Paris announces resumption of trips from UK for certain groups of EU nations' citizens
Dec 23, 2020, at 02:20 pm
Paris/Sputnik: The French government on Tuesday announced the resumption of travel from the UK for certain categories of citizens, including for the French and citizens of the European Union, provided they tested negative for the coronavirus.
Sharp declines in trade and FDI but Asia-Pacific performs better than rest of the world in 2020
Dec 22, 2020, at 11:16 pm
Bangkok/ESCAPnews:The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with increasing trade tensions and an already slowing global economy, have paved the way for the world’s worst economic performance since the Great Depression.
Turkey quarantines more than 4,600 passengers from UK amid coronavirus mutation concerns
Dec 22, 2020, at 11:05 pm
Ankara/Sputnik: Turkish authorities have quarantined 4,603 passengers from the United Kingdom, where a new mutation of the coronavirus has been detected, Turkish Heath Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Tuesday.
Iran strongly denies alleged involvement in most recent Baghdad green zone attack
Dec 22, 2020, at 10:53 pm
Tehran/Sputnik: Iran refutes the alleged involvement of Iran-backed groups in the Sunday rocket attack on the Green Zone in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
UK Royal Mail deliveries affected by travel bans resulting from new virus strain discovery
Dec 22, 2020, at 09:58 pm
London/Sputnik: The British Royal Mail says it is halting deliveries to most of Europe and is suspending special delivery guarantees for some items as countries across the world are closing their borders to the UK because of the new strain of the coronavirus.
Uighur persecution: Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis flays China
Dec 22, 2020, at 05:19 pm
London: Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has emerged as a key religious figure in the UK who slammed China over the persecution of its Uighur Muslims.
Malian refugees return to Burkina Faso camp nine months after violent attacks
Dec 22, 2020, at 04:10 pm
New York: Scores of Malian refugees in Burkina Faso have returned to a camp in the northeast of the country nine months after armed attacks and threats forced them to flee to a neighbouring town, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Monday.
Return to ‘path of meaningful negotiations’, UN envoy urges Israelis, Palestinians
Dec 22, 2020, at 04:05 pm
New York: Addressing the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to “take practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage” in the peace process.
Joint UN-INTERPOL operation disrupts firearms supply to terrorist networks in West Africa and Sahel
Dec 22, 2020, at 04:01 pm
New York: An international operation coordinated jointly by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the international police organization INTERPOL has disrupted trafficking networks that supply terrorist groups across West Africa and the Sahel, the UN agency reported on Monday.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford orders all of Ontario to be in lockdown from Dec. 26
Dec 22, 2020, at 07:35 am
Ontario/IBNS: In an effort to contain COVID-19 case numbers and prevent hospitals and their intensive care units from being overwhelmed, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Monday that all of Ontario will move into a lockdown on Boxing Day, Dec 26 starting at 12:01 a.m.
Saudi Arabia closes borders for one week over new coronavirus strain: Reports
Dec 21, 2020, at 03:18 pm
Cairo/Sputnik: Saudi Arabia is closing its land borders and suspending international flights for one week following the discovery of a new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports citing an internal ministry source.
Over 150 people detained during protests in Belarus: Human Rights Center
Dec 21, 2020, at 03:11 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: More than 150 people were detained during Sunday unauthorized anti-government protests held across Belarus, the unregistered Viasna human rights center said.
Countries suspend air traffic with UK over mutated coronavirus strain
Dec 21, 2020, at 02:27 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Countries in the European Union and beyond began suspending travel with the United Kingdom on Sunday due to risks associated with the discovery of a new coronavirus strain there.
Italy suspending UK-bound flights over new COVID-19 strain: Foreign Minister
Dec 21, 2020, at 02:05 am
Rome/Paris/Sputnik: Italy is set to suspend flights to the United Kingdom due to the new strain of the coronavirus that threatens to spread far more rapidly than its other variants, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Sunday.
Iraqi security forces discover IS Terrorists' Arms Depot North of Baghdad: Military
Dec 21, 2020, at 01:11 am
Cairo/Sputnik: The Iraqi security forces have discovered a large ammunition depot belonging to the Islamic State terrorist group north of Baghdad, the country's defense ministry said on Sunday.
Belarusian police disperse protest rally in Minsk, confirm multiple detentions
Dec 21, 2020, at 12:47 am
Minsk/Sputnik: Security forces have dispersed anti-government demonstrations in the Belarusian capital on Sunday, with the Minsk police confirming to Sputnik multiple detentions.
COVID-19: Rules tightened for Christmas for England, Scotland and Wales
Dec 21, 2020, at 12:11 am
London/UNI: The British government announced on Saturday that it has decided to scrap the planned relaxation of COVID rules for Christmas for large parts of south-east England and cut to just Christmas Day for the rest of England, Scotland and Wales.
Austrian Special Forces capture 2 suspects linked to November Vienna attack: Reports
Dec 20, 2020, at 10:44 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Austria's Cobra counter-terrorism unit has detained two people suspected of involvement in last month's deadly attack in the capital city of Vienna, the Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported on Sunday.
French police arrest four Pakistani-origin men over Paris meat cleaver attack
Dec 20, 2020, at 06:48 am
Paris: French police officials have arrested four people in connection with the Sept 25 meat cleaver attack in Paris, outside the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, media reports said.
UK PM Boris Johnson does not rule out new lockdown after holidays, stresses need to open schools
Dec 19, 2020, at 10:47 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday he does not rule out another lockdown in England after Christmas as the rates of COVID-19 infections in the country continue their upward trend.
COVID-19: Avoid ‘nationalistic footrace’ in choosing vaccines
Dec 19, 2020, at 09:56 pm
New York: As governments move to secure COVID-19 vaccines for their populations, choosing these treatments should not be viewed as “some kind of nationalistic footrace”, with some countries winning and others losing, a senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO) told journalists on Friday.
Conflict, floods and COVID-19 push South Sudanese into extreme hunger
Dec 19, 2020, at 04:01 pm
New York: Driven by insecurity, the effects of COVID-19, an on-going economic crisis, and the impact of flooding on livelihoods, three UN agencies called on Friday for immediate humanitarian access to eastern South Sudan’s Pibor county, where people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger.
Thailand: UN rights office deeply troubled by treason charges for protestors
Dec 19, 2020, at 03:57 pm
New York: Thailand’s decision to charge protestors with treason is deeply troubling, the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR, said on Friday following the arrest of at least 35 activists, including a teenager, in recent weeks
Fighting displaces over 500,000 in northern Mozambique, reports UN refuge agency
Dec 19, 2020, at 03:53 pm
New York: Attacks by armed groups in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Zambezia and Niassa provinces have displaced more than 530,000 people, many of whom have been forced to move multiple times, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
Integral to societies, migrants are central to COVID-19 recovery: Guterres
Dec 19, 2020, at 03:34 pm
New York: The UN marks International Migrants Day on Friday, highlighting their essential contribution to societies everywhere, and underlining migrants' central role in recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
UN rights experts ‘deeply troubled’ by impunity for killing of Palestinian children
Dec 19, 2020, at 03:29 pm
New York: UN independent human rights experts, on Thursday, called for an impartial and independent investigation into the killing of a 15-year-old child by Israeli security forces at a West Bank protest this month.
UN committee on enforced disappearance registers ‘milestone’ 1,000th request to locate victims
Dec 18, 2020, at 04:10 pm
New York: The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) reached “a significant milestone” on Thursday after registering its 1,000th urgent request for governments to take action to locate victims.
Funding needed to halt ‘life threatening crisis’ facing refugees in Kenya
Dec 18, 2020, at 04:06 pm
New York: Amidst a “critical shortage” of resources, hundreds of thousands of refugees in Kenya will lack food unless new funds are swiftly received, the UN’s food relief agency warned on Thursday.
UNICEF supporting emergency food aid for UK children over holidays
Dec 18, 2020, at 04:00 pm
New York: Thousands of families in the United Kingdom impacted by COVID-19 are to receive “one-off…emergency” food assistance from UN Children’s Fund UNICEF over the upcoming holiday period and beyond, it has announced.
Nigeria: Hundreds of boys rescued, confirms officials
Dec 18, 2020, at 03:24 pm
Abuja: The Nigerian schools students, who were abducted recently, have been released, officials said.