Jul 03, 2021, at 08:28 pm
New York: Senior UN officials appealed on Friday for immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access to Tigray – and for an end to deadly attacks on aid workers - as the Security Council held its first open meeting on the conflict in the restive northern Ethiopian region.
Jul 03, 2021, at 08:19 pm
Washington: A US congressional body has asked United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to act on recommendations by UN-appointed monitors and take special measures to investigate alleged human rights abuses by China, media reports said.
‘Free, unfettered access’ needed to assist millions in war-torn Tigray
Jul 03, 2021, at 06:19 pm
New York: The World Food Programme (WFP) has resumed operations in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, after fighting halted the emergency response last week, although the agency warned on Friday that “serious challenges” continue to threaten the entire humanitarian response.
Turning crisis into opportunity: World leaders meet at UN to help drive pandemic recovery
Jul 03, 2021, at 05:58 pm
New York: Leading figures from government, business and civil society are preparing to take part in this year’s High Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF), where they will discuss ways to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and turn the deadly crisis into an opportunity for a major shift towards a more sustainable global economy.
Terrorists become increasingly ‘innovative’, in a world shaken by COVID-19
Jul 03, 2021, at 06:26 am
New York: Despite “significant progress” in the fight against terrorism, the UN counter-terrorism chief warned on Wednesday that amidst new and more diverse threats, COVID-19 has triggered increased activity throughout many countries.
Migrant worker numbers rise by five million: ILO
Jul 03, 2021, at 05:47 am
New York: The number of international migrant workers has increased from 164 to 169 million, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday, noting a marked rise in the number of young people seeking opportunities abroad, too.
Princes William and Harry come together to unveil the statue of their mother Princess Diana
Jul 02, 2021, at 08:33 am
London/IBNS: Prince William and his younger sibling Prince Harry on Thursday unveiled a new statue of their mother, Princess Diana, in the sunken garden of Diana's former London home at Kensington Palace, according to media reports.
Covid19: Emergence of Delta variant may lower acceptance of EU Digital Covid Certificate
Jul 02, 2021, at 07:15 am
Brussels/IBNS: The digital travel pass programme launched with the aim to allow seamless traveling across the European Union during the summer vacation period could fail as the deadlier Delta variant of coronavirus threatens to trigger a fresh wave of the infection.
US could complete its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan soon, 1000 troops may remain
Jul 02, 2021, at 05:39 am
Washington: The US could complete its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in the upcoming days, media reports said.
Our support for Taiwan is rock solid, says US vowing to strengthen trade ties
Jul 02, 2021, at 05:14 am
Washington; The US government has said trade relationship will be strengthened with Taiwan in the upcoming times, a vow that has the potential to annoy China.
Israel now opens Consulate in Dubai
Jul 01, 2021, at 12:13 am
Tel Aviv/UNI/Sputnik: Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid inaugurated the Consulate General in Dubai on Wednesday.
‘Highest standards of conduct’ required for successful UN peacekeeping
Jun 30, 2021, at 10:26 pm
New York: Successful peacekeeping requires the “highest standards of conduct” by civilian and uniformed peacekeepers, the UN chief told a High-Level Meeting this week on Strengthening the Conduct of Peacekeeping Personnel.
Generation Equality: Alongside COVID lies an ‘equally horrific pandemic’ threatening women
Jun 30, 2021, at 10:03 pm
New York: As the world grapples unevenly with the effects of COVID-19, “a parallel and equally horrific pandemic” has threatened half the world’s population, the UN chief said on Tuesday, in the lead up to the Generation Equality Forum in France.
Malian authorities urged to ‘break the cycle of impunity’ for human rights violations
Jun 30, 2021, at 05:29 pm
New York: Rampant impunity for human rights violations in Mali is posing serious risks for the protection of civilians in the West African country, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday.
Hospitals barely functioning, famine still looming in Ethiopia’s Tigray region
Jun 30, 2021, at 04:53 pm
New York: UN humanitarians expressed concern on Tuesday at the uncertain situation in Ethiopia's conflict-ravaged Tigray region despite a ceasefire call from the Government, highlighting the ongoing famine-like conditions there and the potential for disease outbreaks.
Violence against smuggled migrants widespread, but justice is lacking: UN report
Jun 29, 2021, at 10:06 pm
New York: Migrants smuggled across borders are often subjected to extreme violence, torture, rape and kidnapping, whether in transit or in captivity, but authorities take little action to address these offences, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report published on Monday.
No place for children in conflict, UN chief tells Security Council
Jun 29, 2021, at 10:02 pm
New York: The disregard for children’s rights amid war and upheaval “is shocking and heartbreaking”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday during a high-level open debate in the Security Council, held virtually.
UN rights office highlights policing reforms to address systemic racism
Jun 29, 2021, at 09:55 pm
New York: Radical policing reforms are needed to address systemic racism affecting people of African descent around the world, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday, as her Office published a series of recommendations prompted by the killing of George Floyd.
UK finance watchdog bans crypto-currency exchange Binance
Jun 28, 2021, at 10:54 pm
London: The UK's financial regulator has banned crypto-currency exchange Binance, media reports said on Monday.
Japan plans stricter COVID19 safety measures for some athletes as Delta variant fears grow
Jun 28, 2021, at 02:31 am
Tokyo/Sputnik: The organizers of the Olympic Games in Japan plan to introduce stricter entry restrictions for athletes from certain countries starting next month, because of the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported on Sunday.
UK: Matt Hancock resigns as health secretary after breaking social distance guidance
Jun 27, 2021, at 03:47 pm
London/UNI: Britain's health secretary Matt Hancock resigned from his position on Saturday after he was found in breach of social distancing norms by kissing a colleague.
Delta variant driving the third wave of Covid-19 in South Africa
Jun 27, 2021, at 04:20 am
Cape Town/IBNS: Scientists have attributed the current surge in coronavirus cases in South Africa to the Delta variant, according to media reports.
Syria: ‘Gulf of mistrust’, complex realities, prevent political progress
Jun 26, 2021, at 10:06 pm
Progress towards resolving Syria’s decade-long war is unlikely, given the ‘gulf of mistrust’ among parties and complexity of conditions on the ground, the chief UN mediator for the country told the Security Council on Friday, as he urged delegates to unite around elements of resolution 2254 (2015) and called for a new international dialogue to achieve a breakthrough.
Syria’s last cross-border aid lifeline must stay open, insist UN humanitarians
Jun 26, 2021, at 03:11 pm
New York: The imminent closure of the last cross-border aid lifeline to northwest Syria must be postponed beyond the 10 July deadline, UN humanitarians said on Friday, noting that no cross-line supplies had reached Idlib from Damascus, in 11 months.
Prevention, only ‘sustainable solution’ to conflict, deputy UN chief tells Nigerian law students
Jun 26, 2021, at 02:47 pm
New York: Speaking in Nigeria, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has emphasized the importance of prevention as “the only real, sustainable solution” to resolving the challenges thrown up by conflict.
Australia: Parts of Sydney put under lockdown amid COVID-19 Delta variant infection surge
Jun 25, 2021, at 11:56 pm
Sydney: Several regions in Australia's Sydney city, including Bond beach, will be under lockdown as COVID-19 cases started to surge in recent times, media reports said on Friday.
UN pushes for lasting ceasefire, more humanitarian deliveries in Gaza
Jun 25, 2021, at 11:19 pm
New York: The cessation of hostilities negotiated last month between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, remains “very fragile”, the UN envoy there told the Security Council on Thursday.
Governments must protect those who help torture victims, say human rights experts
Jun 25, 2021, at 11:09 pm
New York: Top UN rights experts appealed on Thursday for all governments to ensure that victims of torture receive the rehabilitation services they need, along with guarantees that those who help them do not suffer reprisals.
DR Congo: Grave consequences for children witnessing ‘appalling violence’, UNICEF reports
Jun 25, 2021, at 10:48 pm
New York: The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, appealed on Thursday for urgent resources to support thousands of people who have fled armed violence in two small towns in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the past two months.
COVID pandemic fuelling major increase in drug use worldwide: UN report
Jun 25, 2021, at 04:07 pm
New York: Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year of unprecedented upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, up by 22 per cent from 2010. That’s among the key findings of the latest annual report released on Thursday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which also provides an overview of global drug markets, as well as their impact on people’s health and livelihoods.