Fresh airstrikes kill dozens in conflict-ravaged Syria
Jul 14, 2018, at 07:55 am
New York, July 14 (IBNS): Despite the return of tens of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) to Syria following local agreements and changes in territorial control, the United Nations said on Friday that fresh airstrikes have reportedly killed dozens of civilians “in several areas” of the country.
Security Council downsizes AU-UN mission in Darfur, eying eventual exit
Jul 14, 2018, at 07:52 am
New York, July 14 (IBNS): The Security Council on Friday extended the mandate of the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping operation in Sudan’s Darfur until the end of June next year, but reduced the number of troops deployed in the field with an eye towards the mission’s eventual exit.
‘Historic moment’ for people on the move, as UN agrees first-ever Global Compact on migration
Jul 14, 2018, at 07:49 am
New York, July 14 (IBNS): For the first time ever, United Nations Member States have agreed an all-encompassing Global Compact to better manage international migration, address its challenges, strengthen migrant rights and contribute to sustainable development.
Security Council imposes arms embargo on South Sudan
Jul 14, 2018, at 07:45 am
New York, July 14 (IBNS): The Security Council on Friday narrowly passed a measure aimed at stopping the flow of weapons to armed groups in South Sudan, with those Members in favour saying it would protect civilians, while abstainers voiced concerns that it would undermine the ongoing peace process in the world’s youngest country.
Villages ‘reduced to ash’ amid ‘barbaric violence’ in DR Congo, reports UN refugee agency
Jul 14, 2018, at 07:42 am
New York, July 14 (IBNS): Humanitarian needs are enormous in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has reported accounts of “barbaric violence”.
At least 19 killed, 31 injured in China chemical plant explosion
Jul 13, 2018, at 03:18 pm
Beijing, July 13 (IBNS) : At least 19 people were killed and a dozen injured after a chemical plant exploded in southwest China' Sichuan province on Thursday, media reports said.
Safe and orderly migration is ‘in everybody’s interest’, says senior UN official
Jul 13, 2018, at 09:18 am
July 13 (IBNS): International migration “has been with us forever”, and a safe and orderly means of facilitating it is “in everybody’s interest”, said a UN envoy.
Jul 13, 2018, at 09:08 am
New York, July 13 (IBNS): A reckoning on the importance of maximising the world’s resources is taking place across the world, and achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 depends heavily on reeling in our global consumption and production patterns, a key United Nations forum heard on Thursday.
UN emergency fund releases $15 million to help Ethiopians affected by inter-communal violence
Jul 13, 2018, at 09:06 am
New York, July 13 (IBNS): A United Nations emergency fund on Thursday released $15 million to urgently scale up humanitarian assistance to people affected by escalating inter-communal violence in Ethiopia.
‘Multilateralism in action’ says UN chief ahead of expected agreement on migration compact
Jul 13, 2018, at 09:03 am
New York, July 13 (IBNS): With the General Assembly set to agree a new global compact on migration, the United Nations chief on Thursday highlighted its “immense potential” to harness the benefits of orderly migration and lower the risks facing millions on the move without documentation.
Jul 13, 2018, at 08:43 am
New York, July 13 (IBNS): Since the start of the conflict in South Sudan, widespread and systematic sexual violence has been a pervasive tactic of war and terror, said a high-level United Nations envoy, after visiting the war-torn country and hearing “horrific” testimonies.
UN chief pushes for greater benefits from new technology, as he launches digital experts panel
Jul 13, 2018, at 08:39 am
New York, July 13 (IBNS): A high-profile group of tech experts has been assembled at the request of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, tasked with putting the benefits of digital technology to more effective use, while also protecting against unwanted or unexpected negative impacts.
-1531366149.jpg "UN forum spotlights cities, where struggle for sustainability ‘will be won or lost’")
UN forum spotlights cities, where struggle for sustainability ‘will be won or lost’
Jul 12, 2018, at 08:59 am
New York, July 12 (IBNS): Although cities are often characterized by stark socioeconomic inequalities and poor environmental conditions, they also offer growth and development potential – making them central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a main focus of the third day of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Wednesday.
Visiting North Korea, UN relief chief spotlights funding shortfall to meet humanitarian needs
Jul 12, 2018, at 08:56 am
New York, July 12 (IBNS): The United Nations is seeking to raise $111 million to meet humanitarian needs in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), where millions of people face malnutrition, a shortage medicines, and lack of access to safe drinking water, the Organization’s top relief official said on Wednesday.
Rohingya cannot become ‘forgotten victims,’ says UN chief urging world to step up support
Jul 12, 2018, at 08:52 am
New York, July 12 (IBNS): Painting a grim picture of villages being burned to the ground and other “bone-chilling” accounts he heard from Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar, the UN chief has called on the world to answer their calls for help with real action.
Jul 12, 2018, at 08:49 am
New York, July 12 (IBNS): Climate change – and the shortages of water and food that come from it – is becoming increasingly linked to conflict, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Wednesday, warning that countries most vulnerable to drought and crop failure are also most vulnerable to conflict and fragility.
World Population Day: ‘A matter of human rights’ says UN
Jul 12, 2018, at 08:34 am
New York, July 12 (IBNS): Family planning was affirmed to be a human right 50 years ago, leading to what would become the annual observation of World Population Day, which focuses attention on the impact the number of children born, has on the world.
Vladimir Putin calls French President Emmanuel Macron after semi-final victory
Jul 11, 2018, at 04:46 pm
Moscow, July 11 (IBNS): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday congratulated his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron after his nation reached the final of the FIFA World Cup by beating Belgium in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Thailand cave rescue episode may become a movie
Jul 11, 2018, at 04:31 pm
Los Angeles, July 11 (IBNS): The daring rescue operation from the Thailand cave that witnessed the evacuation of 13 people might be turned into a movie, media reports said.
World Population Day: ‘A matter of human rights’ says UN
Jul 11, 2018, at 09:33 am
New York, July 11 (IBNS): Family planning was affirmed to be a human right 50 years ago, leading to what would become the annual observation of World Population Day, which focuses attention on the impact the number of children born, has on the world.
Health conditions for citizens of Yemen’s key port city ‘remain critical’ says UN agency
Jul 11, 2018, at 09:25 am
New York, July 11 (IBNS): Even before the escalation of conflict in Hudaydah, conditions in Yemen’s port city were some of “the most dire in the country,” according to the United Nations health agency on Tuesday.
-1531281189.jpg "Security Council hails ‘historic and significant’ joint peace declaration by Ethiopia and Eritrea")
Jul 11, 2018, at 09:23 am
New York, July 11 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday described the Joint Declaration, signed by the leaders of Eritrea and Ethiopia, as “a historic and significant” move with “far-reaching consequences” for the whole Horn of Africa region and beyond.
Achieving targets on energy helps meet other Global Goals, UN forum told
Jul 11, 2018, at 09:14 am
New York, July 11 (IBNS): Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today, including poverty eradication, gender equality, adaptation to climate change, food security, health, education, sustainable cities, jobs and transport, speakers told a key United Nations forum on sustainable development on Tuesday.
Women vital for ‘new paradigm’ in Africa’s Sahel region, Security Council hears
Jul 11, 2018, at 09:06 am
New York, July 11 (IBNS): Women across Africa’s Sahel region can be agents for a “new paradigm” for peacebuilding and development that benefits all people there, the United Nations Security Council heard on Tuesday.
North Korea: ‘Time to talk human rights’, says UN expert
Jul 11, 2018, at 08:58 am
New York, July 11 (IBNS): A United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday urged North Korea to open a dialogue with him in parallel to the ongoing diplomatic efforts being undertaken on peace and denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea: ‘Time to talk human rights’, says UN expert
Jul 11, 2018, at 08:58 am
New York, July 11 (IBNS): A United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday urged North Korea to open a dialogue with him in parallel to the ongoing diplomatic efforts being undertaken on peace and denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
-1531279468.jpg "Thai cave boys spared thundershowers, highlighting extreme climate disruption: UN weather agency")
Thai cave boys spared thundershowers, highlighting extreme climate disruption: UN weather agency
Jul 11, 2018, at 08:54 am
New York, July 11 (IBNS): Thundershowers that have been forecast in northern Thailand luckily did not materialize, easing the extraordinary rescue of a boys’ football team and their coach, who spent well over two weeks trapped in a cave complex there, UN weather experts said on Tuesday.
Miraculous Thailand cave evacuation ends with the rescue of all 13 trapped
Jul 10, 2018, at 06:07 pm
Bangkok, July 10 (IBNS): Ending a three-day-long complex evacuation process and over a two-week ordeal, rescuers successfully brought out all the 12 boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded Thailand cave, officials said.
All 12 boys, coach evacuated from Thailand cave
Jul 10, 2018, at 05:28 pm
Bangkok, July 10 (IBNS): All the 12 students and their coach have been evacuated from the Thailand cave where they were trapped for the past two weeks, reports said.
Ninth trapped boy rescued from the Thailand cave, operation underway to evacuate the rest
Jul 10, 2018, at 03:44 pm
Bangkok, July 10 (IBNS): Continuing the complicated evacuation operation, rescuers have pulled out from the Thailand cave one more boy on the third day of the proceedings to take the number of rescued people to ten, the Thai Navy Seal said on Tuesday.