UN chief lauds ‘demonstrable effort to make peace’ in Ethiopia
Jan 20, 2022, at 05:02 pm
New York: The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday said he was “delighted” to learn that “a demonstrable effort to make peace” in Ethiopia is finally underway, according to information relayed to him by the African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa.
Unvaccinated Czech folk singer dies of COVID-19 after deliberately contracting virus
Jan 20, 2022, at 05:36 am
Prague/IBNS: A Czech folk singer, who was not vaccinated against COVID-19, has died after she deliberately contracted the virus to obtain a health pass that would have allowed her to visit the sauna and theatre, her family told media.
Maxar's aerial images show extent of damage from volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga
Jan 19, 2022, at 11:19 pm
Wellington, New Zealand: Aerial images shared by the United States-based space technology company, Maxar Technologies, show how homes and communities have been destroyed in the Pacific island nation of Tonga by the volcanic eruption and tsunami.
UNRWA seeks $1.6 billion to support Palestinian refugees in 2022
Jan 19, 2022, at 09:27 pm
New York: The UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, on Tuesday appealed for $1.6 billion to support its lifesaving work this year amid acute regional crises and chronic funding shortfalls.
Sudan urged to stop unnecessary use of force against protestors
Jan 19, 2022, at 09:18 pm
New York: Authorities in Sudan must immediately halt unnecessary and disproportionate use of force against protesters, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday, calling for those responsible for abuses to be brought to justice.
UN rights office warns over violent escalation in Yemen and beyond
Jan 19, 2022, at 07:17 pm
New York: Escalating conflict in Yemen has seen an alarming number of air and drone strikes already this year, notably against civilians and non-military targets, the UN rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
Indonesian lawmakers passes law to shift capital from Jakarta to Nusantara
Jan 19, 2022, at 04:02 am
Indonesian lawmakers have passed a law to shift its capital from Jakarta to a site on the island of Borneo.
'Nobody told me drinks party was against rules': UK PM Boris Johnson
Jan 19, 2022, at 01:42 am
London/UNI: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday denied that he had been warned that holding a drinks party in the No 10 garden amounted to breaking lockdown rules.
Houthi drone strike: Saudi jets bomb Yemeni capital, residential area, in retaliatory strike
Jan 18, 2022, at 09:07 pm
Sana’a/Tehran/UNI: Saudi Arabian jets bombed the Yemeni parliament building and a military academy in Sanaa early on Tuesday morning, in retaliation for the Houthi drone attack on the Adnoc tanker area in Abu Dhabi on Monday in which three people, including two Indians, were killed.
'Hitman paid via Pakistani bank to kill activist'
Jan 18, 2022, at 08:42 pm
Islamabad/UNI: The man charged with conspiracy to murder Netherland-based Pakistani activist Ahmad Waqass Goraya, was paid via a Pakistan bank, the media reported on Tuesday.
Guterres condemns attack on Abu Dhabi airport and oil facility
Jan 18, 2022, at 06:30 pm
New York: The Secretary-General condemned on Monday the attacks on Abu Dhabi’s International Airport and the nearby Musaffah industrial area, which reportedly caused several civilian casualties and have been claimed by the Yemen-based Houthi rebel group, formally known as Ansar Allah.
UN chief: ‘Global solidarity is missing in action’
Jan 18, 2022, at 06:24 pm
New York: Addressing the virtual World Economic Forum, on Monday, the United Nations’ Secretary-General, António Guterres, told world and business leaders that “global solidarity is missing in action”.
FAO launches $138 million plan to avert hunger crisis in Horn of Africa
Jan 18, 2022, at 06:05 pm
New York: More than $138 million is needed to assist rural communities affected by extended drought in the Horn of Africa, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday, launching a comprehensive response plan for the region.
Labour market recovery still ‘slow and uncertain’
Jan 18, 2022, at 05:07 pm
New York: As the COVID-19 pandemic grinds on and global labour markets continue to struggle, the latest International Labour Organization (ILO) report, published on Monday, warns that recovery will remain slow.
North Korea fires two ballistic missiles: Reports
Jan 17, 2022, at 08:03 pm
Seoul/UNI: North Korea on Monday fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles eastward from an airfield in the capital city, the South Korea's military claimed.
Texas synagogue siege: British police arrest two teens
Jan 17, 2022, at 03:35 pm
London: British police have arrested two teens in England in connection with the investigation into a hostage-taking incident at a synagogue in Texas on Saturday.
Somali govt spokesman injured in suicide attack
Jan 16, 2022, at 10:44 pm
Mogadishu/UNI/Xinhua: A Somali government spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu was injured in a suicide car bombing in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Sunday, said a police source.
New Zealand to aid Tonga following volcanic eruption
Jan 16, 2022, at 06:33 pm
Wellington/UNI/Xinhua: New Zealand has pledged to provide support for Tonga following a volcanic eruption that sent tsunami waves crashing onto the Pacific Island.
Prince Harry fights to pay for UK police protection
Jan 16, 2022, at 02:51 pm
London/UNI: Prince Harry has sought a judicial review after he was refused by the Home Office to allow him to personally pay for the police protection in the United Kingdom.
Child and woman injured following rocket attack in Iraq
Jan 15, 2022, at 11:21 pm
New York: “A child being hurt is a child too many”, said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Iraq on Friday, following a rocket attack against a school in Baghdad the previous night, which left a child and woman injured.
Tigray: Aid operations ‘about to grind to a halt’, warns WFP
Jan 15, 2022, at 11:14 pm
New York: Aid and food distribution operations in northern Ethiopia are about “to grind to a halt” amid ongoing fighting, bloodshed and a lack of funding that is making humanitarian access impossible, the UN World Food Programme, WFP, said on Friday.
UK Borders Bill increases risks of discrimination, human rights violations
Jan 15, 2022, at 11:09 pm
New York: A new bill being debated by lawmakers in the United Kingdom increases the risk of discrimination and “serious human rights violations” and breaches the country's obligations under international law, five independent UN human rights experts said on Friday.
UN rights office warns against rising hate speech in Western Balkans
Jan 15, 2022, at 11:03 pm
New York: Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in neighbouring Serbia, must condemn and refrain from any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.
Decade of Sahel conflict leaves 2.5 million people displaced
Jan 15, 2022, at 09:27 pm
New York: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) called on Friday for concerted international action to end armed conflict in Africa’s central Sahel region, which has forced more than 2.5 million people to flee their homes in the last decade.
Experts urge Iran to halt imminent execution of juvenile offender
Jan 15, 2022, at 02:06 am
New York: Iran must halt the looming execution of juvenile offender Hossein Shahbazi, four experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said on Thursday.
COVID-19 pandemic stalls global economic recovery: UN report
Jan 15, 2022, at 01:54 am
The UN’s key report on the global economy, released on Thursday, shows that the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant has put the brakes on a rapid recovery, counteracting signs of solid growth at the end of last year.
Conviction of top Syrian intelligence official ‘a landmark leap forward’
Jan 15, 2022, at 01:45 am
New York: UN human rights officials have welcomed the “historic” conviction on Thursday by a German court of a former senior Syrian intelligence officer, for crimes against humanity.
Colombia: Children still ‘used and abused’ despite historic peace accord
Jan 15, 2022, at 01:35 am
New York: Despite a steady decrease in grave violations against children in Colombia since the signing of the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Government and FARC rebels, youngsters there continue to suffer from the impact of hostilities, according to a new UN report published on Wednesday.
Yemen: ‘Political will, responsible leadership' needed, to end 7-year war
Jan 15, 2022, at 01:11 am
New York: Seven years into the war in Yemen, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg reaffirmed to the Security Council on Wednesday that no long-term solution can be found on the battlefield, urging the warring parties to “talk, even if they are not ready to put down their arms”.
UK's MI5 spy agency issues warning over presence of 'Chinese agent' in British Parliament
Jan 14, 2022, at 08:12 pm
London: The United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, The Security service, MI5, has warned that an alleged Chinese agent has infiltrated Parliament to interfere in UK politics.