This must be 'year of traction' to propel 2030 development Agenda, says UN chief
Feb 09, 2016, at 03:00 pm
New York, Feb 9 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Just as 2015 was a year of “global action†with the adoption of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, so 2016 must be a year of “global traction†to ensure that 3.1 billion people worldwide are not left behind in the race to end poverty, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday.
Ban condemns arson attack on West Bank synagogue, urges respect for sanctity of all holy sites
Feb 09, 2016, at 02:59 pm
New York, Feb 9 (Just Earth News/IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the arson attack on 6 February against a synagogue in the West Bank and called for a thorough investigation to quickly bring the perpetrators to justice.
Boat capsizes in Aegean, 27 refugees killed
Feb 09, 2016, at 02:55 am
Ankara, Feb 8 (IBNS): At least 27 refugees were killed as the boat in which they were traveling capsized off Turkey’s Edremit Bay on Monday, media reports said.
Spain: Seven arrested over suspected IS links
Feb 08, 2016, at 09:36 pm
Valencia, Feb 8 (IBNS) Spanish Police have claimed to have arrested seven people for their suspected links with militant groups Al-Qaeda and the ISIS, media reports said on Monday.
Condemning DPR Korea's missile launch, Security Council to pursue 'significant measures' in response
Feb 08, 2016, at 03:49 pm
New York, Feb 8 ( (Just Earth News/IBNS) Following emergency consultations today, the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the missile launched by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and announced that it will "expeditiously" adopt a new resolution in response to "these dangerous and serious violations."
Haiti: Ban welcomes agreement reached towards 'swift' conclusion of ongoing electoral cycle
Feb 08, 2016, at 03:15 pm
New York, Feb 8 ( (Just Earth News/IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the agreement reached by Haitian stakeholders, noting that it provides for immediate arrangements to preserve the institutional continuity of the country as well as a road map for the swift conclusion of the ongoing electoral cycle.
UN chief calls on DPR Korea to halt 'provocative actions' following missile launch
Feb 08, 2016, at 03:10 pm
New York, Feb 8 ( (Just Earth News/IBNS) Following a missile launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on the country's Government "to halt its provocative actions and return to compliance with its international obligations."
Mark Zuckerberg wishes Happy Lunar New Year, speaks in Chinese
Feb 08, 2016, at 02:52 am
New York, Feb 7 (IBNS): Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has showed off his Chinese speaking skills in a video where he is seen wishing Happy Lunar New Year with his wife Priscilla and daughter Max.
NATO condemns North Korea for launching rocket
Feb 07, 2016, at 11:12 pm
London, Feb 7 (IBNS): NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday condemned North Korea for launching a rocket that is part of a program to develop intercontinental ballistic missile technologies.
North Korea launches rocket, US condemns move
Feb 07, 2016, at 04:18 pm
Seoul, Feb 7 (IBNS): Ignoring warnings from the part of Washington, North Korea on Sunday launched a rocket that is part of a program to develop intercontinental ballistic missile technologies, reports said.
Ban honours memory of Holocaust victims at New York synagogue
Feb 07, 2016, at 03:04 pm
New York, Feb 7 (IBNS) Visiting Park East Synagogue in New York City to honour the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday called on people to work together “to build bridges and end anti-Semitism, bigotry against Muslims, and all other forms of hatred.â€
Earthquake jolts Asian countries Taiwan and Nepal
Feb 06, 2016, at 07:06 pm
New Delhi, Feb 6 (IBNS): A 17-storied building came crashing down in Taiwan as quake hit its southern part on Saturday, killing at least seven and trapping many under the debris.
North Korea likely to launch rocket any time soon say experts
Feb 06, 2016, at 06:13 pm
Seoul, Feb 6 (IBNS) A United States think-tank said that satellite images of North Korea's Sohae rocket launch site from Wednesday and Thursday is probably an indication that Pongyang has started fuelling the rocket it plans to launch in the coming weeks, according to media reports.
Migration and multilateralism will be hallmarks of 2016, says senior UN official
Feb 06, 2016, at 02:06 pm
New York, Feb 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The world is facing a political, economic, moral and social crisis as governments and communities struggle to provide effective solutions for the unprecedented numbers of people fleeing war, instability or persecution, the top United Nations migration official said today, calling for deceive multilateral action to tackle "the global issues lurking behind today's vast movement of people."
'Violence must stop now,' says UN expert as fresh fighting displaces thousands in North Darfur
Feb 06, 2016, at 01:56 pm
New York, Feb 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Warning that, in the last two weeks, a new escalation of violence has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur, a United Nations human rights expert on Friday called for an immediate end to hostilities that have triggered new protection and humanitarian concerns in the long-restive region of Sudan.
Senior UN officials urge elimination of ‘violent practice’ of female genital mutilation by 2030
Feb 06, 2016, at 01:54 pm
New York, Feb 6 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The most senior United Nations officials are urging the world to eliminate female genital mutilation (FGM) by 2030, calling it a “violent practice†that scars girls for life, endangering their health, depriving them of their rights, and denying them the chance to reach their full potential.
Twitter suspends 125,000 terrorism-related accounts since 2015
Feb 06, 2016, at 01:47 pm
New York, Feb 6 (IBNS): Micro-blogging site Twitter has said it has suspended 125,000 accounts for threatening or promoting terrorist acts, primarily related to ISIS since 2015.
Japan: Volcano Sakurajima erupts
Feb 06, 2016, at 12:14 am
Tokyo, Feb 5 (IBNS): Japan's volcano Sakurajima‬‬ has erupted on Friday, media reports said.
Julian Assange arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the UK, UN expert panel finds
Feb 05, 2016, at 11:37 pm
Geneva, Feb 5 (IBNS) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the United Kingdom since his arrest in London on Dec 7 ,2010, as a result of the legal action against him by both Governments, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said on Friday.
100 mine workers trapped in South Africa
Feb 05, 2016, at 09:38 pm
Johannesburg , Feb 5 (IBNS): Above 100 people were trapped inside a gold mine in South Africa's Mpumalanga province on Friday, media reports said.
Record $10 billion pledged in humanitarian aid for Syria at UN co-hosted conference in London
Feb 05, 2016, at 02:51 pm
New York, Feb 5 (Just Earth News/IBNS) An international conference on war-torn Syria in London on Thursday pledged a record $10 billion after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon laid out three main objectives: raising $7 billion in immediate humanitarian aid, mustering long-term support, and protecting civilians.
Timbuktu: 900-year-old ceremony re-consecrates mausoleums destroyed by armed groups
Feb 05, 2016, at 02:46 pm
New York, Feb 5 (Just Earth News/IBNS) A consecration ceremony of the Timbuktu mausoleums, last held in the 11th century, was celebrated on Thursday at the initiative of the local community, the final phase of the United Nations-backed cultural rebirth of the age-old Sahara city after the destruction wrought by radical Islamists in 2012.
New allegations of sexual abuse emerge against UN peacekeepers in Central African Republic
Feb 05, 2016, at 02:44 pm
New York, Feb 5 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reported on Thursday that it has identified seven new possible victims of sexual exploitation and abuse in the town of Bambari, just days after the UN revealed which countries' troops have been accused of abusing minors.
Social inclusion central to 2030 Agenda, UN Social Development Commission hears as new session opens
Feb 05, 2016, at 02:38 pm
New York, Feb 5 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The adoption of the 2030 Agenda – which places people and the planet at the centre of global development – presents new challenges and opportunity for the United Nations Commission on Social Development, a senior UN official said today, opening the body's 54th annual session with a call for building on its strengths to foster an integrated approach when addressing social policies.
Somalia: UN political chief visits top leaders in show of support for electoral process
Feb 05, 2016, at 02:35 pm
New York, Feb 5 (Just Earth News/IBNS) A senior United Nations official has held talks with Somali leaders in Mogadishu, the capital, in a show of support for last month's “breakthrough†political achievement in selecting an electoral model to be used later this year in efforts to lead the Horn of Africa country out of decades of factional war.
Saudi Arabia donates $59 million to UN agency assisting Palestine refugees
Feb 05, 2016, at 02:32 pm
New York, Feb 5 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Shelters, schools and health centres in Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan will benefit from $59 million donated by Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Near East under three agreements signed on Thursday.
Assange gets a favourable ruling from UN panel about his 'arbitrarily detained' plea
Feb 04, 2016, at 09:25 pm
London, Feb 4 (IBNS) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who had tweeted earlier on Thursday that he will surrender to United Kingdom Police on Friday if the United Nation's (UN) panel rejects his plea and says that he has not been unlawfully detained, has got a favourable ruling from the panel, according to media reports.
UN mediator suspends intra-Syrian talks for three weeks
Feb 04, 2016, at 02:27 pm
New York, Feb 4 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Just two days after declaring the official start of delayed intra-Syrian talks in Geneva to end five years of bloody warfare, the United Nations mediator suspended them for three weeks on Wednesday following differences between Government and opposition delegations on the priority of humanitarian issues.
UN emergency fund allocates $8 million to assist vulnerable women and children in DPR Korea
Feb 04, 2016, at 02:22 pm
New York, Feb 4 (Just Earth News/IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has released eight million dollars from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for severely underfunded aid operations in the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), to enable life-saving assistance for more than 2.2 million people most vulnerable and at risk of malnutrition.
Ukraine: UN official urges Government to keep checkpoints open for access to medicines, food
Feb 04, 2016, at 02:20 pm
New York, Feb 4 (Just Earth News/IBNS) A senior United Nations humanitarian official in Ukraine on Wednesday called on the Government to keep checkpoints open in conflict-affected areas in the country's east to prevent hardship for thousands of mostly elderly people seeking access to medicines, and food and other items.