Lack of funds forces UN agency to halt Gaza programme for repairs to destroyed homes
Jan 28, 2015, at 06:45 pm
New York, Jan 28 (IBNS): The United Nations agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees across the Middle East announced today that a major funding shortfall has forced the suspension of its cash assistance programme that would have helped families in Gaza repair their homes and provide rental subsidies to people left homeless after last year's conflict in the enclave.
Nine killed in Libya hotel attack
Jan 28, 2015, at 06:34 pm
Tripoli, Jan 28 (IBNS) At least nine people were killed as militants attacked a hotel in Libyan capital Tripoli on Tuesday, media reports said on Wednesday.
UN agency sounds warning over Iraqis displaced to country's South
Jan 28, 2015, at 06:30 pm
New York, Jan 28 (IBNS) The United Nations has said today that many recently displaced Iraqis in the south of the strife-riven country are facing a “critical†humanitarian situation.
As police, protesters clash in Egypt, UN rights chief urges end to excessive use of force
Jan 28, 2015, at 06:27 pm
New York, Jan 28 (IBNS): “Deeply disturbed†by the deaths resulting from recent clashes between security forces and protesters in Egypt, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, has urged for an end to the excessive use of force, his spokesperson said today.
UN South Sudan Mission condemns killing of civilians in roadside ambush
Jan 28, 2015, at 06:25 pm
New York, Jan 28 (IBNS) The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) hsa strongly condemned the killing of eleven civilians, five of them journalists, in a roadside ambush on Sunday.
Emirates suspends flights to Baghdad after shooting
Jan 28, 2015, at 06:23 pm
Dubai, Jan 28 (IBNS) Several airlines , including Emirates, have suspended flights to Baghdad after a flydubai flight was hit by bullets while it was landing at Baghdad airport.
World must 'wake up' to enormity of Central African Republic crisis, warns UN relief official
Jan 28, 2015, at 06:20 pm
New York, Jan 28 (IBNS) The top United Nations humanitarian official in the Central African Republic (CAR) is calling for increased protection of displaced communities in the northern town of Batangafo, where relief agencies are working hard to ease suffering as the country's ongoing conflict drives a steady stream of terrified people into the area seeking safety.
3 killed in Libya hotel attack
Jan 28, 2015, at 02:00 am
Tripoli, Jan 27 (IBNS) At least three people were killed and 12 others were injured as several gunmen attacked a hotel in Libya's Tripoli city on Tuesday, media reports said.
Jan 27, 2015, at 10:44 pm
Tripoli, Jan 27 (IBNS) Militants have attacked a hotel at Tripoli city in Libya, media reports said on Tuesday.
Ukraine: Minsk peace accords must be revived, UN political chief tells Security Council
Jan 27, 2015, at 02:28 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS) Briefing the Security Council on recent developments in Ukraine, Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, called on Monday for revival of the Minsk Accords and an immediate end to hostilities.
'Vicious circles linking violence and hunger' must end – UN agriculture chief
Jan 27, 2015, at 02:27 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS) Agriculture and food security must be treated as essential components of peacebuilding and conflict resolution, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said during a special meeting of the UN Peacebuilding Commission held at Headquarters on Monday.
UN rights chief says world 'haunted' by suffering endured by millions during Holocaust
Jan 27, 2015, at 02:25 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS) Ahead of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, taking place on Tuesday , the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement to mark the “forever solemn day†when the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp was liberated.
In new development report, UN spotlights 'string of successes' in Asia-Pacific region
Jan 27, 2015, at 02:24 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS): The United Nations main development programme spotlighted on Monday its string of successes in 36 countries and territories in the Asia and Pacific region in the areas of poverty reduction, conservation of natural resources, democratic governance, and crisis resilience.
UN experts say post-2015 negotiations must emphasize human rights, accountability
Jan 27, 2015, at 02:23 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS) As United Nations Member States start discussions to finalize the post-2015 development agenda, 10 top UN human rights experts have on Monday stressed the need to anchor the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in international human rights standards and to ensure that strong means for ensuring accountability are employed to make sure they are met.
Libya: Latest round of UN-mediated peace talks kick-off in Geneva
Jan 27, 2015, at 02:22 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS) Libyan parties have gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday for a new round of United Nations-facilitated talks aimed at resolving the North African nation's political crisis.
Pakistan is China's irreplaceable all weather friend: China
Jan 27, 2015, at 03:35 am
Beijing, Jan 26 (IBNS) At a time when US President Barack Obama is visiting India, China on Monday called Pakistan as its 'irreplaceable' all weather friend.
Islamic State executes Japanese hostage?
Jan 25, 2015, at 03:57 am
Tokyo, Jan 24 (IBNS) A new video has emerged which claimed that militant group Islamic State (IS) have killed Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa, media reports said.
Rocket attacks kill 15 in Ukraine's Mariupol
Jan 25, 2015, at 12:25 am
Mariupol, Jan 24 (IBNS): At least 15 people have lost their lives and 46 others were injured in a series of rocket attacks by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine government-held port of Mariupol, media reports said on Saturday.
World leaders pay homage on Saudi king Abdullah's demise
Jan 24, 2015, at 11:41 pm
Riyadh, Jan 24 (IBNS): Leaders across the world are heading towards Saudi Arabia to attend the funeral of the country's king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud who died on Friday.
AirAsia QZ 8501: Indonesian divers recover 4 bodies
Jan 24, 2015, at 08:23 pm
Jakarta, Jan 24 (IBNS): Indonesian divers recovered four more bodies of the ill-fated AirAsia Flight QZ8501 on Saturday as they continued their operations to lift the fuselage of the aircraft from the seafloor, reports said.
Central Africa: UN agency delivers food to thousands of refugees on Nigeria-Chad border
Jan 24, 2015, at 06:24 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) With a "tense and highly volatile" situation in North-Eastern Nigeria at the Chadian Lac border, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Friday that it has begun distributing food to thousands of refugees who have recently been displaced by the region's escalating violence and urged that it required some $11 million to continue to meet those needs.
Flood victims in Malawi in urgent need of food, other relief aid, UN warns
Jan 24, 2015, at 06:23 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Friday that it has begun distributing high-energy biscuits in Malawi following the devastating flooding that displaced more than 100,000 people and reportedly killed at least 50 others in recent weeks.
Syria, other poorly-funded crises to receive $100 million from UN emergency fund
Jan 24, 2015, at 06:19 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) Poorly-funded United Nations aid operations received a boost on Friday when Valerie Amos, the UN's humanitarian chief, announced the allocation of $100 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to boost relief work in twelve countries in need.
UN human rights office urges probe into excessive use of force in DR Congo protests
Jan 24, 2015, at 06:17 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday expressed alarm at the apparent excessive use of force by security officers against demonstrators in Democratic Republic of the Congo cities Kinshasa and Goma, and called for "a thorough and independent investigation" into the matter.
Central African Republic: UN launches appeal for refugees amid ongoing conflict
Jan 24, 2015, at 06:16 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has launched its latest appeal for funding as it continues working to help more than 450,000 Central African Republic refugees struggling to survive across the region, an agency spokesperson said today.
Ban welcomes 'reunification' accord signed among opposing South Sudanese factions
Jan 24, 2015, at 06:14 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday welcomed the signing of a peace deal between opposition factions in South Sudan, calling for the accord's immediate implementation, as well as the commitment of the country's leaders to follow through with ongoing negotiations towards ending the year-long conflict.
Demolitions, displacements in West Bank 'must stop immediately,' urges UN envoy
Jan 24, 2015, at 06:08 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory expressed concern on Friday over the Israeli authorities' recent spate of demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Delhi gets ready for Obama's visit
Jan 24, 2015, at 05:02 pm
Washington, Jan 24 (IBNS): US President Barack Obama will leave Andrews Air Force Base on Saturday evening on his three-day landmark trip to India on an invitation by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, media reports said.
Death toll in Ukraine conflict exceeds 5,000, may be 'considerably higher' – UN
Jan 24, 2015, at 02:52 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) More than 5,000 people have now been killed since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine in mid-April last year, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday as it expressed fear that the real figure may be 'considerably higher.'
Yemen: UN chief voices deep concern at crisis as country's leadership resigns
Jan 24, 2015, at 02:51 pm
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced serious concern about developments in Yemen following the resignation of the country's President and Prime Minister amid a takeover of the capital by Houthi militants.