Oct 14, 2018, at 04:55 pm
New York, Oct 14 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a surge in investment, long-term financing and global stability to overcome the obstacles to inclusive, resilient and environmentally sustainable global growth.
Oct 13, 2018, at 07:25 am
New York, Oct 13 (IBNS): UN human rights experts are urging Saudi Arabia to “immediately and unconditionally” release all women human rights defenders, including six imprisoned on charges relating to their peaceful defence of human rights.
UN welcomes ‘milestone’ release of 833 Nigerian children from anti-Boko Haram force
Oct 13, 2018, at 07:22 am
New York, Oct 13 (IBNS): The United Nations welcomed on Friday as an “important milestone” the release in Nigeria of 833 children by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF); a group formed in 2013 to protect communities and support the country’s security forces against Boko Haram extremists.
UN chief praises Malaysia’s death penalty repeal as ‘major step forward’
Oct 13, 2018, at 07:20 am
New York, Oct 13 (IBNS): Malaysia has announced that it plans to abolish executions, a move hailed by United Nations chief António Guterres on Thursday, as a “major step forward.”
Australia urged to evacuate offshore detainees amid widespread, acute mental distress
Oct 13, 2018, at 07:17 am
New York, Oct 13 (IBNS): Australia should end its offshore processing policy on the Pacific islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea amid reports of widespread, acute mental distress and attempted suicide by children and young adults, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
Oct 12, 2018, at 09:30 am
New York, Oct 12 (IBNS): December elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remain on course, but still face “major challenges”, including violence from armed groups in the country’s east, the top United Nations official in the country said on Thursday.
Mali not fulfilling its ‘sovereign role’ in protecting its people: UN human rights expert
Oct 12, 2018, at 09:28 am
New York, Oct 12 (IBNS): In an effort to better protect people and their property throughout Mali, the international community must honour commitments to help reduce violent extremism, chronic insecurity and ineffective government, said the United Nations expert on human rights in the country, Alioune Tine, on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia must halt air strikes in Yemen, says UN panel
Oct 12, 2018, at 09:05 am
New York, Nov 12 (IBNS): The conflict in Yemen has been highlighted by a UN human rights committee which on Thursday urged Saudi Arabia to “put an end to the air strikes” against its southern neighbour, amid reports that they have resulted in the deaths of at least 1,248 children since March 2015.
Algeria must stop arbitrary expulsion of West African migrants in desert: UN migration rights expert
Oct 12, 2018, at 08:58 am
New York, Oct 12 (IBNS): Atrocities suffered by child and adult migrants from West African States “should shock the conscience of humanity” into action, a UN rights investigator said on Thursday, before calling for Algeria to halt the collective expulsion of thousands of foreign nationals to Niger.
Oct 12, 2018, at 08:55 am
New York, Oct 12 (IBNS): There are “multiple barriers” including “systemic discrimination” bias and lack of training, which are keeping the largest generation of girls in human history from reaching their full potential, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement on Thursday, marking International Day of the Girl Child.
Oct 11, 2018, at 08:12 am
New YorK, Oct 11 (IBNS): There are “multiple barriers” including “systemic discrimination” bias and lack of training, which are keeping the largest generation of girls in human history from reaching their full potential, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement on Thursday, marking International Day of the Girl Child.
UN resolution paves way for mass use of driverless cars
Oct 11, 2018, at 08:09 am
New York, Oct 11 (IBNS): A resolution to ensure the safe use of automated vehicles was passed at the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Global Forum on Road Traffic Safety in Geneva, on Wednesday.
Reintegrating former rebels into civilian life a ‘serious concern’ in Colombia: UN Mission chief
Oct 11, 2018, at 08:07 am
New York, Oct 11 (IBNS): The reintegration of former members of the Colombian FARC-EP rebel movement, which signed an historic peace deal with the country’s government in 2016, remains a subject of serious concern, said the head of the UN Verification Mission set up to monitor the deal, on Wednesday.
Charges against Baha’i in Yemen must be dropped: UN experts urge release of detainees
Oct 11, 2018, at 08:04 am
New York, Oct 11 (IBNS): A group of UN independent human rights experts have called for the immediate release of 24 people, mostly from Baha’i minority, who have been held by authorities in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, since the middle of last month.
‘Put an end to the death penalty now’, urges Guterres, marking World Day
Oct 11, 2018, at 07:59 am
New York, Oct 11 (IBNS): Progress made toward eliminating the death penalty has been “marred by setbacks,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement on Wednesday, marking the 16th World Day Against the Death Penalty.
Kenya bus crash leaves 50 dead
Oct 10, 2018, at 05:12 pm
Nairobi, Oct 10 (IBNS): A bus crashed in Kenya and left at least 50 people killed on Wednesday, media reports said.
Former Guatemalan Vice President Roxana Baldetti sentenced to prison in 'Magic Water' scandal
Oct 10, 2018, at 01:15 pm
Guatemala City, Oct 10 (IBNS): Disgraced former Guatemalan Vice President Roxana Baldetti has been sentenced to 15- and -half years in prison after a national court found her guilty in the 'Magic Water' scandal.
Oct 10, 2018, at 09:49 am
New York, Oct 10 (IBNS): With the help of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Colombia is showing “extraordinary solidarity” towards Venezuelans displaced amid the country’s on-going economic and political crisis, said agency chief, Filippo Grandi on Tuesday.
Oct 10, 2018, at 09:47 am
New York, Oct 10 (IBNS): Efforts to assist the tens of millions who’ve been forced from their homes are being increasingly constrained by severely limited funds, a new report from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned, urging greater international attention and support.
First South Sudan river convoy in five years, delivers UN aid to remote areas
Oct 10, 2018, at 09:42 am
New York, Oct 10 (IBNS): For the first time since civil war erupted in South Sudan in 2013, a United Nations food convoy has managed to deliver thousands of tonnes of aid by river, to people in seven hard-to-reach locations, saving millions of dollars on costly aid flights.
Venezuela prisons ‘beyond monstrous’, UN warns, highlighting plight of Colombian detainees
Oct 10, 2018, at 09:36 am
New York, Oct 10 (IBNS): Conditions in Venezuela’s prisons are “beyond monstrous”, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday, before calling for an independent and transparent investigation into the death of a leading political opponent of the Government.
Killing and rape of Bulgarian investigative reporter is an ‘outrage’ - UNESCO chief
Oct 10, 2018, at 09:31 am
New York, Oct 10 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has condemned the “brutal” killing of investigative reporter Victoria Marinova, whose body was found on Saturday in the Bulgarian city of Ruse, bearing signs of suffocation and sexual assault.
Oct 10, 2018, at 09:28 am
New York, Oct 10 (IBNS): The “apparent enforced disappearance” of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was last seen reportedly visiting his country’s consulate in Istanbul last week, requires a full investigation involving both Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
Oct 10, 2018, at 09:22 am
New York, Oct 10 (IBNS): North Korea’s humanitarian situation remains dire, with widespread chronic food insecurity and malnutrition, the United Nations emergency food relief agency has warned, urging greater and sustained funding for its aid operations there.
Japan: Zookeeper mauled to death by rare white tiger
Oct 09, 2018, at 01:10 pm
Tokyo, Oct 9 (IBNS): A rare white tiger killed a zookeeper in its enclosure in a zoo in Japan, reports said.
Google decides to shut down Google+ after users' personal data exposed
Oct 09, 2018, at 09:55 am
New York, Oct 9 (IBNS): Internet search engine Google on Monday announced that it has decided to shut down social network Google+ for consumers.
UN recognizes postal service as ‘a true partner for all’ delivering good to the world
Oct 09, 2018, at 09:05 am
New York, Oct 9 (IBNS): Marking World Post Day, top United Nations officials highlighted the importance of the postal sector not just for delivering mail but also “delivering good to the world”.
Bullying: Protection for children is a ‘fundamental human right’ says top UN advocate
Oct 09, 2018, at 09:02 am
New York, Oct 9 (IBNS): Around 130 million, or one-in-three children worldwide, experience some form of bullying, the United Nations stated on Monday, in its latest report on how children can be better-protected. This form of violence has long-lasting and direct consequences for their health, school performance and overall well-being.
Oct 09, 2018, at 08:58 am
New York, Oct 9 (IBNS): The constantly-evolving ‘nexus’ between crime and terrorism, ranging from simple deals to complex symbiotic relationships, demands greater understanding to break the illicit flow of black-market cash across borders, a United Nations meeting heard on Monday.
Cutting-edge tech a ‘double-edged sword for developing countries’: UN report
Oct 09, 2018, at 08:54 am
New York, Oct 9 (IBNS): The latest technological advances, from artificial intelligence to electric cars, can be a “double-edged sword”, says the latest UN World Economic and Social Survey (WESS 2018), released on Monday.