With some 1,000 refugees arriving daily, Greek islands under 'severe strain,' warns UN agency
New York, July 11 (IBNS) Close to 1,000 refugees are now arriving on the Greek islands every day, creating an unprecedented emergency for Greece and other countries, the UN refugee agency warned on Friday.
Burundi: UN rights office warns about consequences of country's 'extremely tense' situation
New York, July 11 (IBNS) One day after United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein alerted the Security Council about the seriousness of the electoral crisis in Burundi, his Office on Friday issued a new warning about the impact the "extremely tense situation" there could have on the stability and the development of Central Africa.
Marking World Day, UN spotlights plight of vulnerable populations in emergencies
New York, July 11 (IBNS) The United Nations plans to raise awareness of the needs of women and girls in emergencies on World Population Day 2015 with campaigns including an outdoor event in the Kazakh capital of Almaty and a panel discussion in the Thai capital of Bangkok on this year's theme 'vulnerable populations in emergencies.'
UN experts report uptick in flow of Tunisian militants to conflict zones, call for urgent response
New York, July 11 (IBNS) The number of Tunisian militants flocking to join the hostilities in Syria and Iraq is one of the highest among those traveling to fight alongside extremists in the Middle East's two most dogged conflicts, the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries confirmed today.
New York, July 11 (IBNS)Main UN economic forum closes high-level segment with calls to bolster sustainable development agenda.
Thailand's deportation of ethnic group prompts grave concern by UN human rights office
New York, July 11 (IBNS) The United Nations human rights office on Friday expressed grave concern over Thailand's deportation to China of more than 100 people understood to be ethnic Uighurs – including some 20 women – and strongly urged Thai authorities to ensure the protection of 60 others who remain in detention.
Thailand's deportation of ethnic group prompts grave concern by UN human rights office
New York, July 11 (IBNS) The United Nations human rights office on Friday expressed grave concern over Thailand's deportation to China of more than 100 people understood to be ethnic Uighurs – including some 20 women – and strongly urged Thai authorities to ensure the protection of 60 others who remain in detention.
Libya: UN envoy calls for end to fighting in Benghazi, urges political solution to crisis
New York, July 11 (IBNS): The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Libya, Bernardino León, has condemned the escalating hostilities in the country's eastern city of Benghazi and the heavy toll being felt by the area's civilians, the United Nations mission in the country confirmed on Friday.
Man arrested over death of two people in Germany
Berlin, July 10 (IBNS) A person has been arrested by police in connection with the deaths of two people who were shot dead in Germany's Ansbach city, media reports said on Friday.
Leaders' personal rivalry has undermined South Sudan's hard won independence - Security Council
New York, July 10 (IBNS) Months of politically motivated violence in South Sudan has left thousands dead and caused a "man-made catastrophe," the United Nations Security Council declared on Thursday, expressing "profound disappointment" with President Salva Kiir, former Vice-President Riek Machar and other leaders "who have put their personal ambitions ahead of the good of their country and their people."
A week from presidential polls, Burundi on 'brink of devastating violence,' Security Council told
New York, July 10 (IBNS) Two weeks after the contested legislative and communal elections that took place in Burundi and with presidential polls just days away, senior United Nations officials warned the Security Council on Thursday that situation prevailing in the Central African country is once again at risk of sliding into violence.
Yemen: UN chief welcomes announcement of humanitarian ceasefire
New York, July 10 (IBNS) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the decision by Yemeni stakeholders to implement a humanitarian pause in the country's ongoing conflict and has reiterated his belief that the only sustainable solution to the crisis is through “peaceful and inclusive dialogue and negotiations,†the United Nations confirmed on Thursday.
Syrian refugee numbers pass four million as war rages on - UN
New York, July 10 (IBNS) The exodus spawned by the four-year long Syrian conflict has now become the United Nations refugee agency's largest crisis in almost a quarter of a century and risks deteriorating even further as fighting in the country shows no sign of abating.
Forecasting positive 2015 world crop prospects, UN agency warns of food insecurity 'hotspots'
New York, July 10 (IBNS) Favorable worldwide conditions for cereal crops will lead to better-than-expected production this growing season at the global level, on Thursday said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
New York, July 9 (IBNS): As the United Nations Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that some of its permanent members called “vital†and others called “divisive,†senior UN officials stressed that the horror of the genocidal massacre at Srebrenica continued to haunt the Organization 20 years after thousands of ethnic Bosnian Muslim men and boys were slaughtered during a week of preventable brutality.