul 29, 2020, at 06:15 pm
New York: The joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur, UNAMID, is calling for the Sudanese Government to arrest those responsible for the recent spike in violent attacks against peaceful protestors, civilians and displaced persons in various locations across the province.
Human rights report details ‘heartbreaking’ accounts of women detained in DPRK
Jul 29, 2020, at 06:14 pm
New York: Women forcibly returned to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are subjected to torture, ill treatment, sexual abuse, and other violations, according to a report published on Tuesday by the UN Human Rights office.