Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thousands of migrants lose shelter, after camp destroyed in fire
Dec 25, 2020, at 02:04 am
New York: The closure and subsequent fire, on Wednesday, at a migrant camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina has left thousands of migrants without shelter and protection, amid plummeting winter temperatures, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported.
Hate speech on Facebook poses ‘acute challenges to human dignity’: UN expert
Dec 25, 2020, at 01:51 am
New York: An independent UN human rights expert called on Wednesday for Facebook’s Oversight Board to give greater consideration to the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities before making decisions over controversial content, particularly involving hate speech.
Press freedom more important than ever, as UN condemns killing of 59 media workers
Dec 25, 2020, at 01:18 am
New York: At least 59 media workers have been killed this year, four of them women, the UN said on Wednesday, in a call to stand up for access to information and factual reporting “as a public good”.
Uganda: UN food assistance programme hit as COVID-19 dries up funding
Dec 25, 2020, at 01:05 am
New York: The UN World Food Programme (WFP) will have to further reduce food rations and cash assistance for more than 1.2 million refugees in Uganda due to a funding shortfall, the agency has said, calling for urgent resources to sustain aid efforts.
Central African Republic: UN rights office warns of ‘escalating violence’ ahead of Sunday poll
Dec 25, 2020, at 12:54 am
New York: Just days before elections in the Central African Republic (CAR), an uptick in armed violence is threatening the safety of civilians and their right to vote, according to the UN human rights office.
Kabul and Islamabad engage in blame game over border fencing, says report
Dec 24, 2020, at 06:27 pm
Islamabad: The border fencing between Afghanistan and Pakistan has emerged as the main sources of the blame game between Kabul and Islamabad.
Belgium hopes trade with Russia to return to Pre-COVID levels soon : Ambassador
Dec 23, 2020, at 09:54 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Andrei Savenkov Belgium hopes that bilateral trade with Russia will rebound to the pre-COVID-19 levels after experiencing a contraction this year due to the pandemic, new Belgian Ambassador to Russia Marc Michielsen told Sputnik in his first interview since the appointment.
COVID-19: Support to frontline workers part of UN response in Brazil
Dec 23, 2020, at 04:18 pm
New York: UN agencies in Brazil are supporting national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including by providing thousands of protective items for health workers, the global organization reported on Tuesday.
Iran nuclear deal: ‘Heated rhetoric and the heightened risk of miscalculation’ widen differences
Dec 23, 2020, at 04:16 pm
New York: Although the landmark Iran nuclear deal could improve regional stability if fully implemented, increased tensions have highlighted the risks posed by escalation, the UN’s Political and Peacebuilding Affairs chief told the Security Council on Tuesday.
UN independent expert asks outgoing US president: Pardon Wikileaks’ Assange
Dec 23, 2020, at 04:12 pm
New York: In an open letter to Donald Trump on Tuesday, an independent UN human rights expert asked the departing United States President to pardon Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Mozambique: 250,000 displaced children facing deadly disease threat
Dec 23, 2020, at 04:08 pm
New York: A lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene services have put approximately 250,000 children, displaced by escalating crises in a northern province of Mozambique, at risk from deadly diseases, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
Tigray: Hundreds of civilians reported killed in artillery strikes, warns UN rights chief
Dec 23, 2020, at 04:03 pm
New York: Reports of artillery strikes on civilians and mass killings of non-combatants in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, must be investigated and full access granted to independent investigators, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday.
Culture in crisis: Arts fighting to survive COVID-19 impact
Dec 23, 2020, at 03:52 pm
New York: The culture sector, which employs more than 30 million people globally, has been hit much harder than expected by the coronavirus pandemic and its fallout, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has said, urging targeted policies and actions to help it weather the crisis.
Ireland to begin vaccination on December 30: Reports
Dec 23, 2020, at 03:17 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Ireland will begin immunization against the coronavirus disease on December 30, the public broadcaster RTE reported Tuesday, citing Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.
Paris announces resumption of trips from UK for certain groups of EU nations' citizens
Dec 23, 2020, at 02:20 pm
Paris/Sputnik: The French government on Tuesday announced the resumption of travel from the UK for certain categories of citizens, including for the French and citizens of the European Union, provided they tested negative for the coronavirus.
Sharp declines in trade and FDI but Asia-Pacific performs better than rest of the world in 2020
Dec 22, 2020, at 11:16 pm
Bangkok/ESCAPnews:The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with increasing trade tensions and an already slowing global economy, have paved the way for the world’s worst economic performance since the Great Depression.
Turkey quarantines more than 4,600 passengers from UK amid coronavirus mutation concerns
Dec 22, 2020, at 11:05 pm
Ankara/Sputnik: Turkish authorities have quarantined 4,603 passengers from the United Kingdom, where a new mutation of the coronavirus has been detected, Turkish Heath Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Tuesday.
Iran strongly denies alleged involvement in most recent Baghdad green zone attack
Dec 22, 2020, at 10:53 pm
Tehran/Sputnik: Iran refutes the alleged involvement of Iran-backed groups in the Sunday rocket attack on the Green Zone in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
UK Royal Mail deliveries affected by travel bans resulting from new virus strain discovery
Dec 22, 2020, at 09:58 pm
London/Sputnik: The British Royal Mail says it is halting deliveries to most of Europe and is suspending special delivery guarantees for some items as countries across the world are closing their borders to the UK because of the new strain of the coronavirus.
Uighur persecution: Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis flays China
Dec 22, 2020, at 05:19 pm
London: Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has emerged as a key religious figure in the UK who slammed China over the persecution of its Uighur Muslims.
Malian refugees return to Burkina Faso camp nine months after violent attacks
Dec 22, 2020, at 04:10 pm
New York: Scores of Malian refugees in Burkina Faso have returned to a camp in the northeast of the country nine months after armed attacks and threats forced them to flee to a neighbouring town, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Monday.
Return to ‘path of meaningful negotiations’, UN envoy urges Israelis, Palestinians
Dec 22, 2020, at 04:05 pm
New York: Addressing the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to “take practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage” in the peace process.
Joint UN-INTERPOL operation disrupts firearms supply to terrorist networks in West Africa and Sahel
Dec 22, 2020, at 04:01 pm
New York: An international operation coordinated jointly by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the international police organization INTERPOL has disrupted trafficking networks that supply terrorist groups across West Africa and the Sahel, the UN agency reported on Monday.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford orders all of Ontario to be in lockdown from Dec. 26
Dec 22, 2020, at 07:35 am
Ontario/IBNS: In an effort to contain COVID-19 case numbers and prevent hospitals and their intensive care units from being overwhelmed, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced on Monday that all of Ontario will move into a lockdown on Boxing Day, Dec 26 starting at 12:01 a.m.
Saudi Arabia closes borders for one week over new coronavirus strain: Reports
Dec 21, 2020, at 03:18 pm
Cairo/Sputnik: Saudi Arabia is closing its land borders and suspending international flights for one week following the discovery of a new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports citing an internal ministry source.
Over 150 people detained during protests in Belarus: Human Rights Center
Dec 21, 2020, at 03:11 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: More than 150 people were detained during Sunday unauthorized anti-government protests held across Belarus, the unregistered Viasna human rights center said.
Countries suspend air traffic with UK over mutated coronavirus strain
Dec 21, 2020, at 02:27 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Countries in the European Union and beyond began suspending travel with the United Kingdom on Sunday due to risks associated with the discovery of a new coronavirus strain there.
Italy suspending UK-bound flights over new COVID-19 strain: Foreign Minister
Dec 21, 2020, at 02:05 am
Rome/Paris/Sputnik: Italy is set to suspend flights to the United Kingdom due to the new strain of the coronavirus that threatens to spread far more rapidly than its other variants, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Sunday.
Iraqi security forces discover IS Terrorists' Arms Depot North of Baghdad: Military
Dec 21, 2020, at 01:11 am
Cairo/Sputnik: The Iraqi security forces have discovered a large ammunition depot belonging to the Islamic State terrorist group north of Baghdad, the country's defense ministry said on Sunday.
Belarusian police disperse protest rally in Minsk, confirm multiple detentions
Dec 21, 2020, at 12:47 am
Minsk/Sputnik: Security forces have dispersed anti-government demonstrations in the Belarusian capital on Sunday, with the Minsk police confirming to Sputnik multiple detentions.