More tragedy on the Mediterranean as 74 migrants reportedly drown off Libya coast
Nov 13, 2020, at 04:04 pm
New York: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday reported yet another devastating shipwreck in the Central Mediterranean, which has claimed the lives of at least 74 migrants off the coast of Khums, Libya. It is the eighth such incident since the beginning of October.
Landmine toll still high amid concerns over COVID-19 impact on clearance efforts
Nov 13, 2020, at 03:47 pm
New York: Thousands of people continue to be killed and injured every year by landmines and explosive weapons in conflicts around the world, while the COVID-19 pandemic has forced mine-clearance efforts to be scaled back, a UN-backed civil society report on the issue said on Thursday.
‘No way’ to get vital humanitarian aid into Ethiopia’s Tigray region, UN warns
Nov 13, 2020, at 03:40 pm
New York: With telephone lines still cut and transport links disrupted, it is impossible for humanitarians to get vital supplies into Ethiopia’s Tigray region or assess evolving humanitarian needs, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said.
Seafarers, heroes of the pandemic as shipping plays vital role in crisis
Nov 13, 2020, at 03:37 pm
New York: The global shipping industry has played a vital role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and demand for its services has limited the annual decline in maritime trade volumes to around 4.1 per cent in 2020, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in its annual report on the shipping industry on Thursday.
Beirut blast aftermath: Healing underway, city needs more support to cleanse ‘deep wounds’
Nov 13, 2020, at 03:32 pm
New York: Those affected by the devastating explosions that tore through Beirut 100 days ago, killing more than 200 people, remain in need of crucial support, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Wednesday.
Terrorist attack in northern Burkina Faso leaves 14 security officers killed
Nov 13, 2020, at 02:56 pm
Ouagadougou/Sputnik: A terrorist attack in the northern part of Burkina Faso had resulted in the death of 14 security officers, French media reported on Thursday.
Imposition of new education policy: China facing protests in Inner Mongolia
Nov 13, 2020, at 12:49 am
Beijing: China is facing violent protests in Inner Mongolia over Beijing's decision to impose new education policy in the region.
Negative PCR test must for people travelling to Spain
Nov 12, 2020, at 07:21 am
Madrid/IBNS: Visitors to Spain from countries with high risk of coronavirus infection have to produce a negative PCR test within 72 hours of their arrival, said the country's health ministry on Wednesday.
China gets four Hong Kong lawmakers disqualified, others resign en masse
Nov 11, 2020, at 11:36 pm
Hong Kong/UNI: The Hong Kong government's decision to disqualify four opposition lawmakers on Wednesday led to a cascading effect, as 15 others from Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp in the legislature also tendered their resignation.
UK University students will have 'travel window' to spend Christmas with family: Govt
Nov 11, 2020, at 11:15 pm
London/Sputnik: UK university students will be able to spend Christmas with their families, but only if they use a six-day “travel window” that will be open from December 3 to December 9 immediately after the COVID-19 lockdown is lifted in England, the government announced on Wednesday.
'Have some plans': New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern on her wedding
Nov 11, 2020, at 07:01 pm
Welington/IBNS: After registering a thumping victory in the elections, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed she might get wedded to her partner Clarke Gayford soon.
COVID-19: Slow road to jobs recovery for Latin America and the Caribbean
Nov 11, 2020, at 04:08 pm
New York: The labour market in Latin America and the Caribbean faces a slow recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for “active macro policies” and other measures to promote sustainable development alongside getting people back into the workforce.
Nov 11, 2020, at 03:57 pm
New York: The Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is urging Libya’s warring parties to implement their recent historic ceasefire agreement, calling it a “welcome concrete development” for a population that has been yearning for peace.
UN agency for Palestine refugees runs out of money as COVID-19 spreads
Nov 11, 2020, at 03:52 pm
New York: The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA) has run out of cash on hand to keep vital services going amid the worsening health emergency, UNRWA spokesperson Tamara Alrifai told a regular UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
UN rights chief Bachelet condemns Tanzania election violence
Nov 11, 2020, at 03:48 pm
New York: The people of Tanzania should be allowed to express grievances “without fear of reprisals” after nationwide elections, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday.
Oppose hatred in all its forms, UN chief urges
Nov 11, 2020, at 03:42 pm
New York: The United Nations Secretary-General has called on the global community to stand against hatred in all its forms, and to reject the “lies and loathing” which led to the rise of Nazism and which fractures societies today.
COVID-19 worsening food insecurity, driving displacement, warn UN agencies
Nov 11, 2020, at 03:37 pm
New York: Global hunger and population displacement, which were already at record levels when COVID-19 struck, could “surge” as migrants and those reliant on a dwindling flow of remittances desperately seek work to support their families, a new UN report has warned.
Nusra terrorists shell Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone 33 times: Russian Military
Nov 11, 2020, at 02:17 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (formerly known as the Nusra Front, banned in Russia) committed 33 shelling attacks in Syria's norther Idlib region over the past 24 hours, the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Syrian Reconciliation said at a daily briefing on Tuesday.
Taiwan denied observer status at WHO Assembly
Nov 10, 2020, at 09:41 pm
Geneva/UNI: Taiwan was again denied observer status in the virtual World Health Organisation's (WHO) annual Assembly due to China's firm opposition.
Vladimir Putin says comprehensive plan on fighting COVID-19 to be adopted at SCO Summit
Nov 10, 2020, at 09:35 pm
Sochi/Sputnik: Participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which is taking place on Tuesday, will approve a comprehensive plan on fighting the coronavirus pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the opening of the SCO summit via video conferencing.
Cote d’Ivoire: ‘Tone down the hateful rhetoric’, find peaceful solutions: UN rights chief
Nov 10, 2020, at 09:29 pm
New York: Continuing violence in the wake of elections in Cote d’Ivoire’s presidential elections held on 31 October, prompted the UN human rights chief on Monday to call for a peaceful solution, saying it was in “nobody’s interests to fuel the threat of increasing political instability”.
UN deputy chief conducts solidarity visit to West Africa and the Sahel
Nov 10, 2020, at 09:26 pm
New York: The UN Deputy Secretary-General is on a two-week solidarity visit to West Africa and the Sahel to underscore the Organization’s support to countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guterres congratulates Biden and Harris, hails UN-US partnership as ‘essential pillar’
Nov 10, 2020, at 09:23 pm
New York: Senior UN officials have offered their congratulations to the president-elect of the United States Joe Biden, and vice president-elect Kamala Harris, on their election victory called on Saturday.
Following peace deal, talks on Libya's political future begin
Nov 10, 2020, at 09:00 pm
New York: Talks to draw up a blueprint for a new political era in Libya began in Tunisia on Monday, following a peace deal struck by Libya’s warring sides last month.
Independent UN experts decry COVID vaccine hoarding: ‘No one is secure until all of us are’
Nov 10, 2020, at 03:54 pm
New York: The only way to fight the COVID-19 crisis is to make affordable vaccines available to everyone, independent UN human rights experts said on Monday, underscoring that in an interconnected and interdependent world, “no one is secure until all of us are secure”.
WHO’s Tedros says it is time for the world to heal, pushing back on ‘misguided nationalism’
Nov 10, 2020, at 03:38 pm
New York: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told Member States on Monday that efforts to tackle climate change and poverty had been set back by a lack of global unity since major agreements were struck five years ago, and welcomed the chance to work with the presumptive new US administration of president-elect Joe Biden.
‘Super typhoon’ Goni: UN, partners seek $45 million in immediate relief
Nov 10, 2020, at 03:11 pm
New York: The United Nations and humanitarian partners in the Philippines launched, on Monday, a response plan for $45.5 million to bring life-saving assistance and protection to hundreds of thousands of people affected by Typhoon Goni.
Russian peacekeepers to be deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh: Putin
Nov 10, 2020, at 02:46 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Russian peacekeepers will be deployed in the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh along the corridor connecting the region with Armenia and along the contact line, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Austrian police detain 30 people in counterterrorism operation: Reports
Nov 09, 2020, at 09:57 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Austrian police on Monday conducted searches at 60 premises and detained 30 people for questioning as part of a counterterrorism operation, which has no links to a recent deadly attack in Vienna, media reported.
Eleven killed in ISIS attack in Western Baghdad: Reports
Nov 09, 2020, at 09:43 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Eleven people, including six civilians, have been killed as a result of an attack conducted by the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, outlawed in Russia) on the western outskirts of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the country’s Al Sumaria channel reported, citing a security source.