Somalia: Call for urgent action following ‘alarming’ 80 per cent rise in sexual violence
Aug 06, 2021, at 11:55 pm
New York: An “alarming” 80 per cent increase in sexual violence in Somalia, as documented in two recent reports by the Secretary-General, has been described as “appalling” by two UN Special Representatives.
Refugee resettlement numbers yet to recover amid pandemic
Aug 06, 2021, at 11:47 pm
New York: The number of refugees given shelter in safe host countries plunged last year because of pandemic border restrictions, which continue to hamper the resettlement of vulnerable people.
Work still remains on destruction of Syria chemical weapons
Aug 06, 2021, at 10:50 pm
New York: Identifying perpetrators of chemical weapon attacks, and holding them accountable, must remain a priority, a senior UN official said on Wednesday during the latest Security Council meeting on Syria.
Ethiopia: ‘Heartbreaking’ devastation in Tigray, says UN humanitarian chief
Aug 06, 2021, at 10:19 pm
New York: The new UN Emergency Relief Coordinator ended a six-day mission to Ethiopia with a fresh push to get badly needed food and other supplies into the embattled Tigray region.
Donor conference a ‘unique opportunity’ to renew commitment to Lebanon: UN deputy chief
Aug 06, 2021, at 10:09 pm
Kabul: A donor conference to boost support for Lebanon one year after the devastating explosion in its capital, Beirut, represents a “unique opportunity” to renew commitment to the country and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Wednesday.
Magnitude 5.6 quake strikes off central Indonesia
Aug 05, 2021, at 08:08 pm
Jakarta/Xinhua: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 jolted East Nusa Tenggara province in central Indonesia on Thursday, the meteorology and geophysics agency said here.
Iraq: Put torture prevention laws into practice, urges Bachelet
Aug 04, 2021, at 06:56 pm
New York: Although laws in Iraq criminalize torture and set out procedural safeguards to prevent it, a new report released on Tuesday by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), makes clear that the practice continues in jails throughout the country.
Families still struggling one year after Beirut explosion: UNICEF
Aug 04, 2021, at 06:39 pm
New York: A year after the devastating explosions in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, a staggering 98 per cent of families are still in need, according to a survey published on Tuesday by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
700-plus healthcare workers and patients killed in attacks on facilities: WHO
Aug 04, 2021, at 06:09 pm
New York: More than 700 healthcare workers and patients have died, and more than 2,000 have been injured in attacks on health facilities since December 2017, according to a three year analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) released on Tuesday.
UN chief underlines commitment to justice for Yazidis in Iraq
Aug 04, 2021, at 06:05 pm
New York: Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the Iraqi authorities to swiftly implement a new law to assist Yazidi survivors of ISIL atrocities, the UN said on Tuesday in a statement marking seven years since the extremist group brutally targeted the religious minority and other communities.
UN chief welcomes 'historic' IMF liquidity boost for governments in need
Aug 04, 2021, at 05:14 pm
New York: As the COVID-19 crisis continues to exacerbate restrictions on government spending throughout the world, the UN chief on Tuesday welcomed the decision by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to approve a $650 billion allocation of Special Drawing Rights to “boost liquidity”.
Zoom agrees to pay $85Mln to settle user privacy suit: Reports
Aug 02, 2021, at 11:10 pm
Washington/Sputnik: Zoom Video Communications agreed to pay $85 million to settle a collective claim on alleged user privacy breach in the US, the New York Times reported on Monday.
New Zealand PM Arden formally apologizes for 1970s crackdown on Pacific Islander
Aug 02, 2021, at 05:05 am
Moscow/UNI/SPUTNIK: Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern on Sunday offered apologies for an immigration crackdown in the 1970s against Pacific Islanders, known as Dawn Raids.
Afghan forces strike Taliban hideout, several insurgents killed
Aug 01, 2021, at 10:53 pm
A Taliban hideout was destroyed by an airstrike by Afghan air force, a video released by the Afghanistan government on Twitter showed.
Conflict, COVID, climate crisis, likely to fuel acute food insecurity in 23 ‘hunger hotspots’
Jul 31, 2021, at 05:38 pm
New York: Life-saving aid to families on the brink of famine is being cut off in several countries by fighting and blockades, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) said in a new report issued on Friday.
100,000 children in Tigray at risk of death from malnutrition: UNICEF
Jul 31, 2021, at 04:56 pm
New York: More than 100,000 children in Tigray, Ethiopia, could suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition in the next 12 months, a tenfold jump over average annual levels, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
Middle East is in fourth wave of Covid-19 triggered by Delta variant: WHO
Jul 31, 2021, at 01:41 am
Geneva/IBNS: The Middle East is in the midst of the fourth wave of Covid-19, triggered by the delta variant of coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.
Yemen: New World Bank funds offer lifeline to most vulnerable
Jul 30, 2021, at 07:12 pm
New York: Three UN agencies on Thursday welcomed $127 million in new funding from the World Bank to provide lifesaving support to some of the country’s most hard hit rural families, struggling under the impact of multiple crises.
Human trafficking: UN chief calls for action as COVID leaves ‘many millions’ more vulnerable
Jul 30, 2021, at 06:36 pm
New York: UN Secretary General António Guterres on Thursday urged States to take action against human trafficking, where a third of all victims are children.
Countries urged to develop pandemic preparedness and response treaty
Jul 30, 2021, at 06:28 pm
New York: A senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the need for a global treaty on pandemic preparedness and response, urging countries to “seize the moment” and support its development.
Food systems transformation a ‘silver lining’ in COVID crisis: UN deputy chief
Jul 30, 2021, at 06:20 pm
New York: A sustainable and prosperous planet can only be achieved through working together and in solidarity, the UN Deputy Secretary-General said on Wednesday at the end of a major global food security meeting.
Gaza: Humanitarian response underway, but political solutions still needed
Jul 30, 2021, at 05:48 pm
Although the international community is providing urgent assistance to Gaza in the wake of the most recent round of hostilities, a political solution is still needed to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, a senior UN official in the region said on Wednesday.
UN-African Union Mission in Darfur in final shutdown phase
Jul 28, 2021, at 11:05 pm
New York: Practically all peacekeepers and staff have now left the hybrid UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), in line with its drawdown plan, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday.
COVID-19: Education replaced by shuttered schools, violence, teenage pregnancy
Jul 28, 2021, at 11:00 pm
New York: A culture of “safety, friends and food” at school has been replaced by “anxiety, violence, and teenage pregnancy”, with remote learning out of reach for millions, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Tuesday.
Myanmar: Rights expert calls for ‘COVID ceasefire’, urges UN action
Jul 28, 2021, at 07:23 pm
New York: The UN independent expert on the human rights situation in Myanmar on Tuesday called for a “COVID ceasefire” for the country, as infections and deaths soar even as the military junta escalates attacks against healthcare workers.
Child malnutrition expected to quadruple in Southern Madagascar
Jul 27, 2021, at 07:27 pm
New York: At least half a million children under five in drought-afflicted southern Madagascar are on the verge of acute malnourishment, two UN agencies warned on Monday.
Free, fair Palestinian elections, must include East Jerusalem: UN experts
Jul 27, 2021, at 07:23 pm
New York: Landmark elections in the Occupied Palestinian territory must be rescheduled soon and include East Jerusalem, three UN independent human rights experts said in a statement on Monday.
Together, we must tackle growing hunger, urges Guterres
Jul 27, 2021, at 07:08 pm
New York: Inefficient global food production is at the root of a huge rise in hunger as well as one-third of all emissions and 80 per cent of biodiversity loss, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned, in a call to all countries to transform food systems to speed up sustainable development.
Day before fraud trial, Vatican reveals property portfolio the first time
Jul 25, 2021, at 07:39 am
Vatica city/IBNS: Just a day ahead of a high profile trial over a London investment, the Vatican released its annual budget for an important department that manages property and investments, for the first time ever, according to media reports.
New ECOSOC President aims to maximize ‘reach, relevance and impact’
Jul 24, 2021, at 05:25 pm
New York: The role of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in promoting development has become “even more critical” as a way of guiding and informing the COVID-19 pandemic response worldwide, Collen Vixen Kelapile said on Friday, speaking for the first time as the UN body’s president.