Mugabe-less Zimbabwe to vote for the first time since independence
Jul 30, 2018, at 12:30 pm
Harare, July 30 (IBNS): Zimbabweans will witness history on Monday as the country will undergo the presidential polls without its longtime leader, Robert Mugabe, for the first time since independence.
Hudaydah ‘one airstrike away from unstoppable epidemic’: UN humanitarian chief in Yemen
Jul 30, 2018, at 09:27 am
New York, July 30 (IBNS): The crucial Yemeni port city of Hudaydah, which has been living under fire from pro-Government forces for weeks now, could be just “one airstrike away from an unstoppable epidemic”, said the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the country on Sunday.
Jul 30, 2018, at 09:22 am
New York, July 30 (IBNS): The recent infringement of democratic rights and civil liberties in the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Comoros, ahead of a vote on constitutional reform, is a source of concern said United Nations chiefAntónio Guterres on Sunday.
Jul 30, 2018, at 09:12 am
New York, July 30 (IBNS): Ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Monday, the UN human rights expert on the issue has emphasized that both victims and potential victims’ rights must be upheld – especially women and children – and appealed for all States to prevent and combat the global scourge.
Indonesia earthquake leaves 14 killed
Jul 29, 2018, at 07:41 pm
Bali, July 29 (IBNS): An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale hit Indonesia's popular tourist island of Lombok and left at least 14 people killed, media reports said.
Make Sunday ‘an important celebration of democracy’ UN chief urges voters in Mali
Jul 29, 2018, at 04:49 pm
New York, July 29 (IBNS): On the eve of Mali’s crucial presidential election, the United Nations Secretary-General said that despite clear security challenges, voters in the arid African nation of around 18 million, needed to ensure that the key poll was first and foremost “an important celebration of democracy”.
Mali: Any dispute over key Sunday vote must be resolved peacefully, says UN envoy
Jul 28, 2018, at 08:25 am
New York, July 28 (IBNS): With key presidential elections in Mali just two days away, the top United Nations official there on Friday stressed that candidates must accept the results and ensure that the democratic process in Mali is “irreversible”.
Jul 28, 2018, at 08:22 am
New York, July 28 (IBNS): Ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the UN human rights expert on the issue emphasized on Friday that both victims and potential victims’ rights must be upheld – especially women and children – and appealed for all States to prevent and combat the global scourge.
UN chief welcomes new law giving extra autonomy to Muslims in Southern Philippines
Jul 28, 2018, at 08:16 am
New York, July 28 (IBNS): The UN Secretary-General on Friday welcomed a new law which grants extra autonomy to Muslim communities living in the Southern Philippines, describing it as a “landmark achievement on the road to lasting peace”.
Jul 28, 2018, at 08:10 am
New York, July 28 (IBNS): More than 7,000 children have lost their lives or been maimed as a result of the brutal conflict in Syria, a senior United Nations official told the UN Security Council on Friday, stressing that they had been abused by the warring parties for far too long.
‘Warehouses emptying’ amid growing humanitarian needs in south-west Syria
Jul 28, 2018, at 08:00 am
New York, July 28 (IBNS): More than 180,000 people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in south-west Syria after weeks of escalating hostilities that have restricted aid access to the area, the UN said on Friday.
Cambodia: Before crucial vote on Sunday, UN chief calls for ‘pluralistic political process’
Jul 28, 2018, at 07:56 am
New York, July 28 (IBNS): As Cambodians prepare to vote in general elections on Sunday, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a statement on Friday calling for “an inclusive and pluralistic political process” saying that it “remains essential for safeguarding the progress made by Cambodia in consolidating peace.”
North Korea returns remains of US soldiers killed during Korean War
Jul 27, 2018, at 12:13 pm
Pyongyang/Washington, July 27 (IBNS): In its latest diplomatic gesture towards the United States of America, North Korea has returned the remains of the American soldiers, believed to have been slain during the Korean War
New ECOSOC president to revive ‘deliberative function’ of forum
Jul 27, 2018, at 09:21 am
New York, July 27 (IBNS): The newly-elected President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Ronda King, of the Caribbean island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, said on Thursday that she intended to make the year ahead “a defining” one for the body that leads the UN’s ambitious drive for sustainable economic, social and environmental development.
Guterres sounds alarm over worst cashflow crunch in years
Jul 27, 2018, at 09:18 am
New York, July 27 (IBNS): The United Nations is at risk of running out of cash, the UN chief has warned, urging Member States to pay their mandatory contributions on time and in full, so that the world body can continue to deliver on its key mandates.
Jul 27, 2018, at 09:15 am
New York, July 27 (IBNS): Amid a long series of challenges, the implementation of the peace process in Colombia is moving forward and has achieved important milestones in recent months, according to a new report by the United Nations Secretary-General presented to the Security Council on Thursday.
‘Stigma and discrimination still persists’ against people living with HIV – UN labour agency
Jul 27, 2018, at 08:57 am
New York, July 27 (IBNS): Although progress in treating people living with HIV has enabled them to work, they continue to face career discrimination, says a new study launched on Thursday by the United Nations labour agency.
DR Congo: UN envoy calls for ‘a level playing field’ in key upcoming elections
Jul 27, 2018, at 08:53 am
New York, July 27 (IBNS): Major progress has been made on preparations for the upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but “conditions for a level playing field are not yet in place”, said the most senior United Nations official based in the country.
UN human rights experts urge Egypt to release jailed poet who penned hit protest song
Jul 27, 2018, at 08:50 am
New York, July 27 (IBNS): Galal El Behairy has been held in detention since February after penning a song critical of Egypt’s policies, prompting United Nations human rights experts on Thursday to urge the government to release him immediately.
UN chief strongly condemns terrorist attacks in south-west Syria
Jul 27, 2018, at 08:47 am
New York, July 27 (IBNS): The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, has strongly condemned multiple suicide bombings on Wednesday in the government-held town of Sweida, in Syria’s south-west, which killed and injured scores of civilians.
Man detonates bomb outside US embassy in Beijing; None but the suspect injured
Jul 26, 2018, at 01:47 pm
Beijing, July 26 (IBNS): A man detonated a bomb outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Thursday, triggering an explosion, media reports said.
Dozens evacuated as fire rages through London's West Hampstead flats
Jul 26, 2018, at 12:32 pm
London, July 26 (IBNS): Around 100 firefighters fought a blaze on the top floor of a block of flats in north-west London's West Hampstead early on Thursday, media reports said.
Explosion near US embassy, in Beijing
Jul 26, 2018, at 12:00 pm
Beijing, July 26 (IBNS): A huge explosion has reportedly taken place outside the US embassy in Beijing, media reports said.
Pakistan: UN chief condemns suicide attack that killed dozens near polling station
Jul 26, 2018, at 09:38 am
New York, July 26 (IBNS): The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on Wednesday condemned the killing of dozens of people near a polling station in the western city of Quetta due to a suicide attack, as voters headed to the polls in Pakistan’s general elections.
Jul 26, 2018, at 09:35 am
New York, July 26 (IBNS): Following the death of at least 80 people due to wildfires close to the Greek capital, Athens, in recent days, the top UN official for Disaster Risk Reduction expressed her condolences and called for more investment in wildfire suppression and prevention across the world.
Proposal for Spain to reckon with its past during Franco era, welcomed by UN rights experts
Jul 26, 2018, at 09:32 am
New York, July 26 (IBNS): A group of UN human rights experts has welcomed the announcement earlier this month by the Spanish Minister of Justice that the Government is paving the way for a Truth Commission to investigate violations that occurred during the civil war and the era of dictatorship under General Francisco Franco that followed.
Cameroon violence needs urgent investigation, says UN rights chief Zeid
Jul 26, 2018, at 09:00 am
new York, July 26 (IBNS): Persistent reports of grave human rights abuses in Cameroon — including a widely shared video showing the alleged execution of a woman, child and baby — must be investigated by the authorities urgently, UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said on Wednesday.
Acute lack of funding threatens critical aid for Palestinians : UN agency
Jul 26, 2018, at 08:57 am
New York, July 26 (IBNS): Despite major fundraising efforts, UNRWA – the UN agency tasked with providing life-saving support to Palestinian refugees – is facing the “largest ever reduction in funding” in its history which is threatening the very existence of many of its critical assistance programmes.
At least 19 dead, 49 missing and many homeless in Laos dam collapse
Jul 25, 2018, at 12:49 pm
Vientiane, July 25 (IBNS): At least 19 people are dead and 49 believed missing in southern Laos after an unfinished hydroelectric dam collapsed with the gushing water inundating downstream villages, Lao media reported.
Syria: Over 30 killed in suicide attacks, Islamic state claims offensive
Jul 25, 2018, at 11:57 am
Damascus, July 25 (IBNS): Over 30 people have been killed as a suicide blast rocked Syria's Sweida city on Wednesday morning, reports said.