COVID-19 wake-up call for all nations: UN chief Antonio Guterres 

May 18, 2020, at 06:10 pm

Geneva/Xinhua/UNI:  United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest challenge of our age and it must be a wake-up call for all nations.

Man accidentally appears naked during Zoom call with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

May 18, 2020, at 11:45 am

Rio de Janeiro/IBNS: In an embarrassing situation created during a video conference with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro via Zoom, a man forgot to switch off his feed ending up showing his naked body to the participants.

Turkey confirms 1,368 new COVID-19 cases, 149,435 in total

May 18, 2020, at 11:38 am

Ankara/Xinhua/UNI: Turkey on Sunday confirmed 1,368 new COVID-19 cases and 44 more deaths in the past 24 hours, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

AU forces kill 3 al-Shabab militants in foiled attack in Somalia

May 18, 2020, at 11:19 am

Mogadishu/Xinhua/UNI:  The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said its forces on Saturday killed three al-Shabab terrorists and wounded several others in a foiled attack on Jubaland security forces in the southern region.

Libya extends curfew to fight COVID-19

May 18, 2020, at 11:16 am

Tripoli/Xinhua/UNI:  The UN-backed government of Libya has extended for 10 more days starting from Monday the curfew that has been in place to contain COVID-19.

Chinese specialists to visit Israel to investigate Ambassador's death

May 18, 2020, at 11:06 am

Tel Aviv/UNI: China will send a team of specialists to Israel on Monday to investigate the unexpected death of its ambassador to Tel Aviv, Du Wei, local media reported.

Unite against hate and violence targeting LGBTI people: UN officials

May 17, 2020, at 11:02 pm

New York: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for people everywhere to support the right to live free and equal, in line with his message for the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, observed on Sunday.

UN welcomes arrest of top suspect in Rwanda genocide

May 17, 2020, at 10:58 pm

New York/IBNS: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the arrest on Saturday of one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, his Spokesperson said in a statement.

Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in Tel Aviv

May 17, 2020, at 08:04 pm

Tel Aviv/IBNS: Chinese ambassador to Israel Du Wei was found dead in his Herzliya home in the northern part of the city on Sunday morning, said media reports.

Zoom Down: Several users say they are facing problem with video and audio output

May 17, 2020, at 05:25 pm

San Jose/IBNS: Popular video chat app Zoom is down as several users reported facing problems with video and audio output during their online meeting sessions on Sunday, media reports said.  

Blame game wrong, harmful remedy to COVID-19: Chinese ambassador

May 17, 2020, at 05:11 pm

Dublin/ Xinhua: Blame game is a wrong and harmful remedy to COVID-19 and can lead people to nowhere in the fight against the global pandemic, Chinese ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong said here Saturday.

Kenya to continue anti-doping tests for Olympic team despite virus threat

May 17, 2020, at 08:38 am

Nairobi/Xinhua: Kenya has set aside 17 million shillings (170,000 US dollars) towards the fight against doping for the national team preparing for the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games.

Two killed, 8 injured in east China factory blast

May 16, 2020, at 03:55 pm

Nanjing/Xinhua/UNI:  Two people are dead and eight injured after a blast in a factory in the city of Danyang, eastern China's Jiangsu Province, local authorities said Saturday.

China's Hubei reports no increase in COVID-19 cases

May 16, 2020, at 02:49 pm

Wuhan/Xinhua/UNI:  No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported in central China's Hubei Province Friday, the provincial health commission said Saturday.

COVID-19 shows crucial role of the UN, says next General Assembly President

May 16, 2020, at 01:02 pm

New York/IBNS:The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the ‘crucial role’ of the UN and its agencies, according to the veteran Turkish diplomat and parliamentarian who, as the only candidate for the top job, is slated to lead the historic 75th session of the General Assembly which begins in September.

Remote and rural communities could be hit hardest by Covid-19: Study

May 16, 2020, at 12:56 pm

New York/IBNS: Death rates from Covid-19 could be between 50% and 80% higher in rural communities and remote small towns, according to a new study by experts at the University of St Andrews.

Millions of migrants across Russia, Central Asia, ‘teetering on the brink’, as UN launches urgent appeal

May 16, 2020, at 11:57 am

New York/IBNS: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched an urgent $7 million appeal on Thursday, to ease the impact of COVID-19 on migrant communities in five Central Asian countries and the Russian Federation, where the pandemic is pushing a growing number of migrant workers into poverty.

Coronavirus lockdowns in Central America, exploited by criminal gangs

May 16, 2020, at 11:56 am

New York/IBNS: Chronic violence, insecurity and now COVID-related restrictions have put tens of thousands of Central Americans at risk of increased hardship and even death, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.

Support stepped up for Rohingya camps as first COVID-19 infections are confirmed

May 16, 2020, at 11:53 am

New York/IBNS: After confirmation that the first cases of COVID-19 infection have been identified in a vast and overcrowded refugee camp in Bangladesh, UN humanitarians on Friday announced additional measures and appealed for funds to prevent the disease from spreading.

Slovenia becomes the first European country to call off COVID-19 pandemic

May 15, 2020, at 10:44 pm

Ljubljana(Slovenia)/IBNS: Slovenia has become the first European nation to call an end to Coronavirus pandemic after a joint assessment by its government and healthcare professionals.

COMMENTARY: Living a crisis with hope, to prepare for a changed world

May 15, 2020, at 07:52 pm

The Covid-19 pandemic around the world is now a “perfect storm”. It challenges our ways of living, working and celebrating. The impact in Myanmar until now has been slower in coming, but that may only mean it will last longer.

COVID-19 cases in Belarus rise to 27,730

May 15, 2020, at 07:21 pm

Minsk/Xinhua/UNI: Belarus reported 958 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking its total to 27,730.

COVID-19 cases in Japan rise by 50 to reach 16,253

May 15, 2020, at 07:15 pm

Tokyo/Xinhua/UNI:  The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 50 to reach 16,253, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities on Friday.

Turkey rescues 30 illegal immigrants off Aegean coast

May 15, 2020, at 07:04 pm

Istanbul/Xinhua/UNI: The Turkish coast guard rescued 30 illegal immigrants off Turkey's Aegean coast, local media reported on Friday.  

Covid-19 to escalate hunger, malnutrition in Africa: WHO

May 15, 2020, at 06:56 pm

Geneva/UNI: The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed its apprehensions that the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to severely impact food security in many African nations as agricultural activities have become a casualty of the pandemic.

Peace in Yemen may be ‘within close reach’, UN envoy tells Security Council

May 15, 2020, at 04:52 pm

New York/IBNS: UN Special Envoy for war-weary Yemen, Martin Griffiths, told the Security Council on Thursday, that he believed an end to the fighting “is within close reach”, but cautioning that he had come “yet again to express hope, instead of to report success”.

Deadly gas leak in India, grim wake-up call for global chemical industry: UN rights expert

May 15, 2020, at 04:39 pm

New York/IBNS: Last week’s deadly toxic gas leak at a Korean-owned polymer plant in south-eastern India, is a grim wake up call for the chemical industry to acknowledge and fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights, the UN independent expert who monitors the issue, said on Thursday.

Falun Gong practitioners in Vienna highlight their plight inflicted by China

May 14, 2020, at 09:04 pm

Vienna:  Practitioners of Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, gathered on Wednesday in Austria's capital city Vienna to mark World Falun Dafa Day and also highlighted how they were targeted by Chinese.

COVID-19: Britain may take harder stance against China

May 14, 2020, at 08:29 pm

London: The British government's mollifying stance on China is likely to harden in the coming months once the immediate concerns regarding the COVID-19 outbreak are dealt with, media reports said.

South Sudan: Coronavirus cases confirmed inside UN civilian protection site

May 14, 2020, at 03:43 pm

New York/IBNS: The South Sudanese Government has confirmed that two cases of COVID-19 have been identified inside a Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in the capital, Juba, although the world’s youngest nation has been relatively unscathed by the pandemic, with 74 cases recorded so far.