Gunmen opens fire at political rally in Sri Lank's Colombo, one killed

Jul 31, 2015, at 10:13 pm

Colombo, July 31 (IBNS): Unidentified gunmen on Friday opened fire at a political rally in Sri Lanka's Colombo city, leaving one person dead.

Amnesty International says more Myanmar prisoners of conscience remain behind bars

Jul 31, 2015, at 03:42 am

London, July 30 (IBNS) The release of at least 11 prisoners of conscience in a mass prisoner amnesty in Myanmar Thursday is a step in the right direction, but authorities must immediately clear the country's jails of the scores of peaceful activists who still remain behind bars, Amnesty International said.

Children in Nepal still at risk three months after devastating quake: UNICEF

Jul 28, 2015, at 02:38 pm

New York, Jul 28 (IBNS): Three months after Nepal's devastating 25 April earthquake and its aftershocks, children continue to face multiple risks as their families have been pushed deeper into poverty and they remain in need of aid, warned the United Nations's Children Fund (UNICEF).

US embassy employee shot dead in Pakistan

Jul 26, 2015, at 11:41 pm

Islamabad, July 26 (IBNS): Unknown gunmen have shot dead a Pakistani man who was working with the United States embassy in Islamabad, media reports said on Sunday.

Pakistan: 5.5 earthquake hits Islamabad

Jul 25, 2015, at 10:05 pm

Islamabad, July 25 (IBNS): An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter Scale hit Pakistan's Islamabad city on Saturday, officials said.

Nepal: UN relief official warns emergency is not over yet

Jul 25, 2015, at 03:18 pm

New York, Jul 25 (IBNS): Three months after the first of the devastating earthquakes that hit Nepal, hundreds of thousands of survivors continue to require and rely on urgent humanitarian assistance, the top United Nations humanitarian official in the recovering country said on Friday.

Afghanistan suicide attack kills 19

Jul 23, 2015, at 01:21 am

Kabul, July 22 (IBNS) : A suicide attack in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province has killed at least 19 people while leaving 32 others wounded, media reports said on Wednesday.

Pakistan: Train hits car, 6 killed

Jul 20, 2015, at 01:01 am

Islamabad, July 19 (IBNS) A train hit a car at an open railway crossing in Matiari district of Pakistan which killed at least six people on Sunday, media reports said.

Bangladesh: Two buses collide head-on, 16 killed

Jul 19, 2015, at 11:18 pm

Dhaka, July 19 (IBNS) Two passenger buses collided head-on in west of the Bangabandhu Bridge in Bangladesh's Sirajganj area to leave at least 16 people dead on Sunday, media reports said.

In Nepal, UN and partners help quake-stricken district prepare for monsoon season

Jul 14, 2015, at 03:46 pm

New York, July 14 (IBNS) More than 2.8 million people remain in urgent need of life-saving humanitarian assistance in Nepal, especially in the district worst hit by the twin earthquakes east of the capital, Kathmandu, where monsoon-triggered heavy downpours, floods and landslides will soon exacerbate their needs, the United Nations has said.

Afghanistan: UN envoy condemns deadly suicide attack that killed 27 civilians

Jul 14, 2015, at 03:25 pm

New York, July 14 (IBNS) The top UN official in Afghanistan on Monday condemned the deadly attack perpetrated on Sunday in the eastern province of Khost.

Dismissing Pakistan's remark India says joint statement core of the ties

Jul 13, 2015, at 10:17 pm

New Delhi/Islamabad, Jul 13 (IBNS) Hours after Pakistan National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz said that they need more evidence on the 26/11 Mumbai attack trial, India has retorted his comments,saying the joint statement between the two countries issued three days ago is the core of the bilateral ties.

Pakistan wants more evidence on 26/11 terror attacks

Jul 13, 2015, at 09:45 pm

Islamabad, Jul13 (IBNS) Three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif led a string of "breakthrough decisions", including speeding up of 26/11 trial, Pakistan on Monday said it wants" more information and evidence" on the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

3 days after talks, Pakistan wants more evidence on 26/11 terror attacks

Jul 13, 2015, at 09:33 pm

Islamabad, July 13 (IBNS) Pakistan also said that Kashmir "tops the list of outstanding issues with India", an issue that did not find place in the joint statements made by the foreign secretaries of the two countries on Friday last.

Afghanistan: IED blast kills 10

Jul 13, 2015, at 01:35 am

Kabul, July 12 (IBNS): At least 10 people were killed in a Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Afghanistan's Tagab District on Sunday, media reports said.

Afghanistan: Security Council welcomes direct talks between Government and Taliban

Jul 11, 2015, at 01:41 pm

New York, July 11 (IBNS) The United Nations Security Council has welcomed the recently held direct talks between Afghan Government and Taliban representatives as a step towards "peace and reconciliation" in the region.

23 killed in Bangladesh stampede

Jul 10, 2015, at 08:48 pm

Dhaka, July 10 (IBNS): At least 23 people were killed in a stampede during the distribution of zakat (donation for the poor ahead of Eid) in Mymensingh town in Bangladesh on Friday, media reports said.

UN agency rushes food relief to thousands of flood-affected people in Bangladesh

Jul 10, 2015, at 03:46 pm

New York, July 10 (IBNS) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is ramping up relief efforts aimed at reaching tens of thousands of Bangladeshis stranded by a spate of flash floods which struck the South Asian country last week.

ISIS commander killed in Afghanistan

Jul 10, 2015, at 01:08 am

Kabul, July 9 (IBNS): A senior ISIS commander Shahedullah Shahed was killed in during an air strike in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, officials said on Thursday.

Afghanistan: UN officials welcome direct talks between Government and Taliban

Jul 09, 2015, at 06:31 pm

New York, July 9 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Representative in Afghanistan Nicholas Haysom have welcomed direct talks held between Afghan Government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad, Pakistan – urging both parties to move towards reconciliation and peace.

ISIS group's No. 2 leader in Afghanistan killed in airstrike

Jul 08, 2015, at 04:16 am

Kabul, July 7 (IBNS) An air strike killed The second-in-command of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) affiliates in Afghanistan in the country's Nangarhar province.

Pakistan train mishap kills 12

Jul 03, 2015, at 12:46 am

Gujranwala, July 2 (IBNS): At least 12 people were killed as two bogies of a special train which carried army officials dropped into a canal and two others were derailed as a railway bridge collapsed near Pakistan's Gujranwala city on Thursday, media reports said.

Kabul suicide attack kills 5

Jun 30, 2015, at 11:57 pm

Kabul, June 30 (IBNS) At least five people were killed as a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of foreign forces with his explosives-laden car in Afghanistan's Kabul city on Tuesday, media reports said.

Suicide blast rocks Kabul

Jun 30, 2015, at 09:54 pm

Kabul, June 30 (IBNS): A suicide blast hit Afghanistan's Kabul city on Tuesday, media reports said.

Senior UN official urges global action to end years-long plight of 2.6 million Afghan refugees

Jun 30, 2015, at 04:59 pm

New York, June 30 (IBNS) Expressing concern over the plight of millions of Afghan refugees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has called on the international community to boost its engagement, employ innovative solutions and pro-active joint advocacy to end the world’s largest prolonged humanitarian crisis.

Afghanistan: UN official expresses deep concern after report reveals children bear brunt of conflict

Jun 27, 2015, at 05:26 pm

New York, June 27 (IBNS) Last year saw more children killed or maimed in Afghanistan since monitoring of those statistics began in 2007, reflecting that “children are bearing the brunt of the conflict,” according to United Nations UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report on children and armed conflict in that strife-torn country.

Massive damage to Nepal's healthcare services has put millions of quake survivors at risk, UN warns

Jun 26, 2015, at 01:51 pm

New York, June 26 (IBNS) The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursdaywarned the health of the people who survived Nepal's twin earthquakes could be at risk if regular services are not urgently rebuilt and restored in a country where 80 per cent of health facilities in the 14 most affected districts are damaged.

Nepal: Two months on, UN agency shifts post-quake focus from emergency response to recovery

Jun 25, 2015, at 02:43 pm

New York, June 25 (IBNS) Thousands of porters are carrying food and other relief high into Nepal's mountains, and repairing trails as they go, as part of a shift by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) from emergency response to longer-term recovery, after the 25 April earthquake.

First-ever comprehensive online system to counter narcotics launches in Afghanistan

Jun 24, 2015, at 03:47 pm

New York, June 24 (IBNS) As the result of a three-year partnership, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Afghan Government on Tuesday launched the first-ever interactive online system for all counter-narcotics-related data in the country.

Nepal: senior UN development official pledges support ahead of post-quake reconstruction conference

Jun 24, 2015, at 03:44 pm

New York, June 24 (IBNS) Two months after a massive earthquake and several powerful aftershocks ravaged Nepal, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Haoliang Xu, arrived in Kathmandu for a visit will include participation in an International Donors’ Conference aimed at bolstering the country's post-disaster reconstruction efforts.