Report reveals linkages between human trafficking and forced marriage
Oct 09, 2020, at 03:31 pm
New York: Across the world, girls as young as 12 are being forced or tricked into marrying men who exploit them for sex and domestic work, in what the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called an “under-reported, global form of human trafficking”.
Guinea: Steer clear of campaign hate speech, top UN officials warn
Oct 09, 2020, at 03:18 pm
New York: Given the history of intercommunal violence in Guinea, two high-level UN Officials voiced concern on Tuesday over the risk of “incitement to hostility, discrimination or violence” as the country gears up for elections on 18 October.
Global trade amid COVID-19: Signs of rebound, but recovery uncertain
Oct 09, 2020, at 03:09 pm
New York: Global trade is showing signs of bouncing back from a deep, COVID-19-induced slump, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has said, with the caveat that any recovery could be badly disrupted by the future course of the pandemic and how societies react.
UK records another 17,540 coronavirus cases with 77 deaths
Oct 09, 2020, at 02:20 pm
London/Xinhua: Another 17,540 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 561,815, according to official figures released Thursday.
Poland imposes nationwide face mask mandate
Oct 09, 2020, at 02:07 pm
Warsaw/Xinhua: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that starting from Saturday the wearing of face masks will be mandatory in all public spaces and commercial buildings across the country amid a steep rise in COVID-19 infections.
South Korea to legalize abortions within 14 weeks without reasons
Oct 07, 2020, at 10:11 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: South Korea has decided to amend the anti-abortion law with the right granted to a woman to terminate the pregnancy in the period within 14 weeks at her request without any reasons, the South Korean Ministry of Justice announced on Wednesday.
World Bank says Uzbekistan's economic outlook remains positive despite pandemic
Oct 07, 2020, at 09:53 pm
Tashkent/Xinhua: Uzbekistan will be one of only two states in Europe and Central Asia to demonstrate economic growth in 2020, according to the World Bank's Economic Update released Wednesday.
Report outlines long road to post-COVID recovery for Latin America and Caribbean
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:52 pm
New York: Economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean will be slower than the return to productivity following the subprime mortgage crisis more than a decade ago, the head of the UN’s office for the region, ECLAC, said on Tuesday.
Guterres regrets death in Kyrgyzstan, calls for dialogue to end violence
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:45 pm
New York: The UN Secretary-General said on Tuesday that he was “closely monitoring” the situation in the Kyrgyz Republic, where protests erupted a day earlier in the aftermath of Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
DR Congo: Children suffering ‘unrelenting violence’, UNICEF deeply concerned
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:42 pm
New York: Thousands of children continue to suffer grievously as unrelenting violence persists across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday, expressing deep concern.
Starvation used as weapon of war in South Sudan conflict, UN rights body finds
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:38 pm
New York: Starvation is being intentionally used as a war tactic in South Sudan’s brutal conflict, a UN-backed human rights panel said on Tuesday, releasing its latest report on the country.
More action needed for seafarers, ‘collateral victims’ of measures to curb COVID-19
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:33 pm
New York: Highlighting an “unparalleled crisis” affecting hundreds of thousands of crew members and maritime workers reeling due to the impact of COVID-19, the UN has called on the business sector and others involved in the shipping industry to do more to address the plight of seafarers worlwide.
UN rights chief urges Iran to release jailed human rights defenders, citing COVID-19 risk
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:14 pm
New York: The top UN rights official has called on Iran to release imprisoned human rights defenders, lawyers and political prisoners, citing deep concerns over their situation and heightened risk of contracting COVID-19.
Ten al-Shabab militants killed in southern Somalia
Oct 07, 2020, at 02:45 pm
Mogadishu/Xinhua: Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday killed 10 al-Shabab militants including two senior officials after conducting operation in several locations near Barire town in Lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia, officials said.
Facebook, Instagram ban all QAnon-linked accounts - Statement
Oct 07, 2020, at 02:30 pm
Washington/Sputnik: Facebook and Instagram will immediately begin removing all accounts linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory movement, the company said in a statement.
Assad confirms Turkey deploys Terrorists from Syria, other countries to Fight in Karabakh
Oct 06, 2020, at 11:10 pm
Damascus/Sputnik: Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik that Damascus had enough "indicators" to be convinced that Turkey had deployed terrorists from Syria and other countries to Nagorno-Karabakh, where armed conflict between the Armenian forces and Azerbaijan has been ongoing for over a week now, the same way in which Ankara did in Syria and Libya.
WHO says Russia shared data on phase I, II clinical trials of COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik V
Oct 06, 2020, at 11:03 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Russia has shared with the World Health Organization (WHO) the data obtained during phase I and II of the clinical trials of its Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, an adviser at the WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office said on Tuesday.
Oct 06, 2020, at 09:50 pm
The 2020 Nobel Prize for physics was awarded to scientists Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Gheza on Tuesday.
UN chief condemns continuing escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh
Oct 06, 2020, at 03:49 pm
New York: The United Nations Secretary-General has condemned the continuing escalation of violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, reminding all sides of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Nearly 50,000 Brazilian tourism businesses close due to COVID-19
Oct 06, 2020, at 03:45 pm
Rio de Janeiro/Xinhua: Brazil's tourism sector lost 49,900 businesses from March to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for 16.7 percent of pre-pandemic tourism businesses, the National Confederation of Trade in Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC) said on Monday.
Put peace in Libya first, UN chief urges summit on war-shattered nation
Oct 06, 2020, at 03:31 pm
New York: A “rare opportunity” for peace in Libya should be seized by all those involved directly or indirectly in the conflict, António Guterres said on Monday, at a High-Level virtual meeting convened to end the fighting.
Harness ‘transformative potential’ of urbanization for people and planet
Oct 06, 2020, at 03:15 pm
New York: Commemorating World Habitat Day, top UN officials on Monday called for urgent action to provide low-income families and vulnerable populations more secure affordable housing and easy access to water, sanitation, transport and other basic services.
COVID-19 lockdown forces 40 percent of Philippines firms to close shop in July
Oct 06, 2020, at 02:43 pm
Manila/Xinhua: Forty percent of firms in the Philippines have temporarily suspended their operations in July 2020 due to strict community quarantine measures the government imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to a World Bank survey released on Tuesday.
Number of people injured in clashes in Bishkek tops 120
Oct 06, 2020, at 02:30 pm
Bishkek/Sputnik: The number of people injured in clashes between security officials and protesters in Bishkek has exceeded 120, the Kyrgyz Health Ministry said on Monday.
German Chancellor Angela Merel warns Beijing to open up or risk losing access to EU market
Oct 06, 2020, at 04:49 am
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned China that Europe may soon start limiting Chinese companies’ access to the single market if Beijing does not agree to a major opening up by the end of this year.
China admits death of Uyghur man whose family says he was held in Xinjiang camps since 2017
Oct 06, 2020, at 12:47 am
London: In a rare stance, China has formally confirmed to the UN the death of a Uyghur man whose family believes he had been held in a Xinjiang internment camp since 2017, media reports said.
Eight migrants die off coast of Djibouti, 12 missing: IOM
Oct 05, 2020, at 10:24 pm
Addis Ababa/Xinhua: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that at least eight migrants died while 12 others went missing off the coast of Djibouti.
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry says city of Ganja under Armenian fire
Oct 05, 2020, at 10:17 pm
Baku/Sputnik: The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Monday that Ganja, the country's second-largest city, was being shelled from Armenia's Berd region.
France: Paris placed on maximum coronavirus alert
Oct 05, 2020, at 09:56 pm
Paris/UNI: The French capital, Paris, was on Monday placed on maximum alert to curb after a spurt in coronavirus cases.
Fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies at 81 after contracting COVID-19
Oct 05, 2020, at 02:34 pm
Tokyo/Sputnik: Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, founder of the Kenzo brand, has passed away at age of 81 after contracting COVID-19, media reported Sunday.