Right to online privacy at risk as governments engage in mass surveillance – UN expert
Oct 24, 2014, at 04:33 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS) States must be transparent about the nature of their electronic mass surveillance programmes, an independent United Nations counter-terrorism expert said on Thursday as he warned about the impact such measures might have on individuals’ right to privacy.
Far greater effort needed to eradicate extreme poverty in world's poorest nations – UN report
Oct 24, 2014, at 04:19 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS)While the world's 48 most vulnerable nations continue to make in-roads into poverty reduction, a far greater effort is needed if these countries are to eradicate extreme poverty by 2020, according to a new report launched at the United Nations on Thursday .
As winter closes in, UN launches humanitarian appeal for Iraqis in need
Oct 24, 2014, at 04:17 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS) An estimated 2.8 million Iraqis lack food assistance while another 800,000 are in urgent need of emergency shelter, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Thursday as it launched an appeal for greater financial support to bolster its operations on the ground.
UN panel pays out over $1 billion in reparations for Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
Oct 24, 2014, at 03:42 pm
New York, Oct 24 (IBNS) The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), which settles the damage claims of those who suffered losses in the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, on Thursday made $1.06 billion available to the Government of Kuwait.
We will not be intimidated: Canada PM
Oct 23, 2014, at 05:15 pm
Ottawa, Oct 23 (IBNS) With the Canadian parliament coming under attack along with the national capital's war memorial on Wednesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said the nation will not be 'intimidated' by such incidents.
Growing use of drones in law enforcement may violate human rights, warns UN expert
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:45 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS) The increasing use of armed drones within domestic law enforcement risks depersonalizing the use of force and infringing upon the rights of individual citizens, a United Nations independent human rights expert warned on Wednesday.
'Complex web' of crises requires human rights-based solutions – UN rights chief
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:43 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS) At the root of crises confronted by the United Nations usually lies a “complex web†of violations of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights requiring solutions that can only come from more emphatic and comprehensive protections, the Organization’s top human rights official said on Wednesday.
At General Assembly, UN experts urged global action on enforced disappearances
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:40 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS) States must take full responsibility to solve all aspects of the issue of enforced disappearances: prevention; search for the disappeared; punishment of the perpetrators; and reparation for the victims, the Chairs of two United Nations expert bodies addressing the General Assembly on the issue declared on Wednesday.
DR Congo: UN Mission comes under attack, steps up security
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:36 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS) The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as MONUSCO, has stepped up its security following several attacks on its bases in North Kivu, including one this morning, when a large number of youths converged on the premises, and another on Tuesday which required the evacuation of 12 staff members.
Sustained response to Somalia piracy requires effective State governance – UN political chief
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:34 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): While noting the progress made to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia, the United Nations political chief on Wednesday said that a sustained long-term solution must include the presence of effective Government and State institutions that provide basic services and alternative ways for people to make a living.
'No alternative to silencing the guns,' UN South Sudan envoy tells Security Council
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:32 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): There is no alternative to silencing the guns and immediately agreeing a comprehensive peace deal so South Sudan can return to the path of peace and stability, the United Nations envoy for the strife-riven country said on Wednesday, urging the Security Council and regional leaders to help bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.
'Immediate action' needed to support olive farmers in occupied Palestinian territory – UN
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:31 pm
New Delhi, Oct 23 (IBNS) Nearly half of all cultivated land in the occupied Palestinian Territories is planted with olive trees making them a major driving force of the economy, said a senior United Nations official on Thursday as he travelled to two Palestinian olive-producing communities in the central West Bank.
Cambodia: UN-backed report reveals scope of violence against children
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:30 pm
New York, Oct 23 (IBNS): Over half of Cambodian children have experienced at least one form of violence before the age of 18 while roughly a quarter have been emotionally abused, a new United Nations-backed survey has revealed, exploring the magnitude and nature of violence against children in the Southeast Asian country.
Ottawa shootings: One gunman killed
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:27 am
Ottawa, Oct 22 (IBNS): At least one shooter was killed as series of shootings occurred in an around Canada's parliament on Wednesday, media reports said.
Police report several shootings in Ottawa
Oct 23, 2014, at 04:20 am
Ottawa, Oct 22 (IBNS) A soldier was injured as series of shootings occurred in an around Canada's parliament on Wednesday, media reports said.
Canada: Shots fired on Parliament Hill
Oct 23, 2014, at 02:17 am
Ottawa, Oct 22 (IBNS) Unidentified gunman on Wednesday fired several shots at a war memorial near Canada's Parliament in Ottawa, media reports said.
China to launch lunar orbiter this week
Oct 22, 2014, at 11:25 pm
Beijing, Oct 22 (IBNS): China will launch its latest lunar orbiter later this week in its first attempt to send a spacecraft around the moon and back to Earth, media reported.
South Sudan: UN Mission transfers internally displaced persons to protection sites
Oct 22, 2014, at 04:08 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS) The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has opened new sites for about 28,000 internally displaced persons adjacent to its bases in three state capitals to improve living conditions of civilians who have been uprooted by the recent conflict, a senior UN official said in Juba on Tuesday.
DR Congo: Ban deplores expulsion of UN rights officer
Oct 22, 2014, at 03:58 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS) Secretary -General Ban Ki-moon has condemned last week's decision by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to expel from the country its top United Nations human rights official, saying that doing so can "only be harmful for the country's progress" and urged the Government to reconsider its position.
General Assembly elects 15 members to UN Human Rights Council
Oct 22, 2014, at 03:57 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS): The General Assembly on Tuesday elected 15 countries to serve on the United Nations Human Rights Council for a period of three years beginning on 1 January 2015.
'Clock is ticking' for Gaza; pledges for aid, reconstruction must be honoured – Ban
Oct 22, 2014, at 03:56 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS) On the heels of last week's visit to Gaza, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council on Tuesday that promises made at a recent donor conference on rebuilding the war-ravaged enclave must "quickly materialize" into concrete assistance on the ground, especially as winter approaches.
Syria: UN convoy crosses lines to reach children fleeing besieged Kobane
Oct 22, 2014, at 03:55 pm
New York, Oct 22 (IBNS) Trucks carrying lifesaving supplies for Syrian children have managed to cross over the battle line in Aleppo for the first time in months, a spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesdayin what was described as a “small but significant breakthrough†in the UN agency’s efforts to help children displaced by the fighting in Kobane.
Increased taxes, regulation key to fighting tobacco 'epidemic,' says UN health agency
Oct 21, 2014, at 02:41 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS): The implementation of higher taxes on tobacco products and greater regulation for electronic cigarettes are among the decisions passed by a United Nations-backed conference amid comprehensive efforts to clamp down on the tobacco "epidemic" and save millions of lives, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced.
In Detroit, city-backed water shut-offs 'contrary to human rights,' say UN experts
Oct 21, 2014, at 02:39 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS): The city of Detroit must restore access to water for its citizens who remain unable to pay their bills, two United Nations experts urged today, adding that a failure to do so would be a violation of the most basic human rights of those residents.
Somalia: UN envoy condemns attack on African Union troops in Hiiraan region
Oct 21, 2014, at 02:34 pm
New York Oct 21 (IBNS) The UN envoy for Somalia condemned on Mondayan attack on African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces in Hiiraan region and called for calm as rival clans caused insecurity in the area, which is near the centre of the East African country.
Community, religious leaders must condemn ISIL 'atrocities' – UN rights official
Oct 21, 2014, at 02:33 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS): Civilians continue to suffer atrocities and "dramatic" human rights violations at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), warned United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonović, as he concluded his week-long mission to Iraq.
South Sudan at 'crossroads' as it seeks to combat sexual violence, says UN official
Oct 21, 2014, at 02:30 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS): Sexual violence has become a key feature of the continuing conflict in South Sudan, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, has declared, while affirming that the widespread use of rape could ultimately be stopped through greater political and legal efforts by the Government and civil society.
In Burundi, UN envoy lauds role of women, youths in bringing peace to Great Lakes
Oct 21, 2014, at 02:19 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS) Women and young people must play a central role in establishing a long-term peace for Africa’s Great Lakes Region amid the area’s renewed efforts to overcome a past scarred by conflict, a top UN official said on Monday.
Venezuela: UN rights chief calls for immediate release of opposition leader, politicians
Oct 21, 2014, at 02:17 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS) Expressing serious concern at the detention of Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, as well as more than 69 other people who were arrested in February during mass public protests that took place across the country, the United Nations human rights chief called on the authorities for the “immediate release’ of all those being held.
UN urges winterization assistance for displaced Iraqis before cold weather sets in
Oct 21, 2014, at 02:13 pm
New York, Oct 21 (IBNS) With Iraq soon expecting heavy winter rains and sub-zero temperatures, efforts to provide hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons in the Middle Eastern country with the necessary protections are already being implemented, an official with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has declared, adding that while much is being done, a more comprehensive approach would be required.