Journalists who ‘speak truth to power’ recognized with Nobel Peace Prize
Oct 09, 2021, at 09:32 pm
New York: Two campaigning journalists were awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres said was recognition that a free press is “essential for peace, justice, sustainable development and human rights – and the cornerstone for building fair and impartial institutions”.
Chinese firm concerned over delay in launch of CPEC solar project in Pakistan
Oct 09, 2021, at 08:46 pm
Lahore: A Chinese state company has voiced its concerns over the inordinate delay in the launch and completion of the remaining 600-megawatt portion of the 900MW mega solar power project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) amid alleged issues related to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC), media reports said.
Facebook says aware of second outage in a week, working to restore service
Oct 09, 2021, at 02:55 pm
Washington/UNI/Sputnik: Social media site Facebook says that it is aware of reports of users having trouble accessing their apps and products and is working to restore service in the second major outage for the platform this week, the company said on Friday in a tweet.
Russian govt voices concern over activities of ISIS in Afghanistan
Oct 09, 2021, at 01:37 am
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said the country is concerned over the activity of the Islamic State terrorist group in Afghanistan.
French delegation head calls Taiwan a 'country'
Oct 09, 2021, at 01:18 am
The head of a French delegation of senators on Thursday called Taiwan a "country" during a visit to Taipei, risking drawing China's wrath.
Rich and powerful disappearing in China for criticising Communist Party: Report
Oct 09, 2021, at 12:23 am
Beijing: Thousands of people have 'disappeared' in China as authorities "snatched" them from their homes and off the streets, as part of a secretive and sinister program against those who fall foul of the regime, media reports said.
UNHCR recommends the end of refugee status for Ivorians by June
Oct 08, 2021, at 11:04 pm
New York: Following an in-depth analysis of the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, recommended on Thursday that countries hosting Ivorians end their refugee status, and help them to voluntarily repatriate, obtain permanent residency or began the naturalization process to remain.
Nobel Peace Prize 2021 awarded to journalists Dmitry Muratov, Maria Ressa
Oct 08, 2021, at 10:54 pm
Oslo, Norway/IBNS: The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday announced the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2021 to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov for their 'courageous efforts' to safeguard freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia respectively.
Artificial intelligence can help halve road deaths by 2030
Oct 08, 2021, at 10:46 pm
New York: Countries and investors need to step up the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) to keep roads safe for everyone, three UN Special Envoys said on Thursday, leading a new AI for Road Safety initiative.
COVID-induced inequities demand ‘New Social Contract’ says rights chief
Oct 08, 2021, at 10:25 pm
New York: COVID-19 has “laid bare deep structural inequalities” everywhere, further widening a multitude of gaps, both within and between countries, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told a major urban policy event in South Korea on Thursday.
Cotton sustains more than 100 million families worldwide
Oct 08, 2021, at 08:59 pm
New York: A single metric tonne of cotton provides jobs for five people on average, often in some of the world’s most impoverished regions; that adds up around 100 million families across the globe.
Inequalities between ethnic groups are stark, new UN report reveals
Oct 08, 2021, at 08:44 pm
New York: Differences in so-called multidimensional poverty among ethnic groups are consistently high across many countries, according to a new analysis released this Thursday.
Disarmament chief says small arms remain threat to peace and security
Oct 08, 2021, at 07:07 pm
New York: The High Representative for Disarmament Affairs told the Security Council on Wednesday that Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), in the context of peacekeeping operations, are a "threat" that can "exacerbate conflict, render arms embargoes ineffective, endanger ‘blue helmets’, humanitarian workers and local populations, and complicate peace agreements."
Oct 08, 2021, at 06:10 pm
New York: UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday urged authorities in Ethiopia to allow vital humanitarian work there to continue, following the recent decision to declare seven of the Organization’s staff persona non grata and expel them from the country.
Afghanistan: Humanitarians call for greater support as winter approaches
Oct 08, 2021, at 05:08 pm
New York: UN humanitarian agencies and their partners on Wednesday urged countries to honour their pledges to Afghanistan, as they rush to scale-up delivery of lifesaving aid ahead of the coming winter season there.
UN-backed initiative reached 4.6 million children in ‘crisis within a crisis’
Oct 06, 2021, at 09:36 pm
New York: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated education systems throughout the world, making the year even more difficult for youngsters already embroiled in emergencies and protracted crises, according to a new UN-backed report launched on Tuesday, coinciding with World Teachers Day.
Oct 06, 2021, at 09:32 pm
Stockholm: The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to two scientists for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.
Children ‘indoctrinated’ to fight for insurgents in Mozambique: UNICEF
Oct 06, 2021, at 09:18 pm
New York: In northern Mozambique, worrying reports emerged on Tuesday that children as young as five have been shown how to handle weapons and indoctrinated to fight with insurgents.
Tigray: Food aid reaches Afar and Amhara, but situation still ‘dire’
Oct 06, 2021, at 09:05 pm
New York: The first round of food distributions to people in Afar and Amhara regions impacted by the spread of the conflict in northern Ethiopia has been completed, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.
Violence, aid access, continues to obstruct humanitarian effort in DR Congo
Oct 06, 2021, at 07:19 pm
New York: Violence and access constraints in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to hamper humanitarian operations in a context where one in three people need assistance, the senior UN official in the country told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Ex-Facebook employee says it harms children and weakens democracy, Mark Zuckerberg hits back
Oct 06, 2021, at 03:08 pm
Washington: An ex-Facebook employee has told US lawmakers that the popular social media company's apps and sites 'harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy', media reports said.
UN looks to address ‘unprecedented catastrophic levels’ of food insecurity
Oct 05, 2021, at 09:30 pm
New York: The world currently faces unprecedented catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, according to UN agencies, and around $6.6 billion is needed urgently, to support 41 million in danger of sliding into famine.
At UN trade meeting, Guterres urges ‘quantum leap in support’ for vulnerable nations
Oct 05, 2021, at 09:26 pm
New York: Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must be sustainable and inclusive, Secretary-General António Guterres said in remarks to a major UN trade conference which opened on Monday in Barbados, unveiling “an urgent four-point debt crisis action plan.”
Libya: War crimes likely committed since 2016, UN probe finds
Oct 05, 2021, at 06:42 pm
New York: War crimes and crimes against humanity have likely been committed in Libya by all parties to conflict since 2016 including by external actors, a Human Rights Council-appointed probe said on Monday.
More people than usual used the platform, Twitter tells users following outrage
Oct 05, 2021, at 02:43 pm
New York: The problems that Twitter users experienced earlier on Monday have been caused by an unusually high number of people using the social media company's services after a score of US social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, went down.
Sorry for the disruption today: Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook outrage
Oct 05, 2021, at 02:04 pm
New York: Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Monday night said 'sorry' to the users of the popular social media platform as it went down for several hours.
Japan's Fumio Kishida takes charge as new PM
Oct 04, 2021, at 11:44 pm
Tokyo: Japan's Fumio Kishida on Monday took charge as the new Prime Minister of the country at a time when he will need to fight to recover the nation from COVID-19 pandemic challenge.
Oct 04, 2021, at 11:15 pm
New York: The UN Secretary-General on Sunday said he was committed to ensuring that the Organisation is a place where “youth voices are heard, and their ideas lead”, as he spent the day in Barbados which tomorrow hosts a major UN conference on trade and development, focused on the need to build a global green economy and recover equitably from the COVID-19 pandemic.
UN chief condemns attack on UN peacekeepers in Mali
Oct 04, 2021, at 10:59 pm
New York: The UN Secretary-General has condemned an attack against peacekeepers in Mali on Saturday which left one Egyptian ‘blue helmet’ dead, and four others seriously injured.
Fumio Kishida becomes new Japan PM
Oct 04, 2021, at 06:52 pm
Tokyo/IBNS: Former Japan Defence Minister Fumio Kishida became the new Prime Minister of the country, succeeding Yoshihide Suga.