UN observes first International Day against Islamophobia
Mar 11, 2023, at 10:42 pm
New York: The United Nations on Friday commemorated the first-ever International Day to Combat Islamophobia with a special event in the General Assembly Hall, where speakers upheld the need for concrete action in the face of rising hatred, discrimination and violence against Muslims.
300,000 flee ongoing violence in DR Congo in February alone: UNHCR
Mar 11, 2023, at 09:06 pm
New York: Humanitarians issued an alert on Friday for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where heavy fighting continues to uproot hundreds of thousands of people in east of the country.
Rights experts ‘deeply disturbed’ by Russian Wagner Group recruitment of prisoners
Mar 11, 2023, at 09:02 pm
New York: UN-appointed independent human rights experts on Friday said they were “deeply disturbed” by reports of the systematic recruitment of prisoners across Russia by the private military contractor known as the Wagner Group, which is playing a major role in the fighting in Ukraine.
Horn of Africa hunger emergency: ‘129,000 looking death in the eyes’
Mar 11, 2023, at 08:50 pm
New York: Life-threatening hunger caused by climate shocks, violent insecurity and disease in the Horn of Africa, have left nearly 130,000 people “looking death in the eyes” and nearly 50 million facing crisis levels of food insecurity, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
The oldest learner of Isle of Wight: 101-year-old Madge Brown receives honorary teaching degree
Mar 11, 2023, at 03:23 pm
London: 101-year-old Madge Brown and 94-year-old Sheila Gordon, who are both residents of the Isle of Wight, received their honorary degrees, decades after they qualified as teachers.
Germany: Berlin to soon allow women to swim topless in public pools
Mar 11, 2023, at 02:58 pm
Berlin: The German city of Berlin will soon allow women to swim topless in public pools, media reports said.
Vessel to remove oil from stricken Yemen tanker could arrive by May
Mar 10, 2023, at 10:41 pm
New York: UN-led efforts to prevent a catastrophic oil spill in the Red Sea took a major step forward on Thursday with the announcement of a deal to purchase a vessel that will remove more than a million barrels of oil from a decaying supertanker that has threatened the region for years.
Ukraine: IAEA chief slams ‘complacency’ over stricken Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant
Mar 10, 2023, at 10:33 pm
New York: Amid the biggest reported missile attack on Ukraine in weeks, the UN’s atomic energy agency, IAEA, said on Thursday that Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant had to switch to backup generators once again, after losing all power.
LDC5: World leaders back ‘blueprint for recovery, renewal, resilience’ in least developed countries
Mar 10, 2023, at 08:44 pm
New York: The Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) concluded on Thursday with countries adopting concrete measures to implement the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) – which aims to renew and strengthen commitments between LDCs and their development partners – marking a transformative turning point for the world’s most vulnerable countries.
UNICEF warns of deepening inequalities in Europe and Central Asia
Mar 10, 2023, at 07:48 pm
The COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters and ongoing conflict have deepened inequalities among children in Europe and Central Asia, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report published on Thursday, calling for more robust support for boys and girls at risk of poverty and social exclusion.
Envoy ‘deeply disturbed’ by mounting violence between Israelis and Palestinians
Mar 10, 2023, at 06:22 pm
In response to the latest violent unrest in the West Bank, the UN Middle East envoy has underlined the need for Israelis and Palestinians to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation.
International Women’s Day puts the spotlight on digital gender equality
Mar 10, 2023, at 06:09 pm
New York: The UN General Assembly was awash in a sea of blue on Wednesday as some 1,800 people gathered to mark International Women’s Day, which this year focused on the need for inclusive and transformative technology and digital education.
Compromise is crucial in search for peace for sake of all Syrians, urges UN negotiator
Mar 10, 2023, at 06:03 pm
New York: The Syrian conflict will only be resolved if all parties involved in it are prepared to make the kind of compromises on humanitarian grounds that followed last month’s earthquake disaster, UN negotiator Geir Pedersen said on Wednesday.
In Ukraine, Guterres pledges to keep seeking ‘solutions and a just peace’
Mar 10, 2023, at 05:54 pm
New York: Speaking in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Wednesday, the Secretary-General assured President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United Nations “will continue to seek solutions and a just peace for the people of Ukraine, and the world.”
Philippines urged to compensate women survivors of wartime rape by Japanese soldiers
Mar 10, 2023, at 05:49 pm
New York: The Philippines violated the rights of women victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the Second World War by failing to redress the continuous discrimination and suffering they have endured, a UN women’s rights committee said in a decision published on Wednesday.
New UK asylum bill would be in ‘clear breach’ of international law: UNHCR
Mar 10, 2023, at 05:42 pm
New York: Draft migrant legislation proposed by the United Kingdom Government would result in a de facto “asylum ban”, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday.
Shooting at Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in Hamburg leaves 6 dead
Mar 10, 2023, at 01:54 pm
Hamburg: At least six people died in a shooting incident at a Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in the German city of Hamburg.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markel's children get royal designations as Buckingham Palace updates website
Mar 10, 2023, at 05:20 am
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children have been formally recognized as prince and princess, despite their parents' deteriorating relationship with the royal family, according to a report by The New York Post.
Patriot missiles to arrive in Ukraine 'very soon': US Army Acquisition Chief
Mar 09, 2023, at 06:45 am
Washington: The US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile systems could arrive on the battlefields of Ukraine very soon, Assistant Army Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Douglas Bush said on Wednesday.
UN rights chief calls for fresh thinking to tackle global challenges
Mar 09, 2023, at 01:20 am
New York: Tackling current complex challenges requires fresh thinking and bolder political leadership to address abuses and find solutions, the UN rights chief said on Tuesday, presenting his annual global report to the Human Rights Council.
Impunity drives cycles of ‘horrific’ crimes in South Sudan, Human Rights Council hears
Mar 09, 2023, at 01:10 am
Impunity is a major driver of the human rights and humanitarian crises in South Sudan, which continue to cause immense trauma and suffering for civilians in the country, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said on Tuesday.
'Mum does not cry or scream anymore': Breaking the silence of domestic abuse in Tajikistan
Mar 09, 2023, at 01:01 am
One third of women in Tajikistan are subjected to violence by their husbands, but very few cases are reported. Social and legal support, provided through the joint EU/UN Spotlight Initiative, is helping affected women to protect their rights.
Cracking the code to a fairer digital future for women
Mar 08, 2023, at 10:42 pm
New York: The inequalities faced by women in the real world are also prevalent online. On International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March, the UN is raising awareness of these disparities, and putting forward a vision of fairer digital future for all.
DR Congo: Guterres urges M23 rebels to respect Tuesday ceasefire agreement
Mar 07, 2023, at 11:14 pm
New York: The UN Secretary-General has urged leaders of the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to respect a ceasefire agreement due to come into effect on Tuesday.
U.S. 'Indo-Pacific Strategy' seeks to form exclusive blocs to stir up confrontation: Chinese FM
Mar 07, 2023, at 10:49 pm
Beijing: The U.S. 'Indo-Pacific Strategy' seeks to gang up to form exclusive blocs, stir up confrontation, and undermine regional integration, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Tuesday.
Gender equality is 300 years away: Antonio Guterres warns
Mar 07, 2023, at 10:41 pm
New York: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said progress in women’s rights won over decades is 'vanishing before our eyes'.
Jobs and pay for women, barely improved in 20 years: UN labour agency
Mar 07, 2023, at 09:49 pm
New York: In a new blow for equality in the 21st century workplace, UN labour experts said on Monday that women’s access to jobs, their employment conditions and a persistent pay gap, have barely improved worldwide in nearly two decades.
Rights experts concerned over intimidation around mega tourism project in Indonesia
Mar 07, 2023, at 09:21 pm
New York: Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have expressed concern over reports of increased militarization and intimidation surrounding a multi-billion-dollar urban development and tourism project in Indonesia.
South Sudan faces ‘make or break’ year on road to lasting peace
Mar 07, 2023, at 09:17 pm
New York: South Sudan sits at a critical crossroad, with swift action needed to quell chronic intercommunal clashes, ramp up assistance to ever more communities in need, and advance progress towards a durable peace, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Monday.
Eritrea: human rights situation remains dire amid complete impunity
Mar 07, 2023, at 09:10 pm
New York: The human rights situation in Eritrea remains dire against of backdrop of “complete” impunity for State security and defence forces, the UN’s deputy human rights chief said on Monday.