'Massive and protracted' humanitarian crisis in DR Congo can be 'beaten back' if donors step up
Mar 22, 2019, at 07:01 am
New York, Mar 22 (IBNS): “Urgent and sustained funding” for a Government-led response to what is now a “massive and protracted” humanitarian crisis across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is required, said the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN relief chief on Thursday.
Mar 22, 2019, at 06:55 am
New York, Mar 22 (IBNS): States must take urgent action, to “stem the tide of hate and discrimination” and ramping up of “ethno-nationalist populism”, which helped fuel the deadly shootings in two New Zealand mosques last Friday by a self-declared white supremacist, several top UN officials and human rights experts have stressed, marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Idai disaster: Stranded victims still need rescue from heavy rains as UN scales up response
Mar 22, 2019, at 06:48 am
New York, Mar 22 (IBNS): Dire conditions persist in vast areas of southern Africa affected by Cyclone Idai as heavy rain continues to cause “massive destruction”, the UN said on Thursday, while aid teams scale up efforts to reach those most in need.
400,000 sign petition urging UK govt to remain in European Union
Mar 21, 2019, at 01:39 pm
Moscow, Mar 21 (Sputnik): Over 400,000 people have signed a petition that calls on the UK government to stop the Brexit procedure and enable the country to remain in the European Union, as of Thursday.
US Air Force chief orders review of pilots' training after Boeing 737 crash: Reports
Mar 21, 2019, at 01:07 pm
Moscow, Mar 21 (Sputnik): US Air Force chief of staff Gen David Goldfein has ordered a review of training procedures for military pilots of large cargo and transport planes, including the Air Force One governmental aircraft, the CNN broadcaster reported.
‘Growing alarm’ over Fall Armyworm advance, with cash crops ‘under attack’ across Asia
Mar 21, 2019, at 11:51 am
New York, Mar 21 (IBNS): The Fall Armyworm pest is continuing to sweep across the globe, having moved eastwards from their native Americas, onto Africa, before arriving in Asia only last summer, where they now threaten to cost farmers from India to Thailand, billions of dollars in lost production.
New Zealand bans Military Style Semi-Automatics, Assault Rifles - Prime Minister
Mar 21, 2019, at 11:44 am
Moscow, Mar 21 (Sputnik) New Zealand introduces a ban on military style semi-automatic firearms and assault rifles in the wake of the deadly attack on two mosques in the city of Christchurch, the country’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said on Thursday.
Venezuela: ‘A worrying destabilizing factor in the region’, Bachelet tells Human Rights Council
Mar 21, 2019, at 11:37 am
New York, Mar 21 (IBNS): Expressing deep concern at the “magnitude and gravity of the human rights impact” of Venezuela’s current crisis, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Wednesday that the country had become “a worrying destabilizing factor in the region.”
UN court increases sentence of former Bosnian-Serb leader to life imprisonment
Mar 21, 2019, at 11:30 am
New York, Mar 21 (IBNS): A United Nations appeals court on Wednesday increased the 40-year sentence initially imposed on Radovan Karadžić, former leader of the Republika Srpksa region of Bosnia and head of the Bosnian-Serb Army, to life imprisonment.
Libya stands at a ‘critical juncture’, UN mission head tells Security Council
Mar 21, 2019, at 11:21 am
New York, Mar 21 (IBNS): Predicting that the “days ahead will prove foundational to the years ahead for Libyans and the region”, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday, that it was no exaggeration to describe the oil-rich nation as having reached “a crucial juncture”.
Mar 21, 2019, at 11:16 am
New York, Mar 21 (IBNS): South-South cooperation is key to the world’s sustainable development and the fight against global warming said the United Nations Secretary-General on Wednesday, as the opening session of the Second UN Conference on South-South Cooperation got underway in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.
UN allocates $20 million in emergency funding, as Cyclone Idai disaster unfolds
Mar 21, 2019, at 11:11 am
New York, Mar 21 (IBNS): As the full scale of the devastation caused by Cyclone Idai in South-West Africa continues to be assessed, the UN and humanitarian partners are ramping up the provision of emergency food, shelter, water and health care supplies to hundreds-of-thousands who have been affected across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
UK police fail to protect domestic & sexual abuse victims, says watchdog
Mar 20, 2019, at 07:23 pm
Moscow, Mar 20 (Sputnik): UK public interest law firm Center for Women's Justice (CWJ) has filed a super-complaint against the UK police for allegedly failing to use existing protective measures in cases involving violence against women and girls.
Australia reduces annual immigrant cap
Mar 20, 2019, at 07:08 pm
Sydney, Mar 20 (IBNS): The Australian government has decided to significantly reduce its annual intake of immigrants by 15 percent, reports said.
Google fined 1.49bln euros for anti-trust breach by EU
Mar 20, 2019, at 06:30 pm
Brussels, Mar 20 (Xinhua/UNI) US internet giant Google on Wednesday received a new fine ticket of 1.49 billion euros (1.69 billion US dollars) from the European Union (EU) for breaching of anti-trust rules.
New Utrecht shooting suspect arrested, two others released
Mar 20, 2019, at 06:09 pm
The Hague, Mar 20 (Xinhua/UNI) A fourth suspect in a tram shooting in the Dutch city of Utrecht has been arrested, while two other suspects have been released, the Dutch public prosecutor said Tuesday.
New Zealand attacks: PM Jacinda Ardern calls for global anti-racism fight
Mar 20, 2019, at 05:12 pm
Christchurch, Mar 20 (IBNS): At a time when the nation is still mourning the deaths of 50 people in a terror attack in two mosques in Christchurch city of New Zealand, the country's PM Jacinda Ardern has called for a global fight to root out racist right-wing ideology.
China, US and EU provide donation to stranded Zimbabweans following Cyclone Idai battering
Mar 20, 2019, at 04:39 pm
Harare, Mar 20 (Xinhua) More organizations are coming on board to provide help to victims of Cyclone Idai which battered Zimbabwe between Friday and Sunday.
New Zealand: Days after Mosques shooting, Parliament opens with Quran recitation
Mar 20, 2019, at 03:12 pm
Wellington, Mar 20 (IBNS): Days after the Mosques shooting in New Zealand's Christchurch, the parliament opened with the recitation of Islamic religious text Quran on Tuesday, media reports said.
France revises 2019 growth target due to
Mar 20, 2019, at 09:56 am
Paris, Mar 20 (Xinhua/UNI) France has reduced its economic growth target for this year to 1.4 percent from 1.7 percent after the "Yellow Vest" protest movement severely impacted the country's economy, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said here on Tuesday.
UN launches 'South-South Galaxy' knowledge-sharing platform in Buenos Aires
Mar 20, 2019, at 09:33 am
New York, Mar 20 (IBNS): When countries of the Global South forged an historic technical cooperation deal among themselves 40 years ago, digital technology was a thing of the future, but developing nations have come a long way since then.
Safe drinking water, sanitation, are ‘basic human rights’: new UN Water Development report
Mar 20, 2019, at 09:25 am
New York, Mar 20 (IBNS): Safe water and access to proper sanitation are essential to eradicate poverty, build peaceful societies and ensure that no one is left behind on the path towards sustainable development, according to the 2019 UN World Water Development Report, launched on Tuesday in Geneva.
First peaceful transfer of power in DR Congo ‘an extraordinary opportunity’ for advancing rights
Mar 20, 2019, at 09:21 am
New York, Mar 20 (IBNS): The election of President Felix Tshisekedi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marks “an extraordinary opportunity” for the country to advance civil and political rights, said a senior UN official, on Tuesday at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Qatar plans to host conference on Afghanistan with Russia's participation
Mar 19, 2019, at 04:49 pm
Doha Mar 19 (Sputnik/IBNS) Doha is planning to host a conference on the settlement of the Afghan conflict with the participation of Qatari and Russian representatives, Russian Ambassador to Qatar Nurmakhmad Kholov told Sputnik.
Russian, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Venezuela in phone talks
Mar 19, 2019, at 04:46 pm
Moscow, Mar 19 (Sputnik/IBNS) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif have addressed the situation in Venezuela in phone talks at the initiative of Tehran, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
Escalation of US-China bilateral tariffs to shave off 1 tln dollars from US GDP in 10 years: study
Mar 19, 2019, at 10:04 am
Washington, Mar 19 (Xinhua/UNI) An escalation of US-China bilateral tariffs will shave off 1 trillion US dollars from the US economy in a decade and inflict a particular damage on the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, according to a recent study released by the US Chamber of Commerce.
What is ‘South-South cooperation’ and why does it matter?
Mar 19, 2019, at 09:56 am
New York, Mar 19 (IBNS): This week in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, over one thousand people, including high level government delegations and representatives from the private sector and civil society, will gather for the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, or BAPA+40.
Mar 19, 2019, at 09:55 am
New York, Mar 19 (IBNS): Despite the relatively peaceful passage of December’s presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Special Representative to the country told the Security Council she “remained concerned” over developments in the east, where dozens of armed groups continue to operate.
Mar 19, 2019, at 09:49 am
New York, Mar 19 (IBNS): Human Rights Council-appointed investigators urged Israel on Monday to revise its military rules of engagement, shortly before the one-year anniversary of the start of mass demonstrations at the country’s border fence with Gaza, that have left hundreds of Palestinians dead and thousands more injured.
Mar 19, 2019, at 09:34 am
New York, Mar 19 (IBNS): The United Nations recorded a total of 259 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) during 2018, according to the latest report by Secretary-General António Guterres presented to the General Assembly. Although the figures rose compared with the previous two years, the report shows increased awareness among UN and UN-related staff, and improved and harmonized reporting tools across the Organization.