Iran: UN independent experts condemn secret execution of Kurdish prisoner
Dec 24, 2021, at 10:54 pm
New York: Two UN-appointed independent rights experts condemned the arbitrary execution in the strongest terms on Wednesday, of an Iranian Kurdish prisoner as a sign of “clear disregard for their obligations under international human rights law”.
Libya: Tensions as armed groups mobilize in Tripoli
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:35 pm
New York: The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Tuesday expressed concern over the unfolding security situation in the capital, Tripoli, where forces affiliated with different armed groups have been deploying.
Middle East: Positive steps needed to restore calm
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:27 pm
New York: The deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, took centre stage at the Security Council on Tuesday as the UN Special Coordinator for the peace process in the region, expressed his “continued concern” over recent developments.
Thousands head home voluntarily from Zambia to DR Congo
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:23 pm
New York: Nearly 5,000 refugees who fled violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) four years ago, are opting to head home voluntarily from Zambia over the coming months, with the first 100 people setting out on Tuesday.
Sudan protests: Security forces in spotlight over sexual violence allegations
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:17 pm
New York: In Sudan, reports of serious sexual violence and the use of live ammunition against protesters at the weekend must be investigated immediately, the UN rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
End ‘appalling’ Belarus-Poland border crisis, UN rights office urges
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:12 pm
New York: Belarus and Poland must resolve the migrant and refugee crisis at their mutual border, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday, describing the on-going situation as “appalling”.
Hostage taker in Paris arrested: French Minister
Dec 21, 2021, at 10:36 pm
Paris/UNI/Sputnik: An armed man, who held two women hostage in Paris has been arrested and no one was injured, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday.
South Sudan: Senior UN official condemns killing of humanitarian worker
Dec 21, 2021, at 04:37 pm
New York: The UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan has strongly condemned the killing of a UN-contracted aid worker on Sunday, that also left another injured, after the convoy they were travelling in came under attack.
Lives on the line as UN and partners launch 2022 humanitarian plan for Somalia
Dec 21, 2021, at 04:32 pm
New York: Roughly 7.7 million people in Somalia will need assistance and protection in 2022, a 30 per cent rise in just one year, the UN and partners said on Monday, launching a nearly $1.5 billion Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for the country.
UN humanitarians aid Philippines response to Super Typhoon Rai
Dec 21, 2021, at 04:28 pm
New York: Reports of “utter devastation” caused by Super Typhoon Rai have continued to come in from the Philippines, where the UN is helping respond to urgent needs.
Omicron spread: Netherlands initiates tight lockdown measures
Dec 19, 2021, at 10:44 pm
Amsterdam: The Netherlands government has started tight lockdown measures during Christmas to combat Omicron spread.
Death toll in Philippines from Typhoon Rai rises to 49: Local official
Dec 19, 2021, at 03:24 pm
Manila/UNI/Xinhua: At least 49 people have been killed in the Philippine province of Bohol after Typhoon Rai battered the country, a provincial official said on Sunday.
Germany tightens restrictions for UK travellers, does not apply to German citizens
Dec 19, 2021, at 02:59 pm
Berlin/UNI: Germany on Saturday banned most travellers coming from Britain, in an effort to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant which has been surging in Britain, the BBC reported on Sunday.
‘UN stands with the people of Lebanon’, declares Guterres
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:21 pm
New York: Elections next year will be key to a better future for Lebanon, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday ahead of an official visit to the country later this weekend.
‘Solidarity with migrants has never been more urgent’: Guterres
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:17 pm
New York: In a message just ahead of International Migrants Day, celebrated on Saturday, the United Nations Secretary-General said that expressing solidarity with migrants on the move, “has never been more urgent.”
UN rights office urges Viet Nam to release jailed activists
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:14 pm
New York: Authorities in Viet Nam must immediately release four activists jailed this week for spreading anti-State propaganda, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.
Cameroon: Intercommunal clashes continue to displace thousands
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:10 pm
New York: Intercommunal clashes that erupted in Cameroon’s Far North region over the past two weeks have driven at least 100,000 people from their homes, although the actual number may be much higher, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said on Friday.
Omicron: School closures must be ‘avoided whenever possible’
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:07 pm
New York: COVID-19 cases are spiking all over the world, but the Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday that despite the rise of the highly transmissible Omicron variant “nationwide school closures should be avoided whenever possible.”
Japan: Fire breaks out in Osaka building, 24 dead
Dec 17, 2021, at 11:33 pm
Osaka: A fire broke out at a building in the Japanese city of Osaka which left at least 24 people dead, media reports said.
Women leaders examine how to end ‘invisible emergency’ of gender-based violence
Dec 17, 2021, at 11:15 pm
New York: Whether at home, at work, in the streets or even online, women and girls across the world remain highly vulnerable to gender-based violence, something which the COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified, six senior UN women leaders said on Thursday.
Dec 17, 2021, at 09:03 pm
Four UN independent human rights experts called on Thursday for Morocco to reverse its decision to extradite a Uyghur Muslim to China as his return would place him under threat of serious human rights violations.
UN chief: ‘We cannot defeat a pandemic in an uncoordinated way’
Dec 17, 2021, at 08:50 pm
Arguing that the world “cannot defeat a pandemic in an uncoordinated way”, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday that countries “must take concrete action in the coming days” to vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s population by the end of the year.
Migrant workers still at great risk despite key role in global economy
Dec 17, 2021, at 04:57 pm
New York: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the key role that migrant workers play in the global economy, as well as the “terrible risks” that they are forced to take, to find work.
UN rights office urges Colombia to reform policing of protests
Dec 16, 2021, at 10:46 pm
New York: Colombia must urgently reform how it polices protests in the wake of demonstrations earlier this year in which several people were killed or injured, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report published on Wednesday.
COVID-19 leads to over 50 million more hungry people in Asia-Pacific
Dec 16, 2021, at 10:41 pm
New York: COVID-19 led to rising food insecurity for around 54 million people living in the vast Asia-Pacific region during 2020, according to a joint UN agency report published on Wednesday.
Fundamental freedoms squeezed in Ukraine, Human Rights Council hears
Dec 16, 2021, at 08:54 pm
New York: The UN Human Rights Council heard on Wednesday that fundamental freedoms in Ukraine have been squeezed in Government-controlled areas, as well as across the contact line in eastern territories, held by mainly pro-Russian separatists.
‘Additional effort and patience’ needed to revive Iran nuclear deal
Dec 15, 2021, at 11:43 pm
New York: Ongoing talks to get the Iran nuclear deal back on track indicate “additional effort and patience” are required for its full restoration, the UN political affairs chief told the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday.
‘Restraint, de-escalation and dialogue’ needed to stem war in Yemen
Dec 15, 2021, at 10:49 pm
New York: Yemen is teetering on a new “fragmented and bloody” chapter of war as military escalation and conflict escalates, Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Tuesday, calling for “restraint, de-escalation and dialogue”.
UN steps up action on sexual misconduct in wake of CAR allegations
Dec 14, 2021, at 11:08 pm
New York: The UN continues to take steps to address allegations of sexual misconduct by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) in the wake of the repatriation of Gabonese troops three months ago.
Tackling corruption, important step for ‘inclusive, sustainable development’
Dec 14, 2021, at 10:34 pm
New York: Corruption spreads through societies and erodes people’s trust in leaders and institutions, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told an anti-corruption conference on Monday, stressing that “greed over need, harms us all”.