Global displacement rising despite lockdowns that kept billions grounded
Dec 03, 2021, at 02:27 am
There was a dramatic increase in internal displacement due to disasters, conflict and violence in 2020, but global mobility overall, ground to a halt due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Women and girls at high risk of being pushed into modern slavery
Dec 02, 2021, at 04:20 am
New York: Women and children are at high risk of being pushed into contemporary forms of slavery, UN-appointed independent rights experts said on Wednesday.
Despite COVID-19 connectivity boost, world’s poorest left far behind
Dec 02, 2021, at 03:57 am
New York: Some 2.9 billion people still have never used the internet, and 96 per cent live in developing countries, a new UN report has found. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the estimated number of people who have gone online this year actually went up, to 4.9 billion, partially because of a “COVID connectivity boost”.
Seven injured as train goes off rails in northern Italy - Reports
Dec 02, 2021, at 02:22 am
Rome/UNI/Sputnik: Seven people sustained light injuries when a commuter train went off the rails in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, media reported on Wednesday.
Israel-Palestine: Risk of 'deadly escalation' in violence, without decisive action
Dec 01, 2021, at 08:48 pm
New York: With violence continuing daily throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process urged the Security Council on Tuesday to adopt a more coordinated approach to the region.
World trade reaches all-time high, but 2022 outlook ‘uncertain’: UNCTAD
Dec 01, 2021, at 08:38 pm
New York: Global trade is expected to be worth about $28 trillion this year - an increase of 23 per cent compared with 2020 - but the outlook for 2022 remains very uncertain, UN economists said on Tuesday.
Series of appalling deadly attacks on displaced people in DR Congo
Dec 01, 2021, at 07:01 pm
New York: The UN refugee Agency, UNHCR, is “appalled by a series of deadly attacks” on displaced people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the agency’s spokesperson told journalists on Tuesday in Geneva.
Micro-blogging platform Twitter bans unconsented sharing of photos, videos
Dec 01, 2021, at 06:15 pm
New York/UNI/Sputnik: Micro-blogging platform Twitter announced on Tuesday that it will stop immediately the sharing of photos, videos and personal media of any of its users by another without the permission of the person depicted.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sells half of his shares in company
Dec 01, 2021, at 02:30 am
Washington/UNI/Sputnik: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sold half of his shares in the company presumably due to an upcoming Washington state law imposing a 7 per cent tax on long-term capital gains over $250,000 that is due to take effect in 2022, the media reported on Monday.
Barbados becomes world’s newest republic
Nov 30, 2021, at 11:14 pm
Bridgetown/UNI: Barbados has become the world's newest republic -- cutting its last remaining colonial bonds after nearly 400 years.
Financing sustainable development needed more than ever, says UN deputy chief Mohammed
Nov 30, 2021, at 10:35 pm
New York: Securing the funding needed for sustainable development by involving as many actors from different sectors as possible, is more urgent than ever, amid a widening “trust deficit” between the haves and the have-nots, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Monday.
IOM scales up aid at EU-Belarus border, as migrant hypothermia deaths tick up
Nov 30, 2021, at 05:41 pm
New York: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and partners, are scaling up aid along the border between the European Union and Belarus, amid worsening winter weather, which is leading to rising deaths due to hypothermia among asylum seekers stranded there.
Violations of Palestinian rights puts two-State solution at risk UN chief warns
Nov 30, 2021, at 05:37 pm
New York: The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, continues to pose a significant challenge to international peace and security, United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on Monday.
Israel temporarily closes borders to prevent spread of Omicron strain: Prime Minister
Nov 28, 2021, at 02:52 pm
Tel Aviv/UNI/Sputnik: Israel is banning the entry of foreigners for two weeks in order to prevent the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus strain, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett informs.
'Being punished for detecting new Covid strain': South Africa
Nov 28, 2021, at 06:53 am
Johannesburg: South Africa complained Saturday that it is being "punished" for detecting a new Covid-19 variant Omicron, media reports said.
Two cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron detected in UK
Nov 28, 2021, at 04:08 am
London/IBNS: Two people have been infected with Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant first found in South Africa, in the United Kingdom.
19 killed in Mexico bus crash, 25 others injured
Nov 27, 2021, at 01:51 pm
Mexico City/UNI/Xinhua: At least 19 people were killed and around 25 others injured on Friday after their bus crashed into a house in central Mexico due to a brake malfunction, a local official said.
France suspends flights from 7 southern African nations amid fears of new COVID variant
Nov 27, 2021, at 02:11 am
Paris/UNI/Xinhua: The French government announced on Friday to immediately suspend flights coming from the southern parts of Africa following the detection of a new Covid-19 variant in South Africa.
Violence against women must stop; five stories of strength and survival
Nov 26, 2021, at 12:00 am
New York: Conflicts, humanitarian crises and increasing climate-related disasters have led to higher levels of violence against women and girls (VAWG), which has only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing into sharp focus the urgent need to stem the scourge.
Poverty and violence push 378,000 Central Americans north each year
Nov 24, 2021, at 11:48 pm
New York: For the past five years, poverty, food insecurity, climate shocks and violence have pushed, on average, some 378,000 Central Americans a year into the United States, according to a new report launched on Tuesday by the UN food relief agency.
Importance of sound, inclusive elections in Iraq ‘cannot be overstated’
Nov 24, 2021, at 11:45 pm
New York: Following “hard-earned” parliamentary elections on 10 October, Iraqis of all political stripes must exercise restraint, eschew violence and await the outcome’s final certification by the Federal Supreme Court, the senior UN official in the country told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Yemen recovery possible if war stops now: UNDP report
Nov 24, 2021, at 08:58 pm
New York: War-torn Yemen is among the poorest countries in the world, but recovery is possible if the conflict ends now, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report published on Tuesday.
Three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, says UN agriculture agency
Nov 24, 2021, at 08:38 pm
New York: Approximately three billion people, almost 40 per cent of the world’s population, cannot afford a healthy diet and another one billion people would join their ranks should further unpredictable events reduce incomes by one-third, the UN food agency said, launching a new report on Tuesday.
UN will use technology and medical capacity to improve peacekeeping
Nov 24, 2021, at 12:04 am
New York: Beginning on 7 December, ministers from around the world will discuss the technology and medical capacity building of UN Peacekeeping, UN officials said at a press conference on Monday.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex tests positive for coronavirus: Reports
Nov 24, 2021, at 12:01 am
Paris/UNI/Sputnik: French Prime Minister Jean Castex has tested positive for Covid-19, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, citing the official residence of the Prime Minister, Hotel de Matignon.
General Assembly reaffirms commitment to combat human trafficking
Nov 24, 2021, at 12:00 am
New York: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated factors that fuel human trafficking such as poverty, unemployment and gender-based violence, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Monday, urging countries to boost efforts to prevent and respond to this “vile crime”.
Arms trafficking, a ‘defining factor’ in undermining peace
Nov 23, 2021, at 11:55 pm
New York: Small arms trafficking is a “defining factor in undermining peace and security”, the Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) told the Security Council on Monday during a ministerial debate.
Bulgaria bus mishap leaves 45 people dead
Nov 23, 2021, at 09:36 pm
A bus crashed and caught fire in Western Bulgaria and left 45 people, including 12 children, dead, media reports said on Tuesday.
DR Congo: Five Chinese kidnapped in armed attack on Congo mine
Nov 22, 2021, at 03:50 am
Five Chinese nationals were kidnapped when armed people attacked a gold mine in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday, media reports said on Sunday.
US patrol boats head to Black Sea as Ukraine raises fear of Russian attack
Nov 21, 2021, at 02:08 pm
Kyiv: The US has sent a ship with two Island-class patrol boats for the Ukrainian port of Odessa on November 8 days after it expressed fears of a possible Russian attack, media reports said.