French President Emmanuel Macron tests Covid-19 positive
Dec 17, 2020, at 09:24 pm
Paris: France's President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for Covid-19, Elysée Palace said on Thursday.
Keep focus on South Sudan, UN mission chief tells Security Council
Dec 16, 2020, at 11:11 pm
New York: The head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), has appealed for the international community to remain focused on the country as it continues to make gains on the political and peacebuilding fronts.
Tigray crisis: Humanitarian aid for children must be a priority, UNICEF says
Dec 16, 2020, at 11:00 pm
New York: Providing aid to millions of children uprooted by the ongoing crisis in the Tigray region of Ethiopia must be a priority, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
UN experts raise concern over charges against US indigenous leader and rights defender
Dec 16, 2020, at 10:38 pm
Washington: Independent UN human rights experts expressed serious concern on Friday over the arrest and charges brought against an indigenous leader, for peacefully protesting a political rally held last July at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, located on treaty lands of the Great Sioux Nation.
France plans to allow return to workplace once a week as part of COVID-19 lockdown relief
Dec 16, 2020, at 10:16 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: France expects to allow employees to go back to their workplaces one day per week starting January 7 under the coronavirus lockdown relief strategy, Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Wednesday.
EU parliament approves extra $57.9bln package to help states mitigate COVID consequences
Dec 16, 2020, at 09:52 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: The European Parliament on Wednesday approved the REACT-EU proposal to provide additional 47.5 billion euros ($57.9 billion) to EU member states to help them cope with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
UN documents 375 killings in Colombia in 2020, urges Government action
Dec 16, 2020, at 04:03 pm
New York: The United Nations has recorded the deaths of 255 people in 66 massacres in Colombia this year, as well as the killing of 120 human rights defenders, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Tuesday.
Niger: UN gravely concerned for safety of refugees, following Boko Haram attack
Dec 16, 2020, at 03:57 pm
New York: The United Nations voiced grave concern on Tuesday for the safety of thousands of refugees and internally displaced in the wake of a deadly attack on Toumour, a town in southeastern Niger’s Diffa region, near the border with Nigeria.
Put me out of a job: UN refugee chief’s challenge to world leaders
Dec 16, 2020, at 03:44 pm
New York: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has challenged world leaders to put him “out of a job” by addressing the root causes that drive millions to flee their homes due to war and insecurity.
Eight EU countries agree on start date of COVID-19 vaccination: Italian Health Ministry
Dec 16, 2020, at 02:27 pm
Rome/Sputnik: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland have agreed on a start date of a COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the Italian Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
‘Generation disrupted’ lays out plan to take on coronavirus through major youth mobilization
Dec 15, 2020, at 11:15 pm
New York: A new ground-breaking global youth initiative was launched on Monday to invest in and scale up youth-led solutions and engagement, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
First glimmer of hope in decades for Black Sea and Mediterranean fish stocks
Dec 15, 2020, at 11:11 pm
New York:The number of fish stocks subject to overexploitation in the Mediterranean and Black Sea has fallen for the first time in decades, offering some hope that a dangerous decline can be turned around, according to a report published on Monday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
UN human rights chief ‘appalled’ at Iran execution, questions trial process and verdict
Dec 15, 2020, at 11:09 pm
New York: Iran’s decision to hang media activist Ruhollah Zam on Saturday was an appalling violation of human rights that followed a deeply flawed trial process, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on Monday.
Avert ‘dire consequences’ for women's health, UNFPA urges in appeal to prevent maternal deaths
Dec 15, 2020, at 11:06 pm
New York: The UN agency dedicated to improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide (UNFPA) appealed on Monday for $2.5 billion by 2030 to help avert potential “dire consequences” surrounding pregnancies and maternal deaths.
ILO study finds migrants earn much less than locals, and the gap is widening
Dec 15, 2020, at 11:02 pm
New York: The gap between wages paid to migrant and national workers is big and growing, and may widen further because of the pandemic, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said in a report published on Monday.
UN chief calls for immediate release of abducted children in Nigeria
Dec 15, 2020, at 03:02 pm
New York: The United Nations Secretary-General has called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of hundreds of boys, believed abducted by suspected bandits, after an attack on their school in northwest Nigeria.
British MP apologises for tweet supporting pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice
Dec 15, 2020, at 03:29 am
Islamabad: British MP Taiwo Owatemi has apologised for her tweet where she supported the banned Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
Several Google services down right now in worldwide outrage
Dec 14, 2020, at 11:32 pm
New York: Google users across the globe are seemingly finding trouble using the various services provided by the IT giant.
Iraqi forces killed over 40 ISIS militants during operation in South of Mosul: Army Spokesman
Dec 14, 2020, at 02:54 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: The Iraqi army has killed 42 members of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) in an operation south of the city of Mosul in the country's north, Yehia Rasool, the spokesman for the country's commander-in-chief, said on Sunday.
UK, EU agree to 'go an extra mile' to get a satisfactory Brexit deal
Dec 14, 2020, at 03:42 am
Brussels, Dec 13(UNI) The leaders of the UK and EU on Sunday agreed to carry on with post-Brexit trade talks after the latest round of talks failed to break the deadlock between the two sides.
Nigerian authorities fear 400 children kidnapped after school attack in Katsina: Reports
Dec 13, 2020, at 09:22 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Up to 400 boys could have been kidnapped in the northern Nigerian state of Katsina as their school got attacked by a group of unknown armed men, Nigeria's Vanguard newspaper reported, citing authorities.
Greece extends entry permission for Russians until Jan 7
Dec 13, 2020, at 02:42 pm
Athens/Sputnik: Greece is extending entry permission for up to 500 Russian citizens per week, provided that they test negative for COVID-19 and have all the necessary documents, the decision was published by the Government Gazette on Sunday.
World must invest in strong health systems that protect everyone- now and into the future
Dec 12, 2020, at 11:09 pm
New York: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just how important it is for all countries to have strong health systems that provide the entire population with quality services when and where they need them, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed.
COVID-19 vaccines: Donors urged to step up funding for needy countries
Dec 12, 2020, at 10:42 pm
New York: Addressing the financing gap to provide COVID-19 vaccines for everyone, everywhere, is an urgent priority, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday, in an appeal for stepped-up funding to support poorer countries.
Lebanon: UN-backed tribunal sentences Hezbollah militant in Hariri assassination
Dec 12, 2020, at 10:25 pm
New York: The UN chief on Friday took note of five concurrent life sentences handed down to a Hezbollah militant, convicted in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, fifteen years ago.
Dec 12, 2020, at 10:07 pm
New York: Outstanding issues related to Syria’s initial declaration of its chemical weapons stockpile and programme cannot be considered “accurate and complete”, the head of the world body monitoring States’ implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention told the Security Council on Friday.
Ethiopia: UN refugee agency calls for ‘unfettered access’ to Tigray
Dec 12, 2020, at 09:38 pm
New York: Amidst “disturbing reports” from Ethiopians fleeing to Sudan, the UN refugee agency called on Friday for “unfettered access to Tigray in order to reach people in need”.
Yemen: Food insecurity a ‘ticking timebomb’, warn aid agencies
Dec 12, 2020, at 04:09 pm
New York: UN humanitarians issued a fresh alert on Friday for war-torn Yemen, warning that time is running out to avoid famine in the country. Out of two million children who need treatment for acute malnutrition, 360,000 are at risk of dying if they do not receive medical care, the World Food Programme (WFP) said.
Dec 12, 2020, at 05:49 am
Islamabad: A judicial magistrate on Wednesday invoked offence of rape against the Pakistani man who is a key suspect in the case connected to the underage marriage of Christian girl Arzoo.
Rich countries’ support for children ‘totally inadequate’: UN report
Dec 11, 2020, at 04:22 pm
New York: The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, slams the levels of financial support for children allocated by high-income countries during the pandemic as totally inadequate, in a child poverty report issued on Friday.